Title: Mental Health Care Provider Retention Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Mental Health Care Provider Retention Act of 2017
This bill allows an individual who has been diagnosed with a mental health condition and who is transitioning from receiving treatment from the Department of Defense to receiving treatment from in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to elect to continue receiving treatment from such individual's DOD mental health provider.
Such individual shall receive the same level of priority as members of the Armed Forces at the facility at which the individual has elected to continue treatment. The VA shall reimburse DOD for rendered services that otherwise would have been furnished by the VA.
If the DOD mental health care provider departs the facility at which the covered individual is receiving treatment, such individual may elect to obtain the services of: (1) a different mental health care provider at the same facility, or (2) a VA mental health care provider.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1064 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1064

    To authorize an individual who is transitioning from receiving 
treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense to treatment furnished 
 by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to continue receiving treatment 
from such individual's mental health care provider of the Department of 
                    Defense, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2017

Mr. O'Rourke (for himself and Mr. Jones) 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 authorize an individual who is transitioning from receiving 
treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense to treatment furnished 
 by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to continue receiving treatment 
from such individual's mental health care provider of the Department of 
                    Defense, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mental Health Care Provider 
Retention Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. RETENTION OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.

    (a) In General.--During the transition from receiving treatment 
furnished by the Secretary of Defense to treatment furnished by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a covered individual may elect to 
continue receiving treatment from such individual's mental health care 
provider of the Department of Defense.
    (b) Priority.--A covered individual shall receive the same level of 
priority as members of the Armed Forces at the military medical 
treatment facility at which the covered individual has elected to 
continue treatment.
    (c) Reimbursement of Costs.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall reimburse the Secretary of Defense for services rendered pursuant 
to subsection (a), if such services would have otherwise been furnished 
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
    (d) Departure of Mental Health Care Provider.--In the event that 
the mental health care provider described under subsection (a) departs 
the military medical treatment facility at which the covered individual 
is receiving treatment, such individual may elect to obtain the 
services of--
            (1) a different mental health care provider at the same 
        military medical treatment facility; or
            (2) a mental health care provider of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
    (e) Departure of Covered Individual.--In the event that the covered 
individual relocates and is unable to reasonably receive care at the 
military medical treatment facility at which such individual has 
elected to continue treatment under subsection (a), such individual 
shall transition to receiving treatment from a mental health care 
provider of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (f) Medical Records.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
ensure that any mental health care provider of the Department of 
Defense that furnishes care or services under this section to a covered 
individual submits to the Department of Veterans Affairs a copy of any 
medical record related to the care or services provided to such 
individual by such mental health care provider for inclusion in the 
electronic medical record of such individual maintained by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs upon such individual's transition to 
receiving treatment from a mental health care provider of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (g) Definition of Covered Individual.--In this section, the term 
``covered individual'' means an individual who has been diagnosed with 
a mental health condition and--
            (1) is enrolling in the patient enrollment system of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, established by section 1705 of 
        title 38, United States Code; or
            (2) has enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs and is still in transition from 
        receiving treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense, as 
        determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
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