(9) An assessment of how effectively the Sec-
retary and the Secretary of Defense coordinate men-
tal health and suicide prevention efforts. 
(10) An assessment of such other areas the 
Comptroller General determines appropriate. 
SEC. 4. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON EFFORTS OF 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO IN-
TEGRATE MENTAL HEALTH CARE INTO PRI-
MARY CARE CLINICS. 
(a) INITIAL REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall sub-
mit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
Senate and House of Representatives a report on the 
efforts of the Secretary to integrate mental health 
care into primary care clinics of the Department. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report under this sub-
section shall include the following: 
(A) An assessment of the efforts of the 
Secretary to integrate mental health care into 
primary care clinics of the Department. 
(B) An assessment of the effectiveness of 
such efforts. 
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(C) A description of how care is coordi-
nated by the Department between specialty 
mental health care and primary care, including 
a description of the following: 
(i) How documents and patient infor-
mation are transferred and the effective-
ness of those transfers. 
(ii) How care is coordinated when vet-
erans must travel to different facilities of 
the Department. 
(iii) How a veteran is reintegrated 
into primary care after receiving in-patient 
mental health care. 
(D) An assessment of how the integration 
of mental health care into primary care clinics 
is implemented at different facilities of the De-
partment. 
(E) An assessment of such other areas the 
Comptroller General determines appropriate. 
(b) COMMUNITY CARE INTEGRATION REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two years 
after the date on which the Comptroller General 
submits the report under subsection (a), the Comp-
troller General shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep-
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resentatives a report on the efforts of the Secretary 
to integrate community-based mental health care 
into the Veterans Health Administration. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report under this sub-
section shall include the following: 
(A) An assessment of the efforts of the 
Secretary to integrate community-based mental 
health care into the Veterans Health Adminis-
tration. 
(B) An assessment of the effectiveness of 
such efforts. 
(C) A description of how care is coordi-
nated between providers of community-based 
mental health care and the Veterans Health 
Administration, including a description of how 
documents and patient information are trans-
ferred and the effectiveness of those transfers 
between— 
(i) the Veterans Health Administra-
tion and providers of community-based 
mental health care; and 
(ii) providers of community-based 
mental health care and the Veterans 
Health Administration. 
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(D) An assessment of the extent to which 
the coordination of community-based mental 
health care varies by facilities of the Depart-
ment. 
(E) An assessment of the extent to which 
military cultural competency of community- 
based mental health care providers are consid-
ered in providing mental health care to vet-
erans. 
(F) An assessment of such other areas as 
the Comptroller General considers appropriate 
to study. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘community-based mental health 
care’’ means mental health care paid for by the Sec-
retary but provided by a non-Department health 
care provider at a non-Department facility, including 
care furnished under section 1703 of title 38, United 
States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘Department’’ means the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. 
(3) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs. 
Æ 
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