Title: Access to Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Access to Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that each of its medical centers has at least one full-time suicide prevention coordinator.
The VA must also ensure that its medical centers report to the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention regarding hiring plans to reach the recommended number of suicide prevention coordinators based on the current staffing model. Additionally, the VA must consider and implement findings from the assessment of the Government Accountability Office of the responsibilities, workload, and vacancy rates for suicide prevention coordinators.
The VA must conduct a study to determine the feasibility and advisability of the realignment and reorganization of suicide prevention coordinators within the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and the creation of a suicide prevention coordinator program office.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8033 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8033

    To improve the ability of veterans to access suicide prevention 
          coordinators of the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 14, 2020

  Mr. Brindisi (for himself, Mr. Bost, and Mr. Banks) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To improve the ability of veterans to access suicide prevention 
          coordinators of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Access to Suicide Prevention 
Coordinators Act''.

SEC. 2. SUICIDE PREVENTION COORDINATORS.

    (a) Staffing Requirement.--Beginning not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall--
            (1) ensure that each medical center of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs has no fewer than one full-time employee whose 
        primary job responsibility is serving as a suicide prevention 
        coordinator;
            (2) ensure that all Department medical centers report to 
        the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the 
        Department regarding their hiring plans to reach the number of 
        recommended suicide prevention coordinators based on the 
        current staffing model; and
            (3) consider and implement findings from the assessment of 
        the Comptroller General of the United States of the 
        responsibilities, workload, and vacancy rates for suicide 
        prevention coordinators, as required under section 2 of the 
        Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act (Public Law 
        116-96).
    (b) Study on Reorganization.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with 
        the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the 
        Department, shall commence the conduct of a study to determine 
        the feasibility and advisability of--
                    (A) the realignment and reorganization of suicide 
                prevention coordinators within the Office of Mental 
                Health and Suicide Prevention; and
                    (B) the creation of a suicide prevention 
                coordinator program office.
            (2) Program office realignment.--In conducting the study 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall assess the feasibility 
        of advisability of, within the suicide prevention coordinator 
        program office described in paragraph (1)(B), aligning suicide 
        prevention coordinators and case managers within the 
        organizational structure and chart of the Suicide Prevention 
        Program of the Department, with the Director of the Suicide 
        Prevention program having ultimate supervisory oversight and 
        responsibility over the suicide prevention coordinator program 
        office.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the completion of the 
study under subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on such study, 
including the following:
            (1) An assessment of the feasibility and advisability of 
        creating a suicide prevention coordinator program office to 
        oversee and monitor suicide prevention coordinators and suicide 
        prevention case managers across all medical centers of the 
        Department.
            (2) A review of current staffing ratios for suicide 
        prevention coordinators and suicide prevention case managers in 
        comparison with current staffing ratios for mental health 
        providers within each medical center of the Department.
            (3) A description of the duties and responsibilities for 
        suicide prevention coordinators across the Department to better 
        define, delineate, and standardize qualifications, performance 
        goals, performance duties, and performance outcomes for suicide 
        prevention coordinators and suicide prevention case managers.
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