I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5048 
To expand and improve care provided to veterans and members of the Armed 
Forces with mental health disorders or at risk of suicide, to review 
the terms or characterization of the discharge or separation of certain 
individuals from the Armed Forces, to require a pilot program on loan 
repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans Health 
Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 9, 2014 
Mr. PETERS of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To expand and improve care provided to veterans and mem-
bers of the Armed Forces with mental health disorders 
or at risk of suicide, to review the terms or characteriza-
tion of the discharge or separation of certain individuals 
from the Armed Forces, to require a pilot program on 
loan repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in 
the Veterans Health Administration of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Suicide Prevention for 
American Veterans Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR DOMICILIARY 
CARE FOR CERTAIN VETERANS WHO SERVED 
IN A THEATER OF COMBAT OPERATIONS. 
Section 1710(e)(3)(A) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ‘‘period of five years’’ and 
inserting ‘‘period of 15 years’’. 
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF CHARACTERIZATION OR TERMS OF DIS-
CHARGE FROM THE ARMED FORCES OF INDI-
VIDUALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS 
ALLEGED TO AFFECT TERMS OF DISCHARGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries of the military 
departments shall each provide for a process by which a 
covered individual may challenge the terms or character-
ization of the individual’s discharge or separation from the 
Armed Forces. 
(b) COVERED INDIVIDUALS.—For purposes of this 
section, a covered individual is any individual as follows: 
(1) An individual who was discharged or sepa-
rated from the Armed Forces for a personality dis-
order. 
(2) An individual who— 
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(A) was discharged or separated from the 
Armed Forces on a punitive basis, or under 
other than honorable conditions; and 
(B) who alleges that the basis for such dis-
charge or separation was a mental health injury 
or disorder incurred or aggravated by the indi-
vidual during service in the Armed Forces. 
(c) DISCHARGE OF PROCESS THROUGH BOARDS OF 
CORRECTIONS OF RECORDS.—The Secretary of a military 
department shall carry out the process required by sub-
section (a) through boards for the correction of military 
records of the military department concerned. 
(d) CONSIDERATIONS ON MODIFICATION OF TERMS 
OF DISCHARGE OR SEPARATION.—In deciding whether to 
modify the terms or characterization of an individual’s dis-
charge or separation pursuant to the process required by 
subsection (a), the Secretary of the military department 
concerned shall instruct boards to give due consideration 
to any mental health injury or disorder determined to have 
been incurred or aggravated by the individual during serv-
ice in the Armed Forces and to what bearing such injury 
or disorder may have had on the circumstances sur-
rounding the individual’s discharge or separation from the 
Armed Forces. 
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SEC. 4. IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PRO-
VIDED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 
(a) EVALUATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND 
SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 
once each year, the Secretary concerned shall pro-
vide for the conduct of an evaluation of the mental 
health care and suicide prevention programs carried 
out under the laws administered by such Secretary. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each evaluation conducted 
under paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) use metrics that are common among 
and useful for practitioners in the field of men-
tal health care and suicide prevention; 
(B) identify the most effective mental 
health care and suicide prevention programs 
conducted by the Secretary concerned; and 
(C) propose best practices for caring for 
individuals who suffer from mental health dis-
orders or are at risk of suicide. 
(3) THIRD PARTY.—Each evaluation conducted 
under paragraph (1) shall be conducted by an inde-
pendent third party unaffiliated with the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs and the Department of De-
fense. 
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(b) TRAINING OF PROVIDERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 
shall train all providers of health care under the 
laws administered by such Secretary on the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Recognizing if an individual is at risk 
of suicide. 
(B) Treating or referring for treatment an 
individual who is at risk of suicide. 
(C) 
Recognizing 
the 
symptoms 
of 
posttraumatic stress disorder. 
(2) DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES.—The 
Secretary concerned shall ensure that best practices 
for identifying individuals at risk of suicide and pro-
viding quality mental health care are disseminated to 
providers of health care under the laws administered 
by such Secretary. 
(c) SECRETARY CONCERNED DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 
(1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with re-
spect to matters concerning the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs; and 
(2) the Secretary of Defense with respect to 
matters concerning the Department of Defense. 
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SEC. 5. COLLABORATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS AND DEPARTMENT OF DE-
FENSE ON HEALTH CARE MATTERS. 
(a) TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTING INTEROPERABLE 
ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1635 of the Wound-
ed Warrior Act (10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(k) TIMELINE.—In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall ensure that— 
‘‘(1) the creation of a health data authoritative 
source by the Department of Defense and the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs that can be accessed 
by multiple providers and standardizes the input of 
new medical information is achieved not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
subsection; 
‘‘(2) the ability of patients of both the Depart-
ment of Defense and the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to download the medical records of the pa-
tient (commonly referred to as the ‘Blue Button Ini-
tiative’) is achieved not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this subsection; 
‘‘(3) the full interoperability of personal health 
care information between the Departments is 
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achieved not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this subsection; 
‘‘(4) the acceleration of the exchange of real- 
time data between the Departments is achieved not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment 
of this subsection; 
‘‘(5) the upgrade of the graphical user interface 
to display a joint common graphical user interface is 
achieved not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this subsection; and 
‘‘(6) each current member of the Armed Forces 
and the dependent of such a member may elect to 
receive an electronic copy of the health care record 
of the individual beginning not later than June 30, 
2015.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1635 
of such Act is further amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The 
Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘In accordance with 
the timeline described in subsection (k), the 
Secretary’’; and 
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 
of subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘in accordance 
with subsection (k)’’ after ‘‘under this section’’. 
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(b) ESTABLISHMENT
OF UNIFORM PRESCRIPTION 
FORMULARY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
Secretary of Defense shall jointly establish a uniform pre-
scription formulary for use in prescribing medication 
under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs and the laws administered by the Secretary of De-
fense. 
SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM FOR REPAYMENT OF EDU-
CATIONAL LOANS FOR CERTAIN PSYCHIA-
TRISTS OF VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRA-
TION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to repay loans of 
individuals described in subsection (b) that— 
(1) were used by such individuals to finance 
education relating to psychiatric medicine, including 
education leading to— 
(A) an undergraduate degree; 
(B) a degree of doctor of medicine; or 
(C) a degree of doctor of osteopathy; and 
(2) were obtained from any of the following: 
(A) A governmental entity. 
(B) A private financial institution. 
(C) A school. 
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(D) Any other authorized entity as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), an 
individual eligible for participation in the pilot pro-
gram is an individual who— 
(A) either— 
(i) is licensed or eligible for licensure 
to practice psychiatric medicine in the Vet-
erans Health Administration of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs; or 
(ii) is enrolled in the final year of a 
residency program leading to a specialty 
qualification in psychiatric medicine that is 
approved by the Accreditation Council for 
Graduate Medical Education; and 
(B) demonstrates a commitment to a long- 
term career as a psychiatrist in the Veterans 
Health Administration, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(2) PROHIBITION
ON
SIMULTANEOUS
ELIGI-
BILITY.—An individual who is participating in any 
other program of the Federal Government that re-
pays the educational loans of the individual is not el-
igible to participate in the pilot program. 
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(c) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select not less 
than 10 individuals described in subsection (b) to partici-
pate in the pilot program for each year in which the Sec-
retary carries out the pilot program. 
(d) PERIOD
OF OBLIGATED SERVICE.—The Sec-
retary shall enter into an agreement with each individual 
selected under subsection (c) in which such individual 
agrees to serve a period of obligated service for the Vet-
erans Health Administration in the field of psychiatric 
medicine, as determined by the Secretary. 
(e) LOAN REPAYMENTS.— 
(1) AMOUNTS.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 
loan repayment under this section may consist of 
payment of the principal, interest, and related ex-
penses of a loan obtained by an individual who is 
participating in the pilot program for all educational 
expenses (including tuition, fees, books, and labora-
tory expenses) of such individual relating to edu-
cation described in subsection (a)(1). 
(2) LIMIT.—For each year of obligated service 
that an individual who is participating in the pilot 
program agrees to serve under subsection (d), the 
Secretary may pay not more than $60,000 in loan 
repayment on behalf of such individual. 
(f) BREACH.— 
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(1) LIABILITY.—An individual who participates 
in the pilot program and fails to satisfy the period 
of obligated service under subsection (d) shall be lia-
ble to the United States, in lieu of such obligated 
service, for the amount that has been paid or is pay-
able to or on behalf of the individual under the pilot 
program, reduced by the proportion that the number 
of days served for completion of the period of obli-
gated service bears to the total number of days in 
the period of obligated service of such individual. 
(2) REPAYMENT PERIOD.—Any amount of dam-
ages that the United States is entitled to recover 
under this subsection shall be paid to the United 
States not later than one year after the date of the 
breach of the agreement. 
(g) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date on which the pilot program terminates 
under subsection (i), the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 
and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives a report on the pilot pro-
gram. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
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(A) The overall effect of the pilot program 
on the psychiatric workforce shortage of the 
Veterans Health Administration. 
(B) The long-term stability of the psy-
chiatric workforce of the Veterans Health Ad-
ministration. 
(C) Strategies of the Veterans Health Ad-
ministration to improve and increase the ability 
of the Administration to promote the physical 
and mental resiliency of all veterans. 
(h) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 
regulations to carry out this section, including standards 
for qualified loans and authorized payees and other terms 
and conditions for the making of loan repayments. 
(i) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out the 
pilot program shall expire on the date that is three years 
after the date on which the Secretary commences the pilot 
program. 
SEC. 7. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON PAY DISPARI-
TIES 
OF 
PSYCHIATRISTS 
OF 
VETERANS 
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) STUDY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall con-
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duct a study of pay disparities among psychiatrists 
of the Veterans Health Administration of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The study required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) An examination of laws, regulations, 
practices, and policies, including salary flexibili-
ties, that contribute to such disparities. 
(B) Recommendations for legislative or 
regulatory action to improve equity in pay 
among such psychiatrists. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
on which the Comptroller General completes the study 
under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 
and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 
Representatives a report containing the results of the 
study. 
Æ 
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