I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2898 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as ‘‘Buddy 
Check Week’’ for the purpose of outreach and education concerning 
peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2019 
Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. BROWN of 
Maryland, Mr. KATKO, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. LEWIS, and Mr. BANKS) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate 
a week as ‘‘Buddy Check Week’’ for the purpose of 
outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks 
for 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. DESIGNATION OF BUDDY CHECK WEEK BY DE-
PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall designate one week per year to organize outreach 
events and educate veterans on how to conduct peer 
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wellness checks, which shall be known as ‘‘Buddy Check 
Week’’. 
(b) EVENTS AND EDUCATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During Buddy Check Week, 
the Secretary, in consultation with organizations 
that represent veterans, non-profits that serve vet-
erans, mental health experts, members of the Armed 
Forces, and such other entities and individuals as 
the Secretary considers appropriate, shall collaborate 
with organizations that represent veterans to provide 
educational opportunities for veterans to learn how 
to conduct peer wellness checks. 
(2) TRAINING MATTERS.—As part of the edu-
cational opportunities provided under paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall provide the following: 
(A) A script for veterans to use to conduct 
peer wellness checks that includes information 
on appropriate referrals to resources veterans 
might need. 
(B) Online and in-person training, as ap-
propriate, on how to conduct a peer wellness 
check. 
(C) Opportunities for members of organi-
zations that represent veterans to learn how to 
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train individuals to conduct peer wellness 
checks. 
(D) Training for veterans participating in 
Buddy Check Week on how to transfer a phone 
call directly to the Veterans Crisis Line. 
(E) Resiliency training for veterans partici-
pating in Buddy Check Week on handling a vet-
eran in crisis. 
(3) ONLINE MATERIALS.—All training materials 
provided under the educational opportunities under 
paragraph (1) shall be made available on a website 
of the Department. 
(c) OUTREACH.—The Secretary, in collaboration with 
organizations that represent veterans, may conduct out-
reach regarding educational opportunities under sub-
section (b) at— 
(1) public events where many veterans are ex-
pected to congregate; 
(2) meetings of organizations that represent 
veterans; 
(3) facilities of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs; and 
(4) such other locations as the Secretary, in col-
laboration with organizations that represent vet-
erans, considers appropriate. 
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(d) VETERANS CRISIS LINE PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that the Veterans Crisis Line has a plan for han-
dling the potential increase of calls that may occur 
during Buddy Check Week. 
(2) SUBMITTAL
OF
PLAN.—The head of the 
Veterans Crisis Line shall submit to the Secretary a 
plan for how to handle excess calls during Buddy 
Check Week, which may include the following: 
(A) Additional hours for staff. 
(B) The use of a backup call center. 
(C) Any other plan to ensure that calls 
from veterans in crisis are being answered in a 
timely manner by an individual trained at the 
same level as a Veterans Crisis Line responder. 
(e) VETERANS CRISIS LINE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘Veterans Crisis Line’’ means the toll-free 
hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of 
title 38, United States Code. 
Æ 
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