I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2778 
To require a pilot program on activities under the Transition Assistance 
Program for a reduction in suicide among veterans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 22, 2021 
Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio (for himself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, 
and Ms. JACOBS of California) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require a pilot program on activities under the Transition 
Assistance Program for a reduction in suicide among 
veterans, 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 ‘‘Daniel J. Harvey Jr. 
and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition 
to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON ACTIVITIES UNDER THE TRAN-
SITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR A REDUC-
TION IN SUICIDE AMONG VETERANS. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly 
carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and ad-
visability of providing the module described in subsection 
(b) and the services described in subsection (c) as part 
of the Transition Assistance Program for members of the 
Armed Forces participating in the Transition Assistance 
Program as a means of reducing the incidence of suicide 
among veterans. 
(b) MODULE.—The module described in this sub-
section is a three-hour module under the Transition As-
sistance Program for each member of the Armed Forces 
participating in the pilot program that includes the fol-
lowing: 
(1) An in-person meeting between the cohort of 
the member and a social worker in which the social 
worker— 
(A) counsels the cohort on specific poten-
tial risks confronting members after discharge 
or release from the Armed Forces, including 
loss of community or a support system, isola-
tion from family, friends, or society, identity 
crisis in the transition from military to civilian 
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life, vulnerability viewed as a weakness, need 
for empathy, self-medication and addiction, im-
portance of sleep and exercise, homelessness, 
and reasons why veterans attempt and complete 
suicide; 
(B) counsels members of the cohort who 
have been diagnosed with physical, psycho-
logical, or neurological issues, such as post- 
traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain in-
jury, adverse childhood experiences, depression, 
and bipolar disorder, on— 
(i) the potential risks for such mem-
bers from such issues after discharge or 
release; and 
(ii) the resources and treatment op-
tions afforded to members for such issues 
through the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, the Department of Defense, and non- 
profit organizations; 
(C) counsels the cohort about the resources 
afforded to victims of military sexual trauma 
through the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
and 
(D) counsels the cohort about the five 
stages of grieving, the manner in which mem-
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bers might experience grieving during the tran-
sition from military to civilian life, and the re-
sources afforded to them for grieving through 
the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(2) The provision to each cohort member of 
contact information for a counseling or other appro-
priate facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
in the locality in which such member intends to re-
side after discharge or release. 
(3) The submittal by cohort members to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (including both the 
Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans 
Benefits Administration) of their medical records in 
connection with service in the Armed Forces, wheth-
er or not such members intend to file a claim with 
the Department for benefits with respect to any 
service-connected disability. 
(c) SERVICES.—The services described in this sub-
section in connection with the Transition Assistance Pro-
gram for each member of the Armed Forces participating 
in the pilot program are the following: 
(1) Not later than 90 days after the discharge 
or release of the member from the Armed Forces, a 
contact of the member by a social worker or behav-
ioral health coordinator from the Department of 
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Veterans Affairs to schedule a follow-up appoint-
ment with a social worker or behavioral health pro-
vider at the facility applicable to the member under 
subsection (b)(2) to occur not later than 90 days 
after such contact. 
(2) During the appointment scheduled pursuant 
to paragraph (1)— 
(A) an assessment of the member to deter-
mine the experiences of the member with events 
during service in the Armed Forces that could 
lead, whether individually or cumulatively, to 
physical, psychological, or neurological issues, 
including 
issues 
described 
in 
subsection 
(b)(1)(B); and 
(B) the development of a medical treat-
ment plan for the member, including treatment 
for issues identified pursuant to the assessment 
under subparagraph (A). 
(d) LOCATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The pilot program shall be 
carried out at not fewer than 10 Transition Assist-
ance Centers of the Department of Defense that 
serve not fewer than 300 members of the Armed 
Forces annually that are jointly selected by the Sec-
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retary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs for purposes of the pilot program. 
(2) MEMBERS SERVED.—The centers selected 
under paragraph (1) shall, to the extent practicable, 
be centers that, whether individually or in aggregate, 
serve all the Armed Forces and both the regular and 
reserve components of the Armed Forces. 
(e) SELECTION
AND COMMENCEMENT.—The Sec-
retary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall jointly select the locations of the pilot program under 
subsection (d)(1) and commence carrying out activities 
under the pilot program by not later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(f) DURATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The duration of the pilot 
program shall be five years. 
(2) CONTINUATION.—If the Secretary of De-
fense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs rec-
ommend in the report under subsection (g) that the 
pilot program be extended beyond the date otherwise 
provided by paragraph (1), the Secretaries may 
jointly continue the pilot program for such period 
beyond such date as the Secretaries jointly consider 
appropriate. 
(g) REPORTS.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
every 180 days thereafter during the duration of the 
pilot program, the Secretary of Defense and the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to 
Congress a report on the activities under the pilot 
program. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) A description of the members of the 
Armed Forces who participated in the pilot pro-
gram during the 180-day period ending on the 
date of such report, broken out by the fol-
lowing: 
(i) Sex. 
(ii) Branch of the Armed Forces in 
which served. 
(iii) Diagnosis of, or other symptoms 
consistent with, military sexual trauma, 
post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic 
brain injury, depression, or bipolar dis-
order in connection with service in the 
Armed Forces. 
(B) A description of the activities under 
the pilot program during such period. 
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