Title: To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as "Battle Buddy Check Week" for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate one week per year as Battle Buddy Check Week for the purposes of organizing outreach events and educating veterans on how to conduct peer wellness checks. The VA shall ensure that the Veterans Crisis Line has a plan for handling the potential increase in calls that may occur during such week.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4290 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4290

  To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as 
 ``Battle 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

                           September 11, 2019

    Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Brownley of 
   California, Mr. Brown of Maryland, 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 
 ``Battle 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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs is the Federal 
        agency charged with managing benefits and health care for the 
        Nation's veterans.
            (2) In recent years, the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        made the prevention of veteran suicide among the highest 
        priorities of the Department and has developed data models to 
        continually improve and tailor suicide prevention strategies 
        and initiatives.
            (3) Among the recent suicide prevention initiatives are--
                    (A) an expanded Veterans Crisis Line to three call 
                centers;
                    (B) launching the S.A.V.E. suicide prevention 
                training video;
                    (C) implementing the Mayor's Challenge, which 
                engages local elected officials in veteran suicide 
                prevention; and
                    (D) partnering with the Department of Defense and 
                the Department of Homeland Security to support veterans 
                during their transition from military to civilian life.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Department of Veterans Affairs should--
            (1) remain focused on screening transitioning members of 
        the Armed Forces for factors associated with suicide and 
        providing treatment and other services needed to reduce 
        suicides;
            (2) undertake suicide prevention through a multi-pronged 
        strategy that addresses the many factors that are known to 
        contribute to suicide;
            (3) continue to regard suicide prevention as one of the 
        highest priorities of the Department; and
            (4) provide guidance to other agencies and veteran service 
        organizations on the factors that are associated with suicide.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF BATTLE BUDDY CHECK WEEK BY DEPARTMENT 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 wellness checks, which shall be known as ``Battle 
Buddy Check Week''.
    (b) Events and Education.--
            (1) In general.--During Battle Buddy Check Week, the 
        Secretary, in consultation with organizations that represent 
        veterans, non-profits that serve veterans, 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 educational 
        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 appropriate, 
                on how to conduct a peer wellness check.
                    (C) Opportunities for members of organizations that 
                represent veterans to learn how to train individuals to 
                conduct peer wellness checks.
                    (D) Training for veterans participating in Battle 
                Buddy Check Week on how to transfer a phone call 
                directly to the Veterans Crisis Line.
                    (E) Resiliency training for veterans participating 
                in Battle Buddy Check Week on handling a veteran 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 outreach regarding educational 
opportunities under subsection (b) at--
            (1) public events where many veterans are expected to 
        congregate;
            (2) meetings of organizations that represent veterans;
            (3) facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
            (4) such other locations as the Secretary, in collaboration 
        with organizations that represent veterans, considers 
        appropriate.
    (d) Veterans Crisis Line Plan.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
        Veterans Crisis Line has a plan for handling the potential 
        increase of calls that may occur during Battle 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 Battle 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 section, the term 
``Veterans Crisis Line'' means the toll-free hotline for veterans 
established under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code.
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