REACH MIL Act

Bill: 116-hr-4992
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2]
Introduced: 2019-11-08
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Health information and medical records

Health promotion and preventive care

Mental health

Military medicine

Military personnel and dependents

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2019-11-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-11-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Recovery Engagement And Coordination for Health-Military Innovations for Life Act or the REACH MIL Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out a suicide prevention pilot program using predictive techniques currently utilized by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). DOD shall share information with the VA to ensure that an active-duty service member who transitions from the military health care system may schedule follow-up mental health appointments with the VA.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4992 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 8, 2019 Ms. Gabbard introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program on suicide prevention in the military health care system.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Recovery Engagement And Coordination for Health–Military Innovations for Life Act or the REACH MIL Act . 2. Pilot program on suicide prevention in military health care system (a) Pilot program The Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall carry out a pilot program on suicide prevention in the military health care system. Such program shall be similar to the REACH VET predictive analysis pilot program carried out by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (b) Predictive analytics process (1) Pre-emptive care In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall analyze existing data from health records of members of the Armed Force serving on active duty to identify the members who are at a statistically elevated risk for suicide, hospitalization, illness, or other adverse outcomes, in order to provide pre-emptive care and support for such members before such members have or express suicidal thoughts to clinicians. (2) Process The Secretary shall ensure that the predictive analytics process developed pursuant to paragraph (1)— (A) identifies members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who are at high statistical risk for suicide; (B) flags the records of the members; and (C) requires health care providers of the military health care system to contact such members to initiate a care plan. (c) Information sharing The Secretary of Defense shall provide information under the pilot program under subsection (a) with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that a member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who transitions from the military health care system to the health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs is able to schedule appropriate follow-up mental health care appointments with the Department of Veterans Affairs.