Sergeant Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act

Bill: 114-s-2527
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2016-02-10
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Department of Veterans Affairs

Health information and medical records

Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information

Mental health

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-02-10
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Sergeant Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act</strong></p> <p> This bill expresses the sense of Congress that veterans who experience combat-related mental health wounds should have immediate and consistent access to comprehensive mental health care. </p> <p> The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall:</p> <ul> <li>establish standards and procedures to ensure that a veteran who participated in a classified mission or served in a sensitive unit while in the Armed Forces may access VA mental health care in a manner that fully accommodates the veteran's obligation to not improperly disclose classified information;</li> <li>disseminate guidance to employees of the Veterans Health Administration, including mental health professionals, on such standards and procedures and on how to best engage such veterans during the course of mental health treatment with respect to classified information; and</li> <li>ensure that an individual may elect to identify as such a veteran on an appropriate form.</li></ul>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2527 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 10, 2016 Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Sullivan ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the mental health treatment provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to veterans who served in classified missions.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Sergeant Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act . 2. Mental health treatment for veterans who served in classified missions (a) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that veterans who experience combat-related mental health wounds should have immediate, appropriate, and consistent access to comprehensive mental health care. (b) In general Subchapter II of chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans who served in classified missions (a) Establishment of standards (1) The Secretary shall establish standards and procedures to ensure that each covered veteran may access mental health care furnished by the Secretary in a manner that fully accommodates the obligation of the veteran to not improperly disclose classified information. (2) The Secretary shall disseminate guidance to employees of the Veterans Health Administration, including mental health professionals, on the standards and procedures established under paragraph (1) and how to best engage covered veterans during the course of mental health treatment with respect to classified information. (b) Identification In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that a veteran may elect to identify as a covered veteran on an appropriate form. (c) Definitions In this section: (1) The term classified information means any information or material that has been determined by an official of the United States pursuant to law to require protection against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of national security. (2) The term covered veteran means a veteran who— (A) is enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under section 1705(a) of this title; (B) is seeking mental health treatment; and (C) in the course of serving in the Armed Forces, participated in a sensitive mission or served in a sensitive unit. (3) The term sensitive mission means a mission of the Armed Forces that, at the time at which a covered veteran seeks treatment, is classified. (4) The term sensitive unit has the meaning given that term in section 130b(c)(4) of title 10. . (c) Clerical amendment The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1720G the following new item: 1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans who served in classified missions. .