I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 918 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to furnish mental health care to certain former members of 
the Armed Forces who are not otherwise eligible to receive such care, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 7, 2017 
Mr. COFFMAN (for himself, Mr. KILMER, Miss RICE of New York, Mr. MEE-
HAN, Mr. JONES, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsyl-
vania, Ms. JENKINS of Kansas, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. SWALWELL 
of California, Mr. HIMES, Mr. BERGMAN, Ms. KUSTER of New Hamp-
shire, and Mrs. RADEWAGEN) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to furnish mental health care 
to certain former members of the Armed Forces who 
are not otherwise eligible to receive such care, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veteran Urgent Access 
to Mental Healthcare Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF INITIAL AND URGENT MENTAL 
HEALTH CARE FOR CERTAIN FORMER MEM-
BERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1720H 
the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1720I. Provision of initial and urgent mental 
health care for certain former members 
not otherwise eligible for care 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall furnish to 
former members of the Armed Forces described in sub-
section (b)— 
‘‘(1) an initial mental health assessment; and 
‘‘(2) the mental health care services authorized 
under this chapter that the Secretary determines are 
required to treat the urgent mental health care 
needs of the former member, including risk of sui-
cide or harming others. 
‘‘(b) FORMER MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 
DESCRIBED.—A former member of the Armed Forces de-
scribed in this subsection is an individual who meets the 
following criteria: 
‘‘(1) The individual is a former member of the 
Armed Forces, including the reserve components, 
who— 
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‘‘(A) served in the active military, naval, or 
air service, and was discharged or released 
therefrom under a condition that is not honor-
able except— 
‘‘(i) dishonorable; or 
‘‘(ii) bad conduct discharge; 
‘‘(B) has applied for a character of service 
determination and such determination has not 
been made; and 
‘‘(C) is not otherwise eligible to enroll in 
the health care system established by section 
1705 of this title by reason of such discharge 
or release not meeting the requirements of sec-
tion 101(2) of this title. 
‘‘(2) While serving in the Armed Forces— 
‘‘(A) the former member was deployed in a 
theater of combat operations or an area at a 
time during which hostilities occurred in that 
area; 
‘‘(B) participated in or experienced such 
combat operations or hostilities, including by 
controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle from a 
location other than such theater or area; or 
‘‘(C) was the victim of a physical assault 
of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, 
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or sexual harassment (as defined in section 
1720D(f) of this title). 
‘‘(c) NON-DEPARTMENT CARE.—(1) In furnishing 
mental health care services to an individual under this sec-
tion, the Secretary may provide such mental health care 
services at a non-Department facility if— 
‘‘(A) in the judgment of a mental health profes-
sional employed by the Department, the receipt of 
mental health care services by that individual in fa-
cilities of the Department would be clinically inadvis-
able; or 
‘‘(B) facilities of the Department are not capa-
ble of furnishing such mental health care services to 
that individual economically because of geographical 
inaccessibility. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall carry out paragraph (1) pur-
suant to section 1703 of this title or any other provision 
of law authorizing the Secretary to enter into contracts 
or agreements to furnish hospital care and medical serv-
ices to veterans at non-Department facilities. 
‘‘(d) SETTING AND REFERRALS.—In furnishing men-
tal health care services to an individual under this section, 
the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) seek to ensure that such mental health 
care services are furnished in a setting that is thera-
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peutically appropriate, taking into account the cir-
cumstances that resulted in the need for such men-
tal health care services; and 
‘‘(2) provide referral services to assist former 
members who are not eligible for services under this 
chapter to obtain services from sources outside the 
Department. 
‘‘(e) INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall provide in-
formation on the mental health care services available 
under this section. Efforts by the Secretary to provide 
such information— 
‘‘(1) shall include availability of a toll-free tele-
phone number (commonly referred to as an 800 
number); 
‘‘(2) shall ensure that information about the 
mental health care services available under this sec-
tion— 
‘‘(A) is revised and updated as appro-
priate; 
‘‘(B) is made available and visibly posted 
at appropriate facilities of the Department; and 
‘‘(C) is made available through appropriate 
public information services; and 
‘‘(3) shall include coordination with the Sec-
retary of Defense seeking to ensure that members of 
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the Armed Forces and individuals who are being 
separated from active military, naval, or air service 
are provided appropriate information about pro-
grams, requirements, and procedures for applying 
for mental health care services under this section. 
‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Each year, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress an annual report on the mental 
health care services provided pursuant to this section. 
Each report shall include data for the year covered by the 
report with respect to each of the following: 
‘‘(1) The number of individuals who received 
mental health care services under subsection (a), 
disaggregated by the number of men who received 
such services and the number of women who re-
ceived such services. 
‘‘(2) Such other information as the Secretary 
considers appropriate.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 17 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1720H the following new item: 
‘‘1720I. Provision of initial and urgent mental health care not otherwise eligible 
for care.’’. 
(c) STUDY ON EFFECT OF COMBAT SERVICE ON SUI-
CIDE RATES.— 
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