Title: To direct the Secretary of Defense to more effectively provide mental health resources for members of the Armed Forces at high risk of suicide, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a methodology to:
DOD shall: (1) develop a methodology to assess the rate of suicide and suicide attempts of members of the Armed Forces of units that have been deployed in support of a contingency operation after September 11, 2001, and (2) provide outreach regarding the available mental health resources for veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system who were deployed with such units.
Information obtained pursuant to this bill may be used by DOD and VA officers, employees, and contractors only for the purposes of carrying it out.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2699 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2699

 To direct the Secretary of Defense to more effectively provide mental 
   health resources for members of the Armed Forces at high risk of 
                    suicide, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2017

Mr. Kildee (for himself and Mr. Moulton) 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 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Defense to more effectively provide mental 
   health resources for members of the Armed Forces at high risk of 
                    suicide, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AT 
              HIGH RISK OF SUICIDE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop a 
methodology that identifies which members and units of the Armed Forces 
are at high risk of suicide.
    (b) Mental Health Resources.--
            (1) High risk members of the armed forces.--The Secretary 
        of Defense shall use the results under subsection (c) to--
                    (A) identify which units have a disproportionately 
                high rate of suicide and suicide attempts; and
                    (B) provide additional preventative and treatment 
                resources for mental health for members of the Armed 
                Forces who were deployed with the units identified 
                under subparagraph (A).
            (2) Preventative mental health care.--The Secretary of 
        Defense shall use the results under subsection (c) to--
                    (A) identify the circumstances of deployments 
                associated with increased vulnerability to suicide, 
                including the length of deployment, the region and area 
                of deployment, and the nature and extent to which there 
                was contact with enemy forces; and
                    (B) provide additional preventative mental health 
                care to units who currently are, or will be, deployed 
                under circumstances similar to those of subparagraph 
                (A).
    (c) Methodology.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall develop a 
methodology to assess the rate of suicide and suicide attempts of 
members of the Armed Forces of units that have been deployed in support 
of a contingency operation after September 11, 2001.
    (d) Outreach for High-Risk Veterans.--The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall use the results under subsection (c) to provide outreach 
regarding the available preventative and treatment resources for mental 
health for veterans who--
            (1) were deployed with the units identified under this 
        subsection; and
            (2) are enrolled in the health care system of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (e) Reports.--Not later than September 30, 2018, the Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services and 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate a report on the 
activities carried out under this section and the effectiveness of such 
activities.
    (f) Restriction on Use of Information.--Information disclosed or 
obtained pursuant to the provisions of this section may be used by 
officers, employees, and contractors of the Department of Defense and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs only for the purposes of, and to the 
extent necessary in, carrying out this section.
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