Title: Examining Mental Health Services for the National Guard and Reserves Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Examining Mental Health Services for the National Guard and Reserves Act of 2020
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to assess the mental health and resiliency services available to members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces (i.e., National Guard and Reserves).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3581 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3581

 To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to 
  Congress a report assessing Federal, State, and other mental health 
 services available to members of the reserve components of the Armed 
                    Forces, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 25, 2020

 Ms. Cortez Masto introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
            and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to 
  Congress a report assessing Federal, State, and other mental health 
 services available to members of the reserve components of the Armed 
                    Forces, 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 ``Examining Mental Health Services for 
the National Guard and Reserves Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Members of the National Guard and Reserves face unique 
        challenges in balancing stressors in their civilian life and 
        civilian jobs with their military responsibilities, including 
        repeated deployments, a lack of daily interaction with their 
        leadership, and the possibility of living and working far from 
        the rest of their unit.
            (2) According to the 2018 annual report on suicide in the 
        military prepared by the Department of Defense, the National 
        Guard and Reserves averaged 30.6 suicides and 22.9 suicides per 
        100,000 members, respectively, compared to 24.8 suicides per 
        100,000 members for active duty members of the Armed Forces.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that it is in 
the national interest of the United States to ensure that members of 
the National Guard and Reserves receive high-quality mental health care 
and appropriate support to ensure their successful reintegration into 
civilian life following deployments.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
              RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a report assessing the mental health and 
resiliency services available to members of the reserve components.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) A description of all Federal, State, and other programs 
        providing mental health and resiliency services, including 
        suicide prevention and stress management, to members of the 
        reserve components, including the costs and coverage of such 
        programs.
            (2) An analysis of any gaps or barriers to access, 
        including geographic, financial, or social stigma barriers, 
        that exist and could result in delayed or insufficient mental 
        health care and resiliency support for members of the reserve 
        components.
            (3) An evaluation of the annual mental health screening 
        requirements for members of the reserve components and the 
        mental health screening requirements before, during, and after 
        Federal and State deployments, including any recommendations to 
        strengthen mental health counseling referrals and the 
        reintegration of members of the reserve components.
    (c) Reserve Component Defined.--In this section, the term ``reserve 
component'' means a reserve component of the Armed Forces named in 
section 10101 of title 10, United States Code.
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