Title: Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on all memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement entered into by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with non-VA entities relating to suicide prevention and the provision or coordination of mental health services.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2372 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2372

 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an 
assessment of all memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement 
   between Under Secretary of Health and non-Department of Veterans 
   Affairs entities relating to suicide prevention and mental health 
                               services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2019

Ms. Underwood introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an 
assessment of all memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement 
   between Under Secretary of Health and non-Department of Veterans 
   Affairs entities relating to suicide prevention and mental health 
                               services.

    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 ``Veterans' Care Quality Transparency 
Act''.

SEC. 2. COMPTROLLER GENERAL ASSESSMENT OF MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING 
              AND MEMORANDA OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN UNDER SECRETARY OF 
              HEALTH AND NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ENTITIES 
              RELATING TO SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH 
              SERVICES.

    (a) Assessment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of all memoranda of 
understanding and memoranda of agreement entered into by the Under 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health and a non-Department of 
Veterans Affairs entity relating to--
            (1) suicide prevention activities and outreach; and
            (2) the provision or coordination of mental health services 
        during the five-year period preceding the date of the enactment 
        of this Act.
    (b) Contents of Assessment.--The assessment required by subsection 
(a) shall include an assessment of--
            (1) the regional variances of the non-Department entities 
        with which the Under Secretary has entered into a memorandum of 
        understanding or memorandum of agreement referred to in 
        subsection (a);
            (2) the size of the catchment area of each such entity;
            (3) the staffing structures of such entities;
            (4) any accreditation or licensure any such entity has 
        obtained in relation to the services the entity provides;
            (5) any variances in the subpopulations of veterans served 
        by such entities;
            (6) any limitations any such entity may face in carrying 
        out its obligations under the memorandum of understanding or 
        memorandum of agreement;
            (7) the extent to which the Under Secretary provides 
        oversight and tracks outcomes of such entities;
            (8) any variations in the structure or requirements of the 
        memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement;
            (9) a breakdown of the percentage of such entities that 
        serve--
                    (A) women veterans;
                    (B) minority veterans;
                    (C) veterans who are over the age of 55;
                    (D) veterans between the ages of 18 and 34; and
                    (E) veterans' families; and
            (10) any measures taken to ensure the secure exchange of 
        data and information between such entities and the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 60 days after the 
completion of the assessment under subsection (a), the Comptroller 
General shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
Senate and House of Representatives a report on the results of the 
assessment.
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