I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1463 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the mental health assess-
ments provided to members of the Armed Forces deployed in support 
of a contingency operation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2013 
Mr. CARSON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, 
Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mr. TAKANO, and Mr. ENYART) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the 
mental health assessments provided to members of the 
Armed Forces deployed in support of a contingency oper-
ation. 
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 ‘‘Military Suicide Re-
duction Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF 
THE ARMED FORCES DEPLOYED IN SUPPORT 
OF A CONTINGENCY OPERATION. 
(a) INCREASED ASSESSMENTS.—Subsection (a) of 
section 1074m of title 10, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 
and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec-
tively; and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following new subparagraph (B): 
‘‘(B) Once during each 180-day period in which 
the member is so deployed.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘subpara-
graph (B) and (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 
(C) and (D)’’. 
(b) DEPLOYMENT ASSESSMENTS BY MEDICAL PRO-
FESSIONALS.—Subsection (c) of such section is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The mental 
health’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided by para-
graph (3), the mental health’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
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‘‘(3)(A) If the Secretary determines that a mental 
health assessment conducted under subsection (a)(1)(B) 
cannot be performed by an individual described in clause 
(i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall ensure 
that the mental health assessment is conducted using an 
Internet-based questionnaire. 
‘‘(B) After a member completes a questionnaire con-
ducted under subparagraph (A), the immediate com-
manding officer of the member shall complete a separate 
Internet-based questionnaire regarding the observations of 
the commanding officer with respect to the mental health 
of the member. The commanding officer may not have ac-
cess to the questionnaire of the member conducted under 
subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(C) The Secretary shall ensure that the question-
naires conducted under subparagraphs (A) and (B) to as-
sess a member are combined and such combined document 
is reviewed and acted upon by personnel described in para-
graph (1)(A) in the same manner as an assessment con-
ducted pursuant to subparagraph (A), (C), or (D) of sub-
section (a)(1). 
‘‘(D) Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to 
treat a questionnaire conducted under subparagraph (A) 
or subparagraph (B) as being exempt from Department 
of Defense Directive 6025.18, a successor directive, or any 
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other relevant regulation regarding privacy prescribed pur-
suant to the Health Insurance Portability and Account-
ability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191).’’. 
(c) UNIFORM STANDARDS ASSESSMENTS.—Such sec-
tion is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘con-
sistent’’ and inserting ‘‘uniform’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f)(1), by adding at the end 
the following new sentence: ‘‘Such regulations shall 
ensure that this section is carried out in a uniform 
manner among the military departments.’’. 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (d) of 
such section is amended by striking ‘‘subsection 
(a)(1)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(D)’’. 
Æ 
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