[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3210 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3210
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to
develop a clinical practice guideline or guidelines for the treatment
of serious mental illness.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 16, 2020
Mr. Cassidy (for himself and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to
develop a clinical practice guideline or guidelines for the treatment
of serious mental illness.
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 ``Improving Mental Health Care for
Veterans Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE OF CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE
TREATMENT OF SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS.
(a) In General.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, shall complete the development of a clinical
practice guideline or guidelines for the treatment of serious mental
illness, to include the following conditions:
(1) Schizophrenia.
(2) Schizoaffective disorder.
(3) Persistent mood disorder, including bipolar disorder I
and II.
(4) Any other mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder
resulting in serious functional impairment that substantially
interferes with major life activities as the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense
and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, considers
appropriate.
(b) Matters Included in Guidelines.--The clinical practice
guideline or guidelines developed under subsection (a) shall include
the following:
(1) Guidance contained in the 2016 Clinical Practice
Guidelines for the Management of Major Depressive Disorders of
the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
Defense.
(2) Guidance with respect to the treatment of patients with
a condition described in subsection (a).
(3) A list of evidence-based therapies for the treatment of
conditions described in subsection (a).
(4) An appropriate guideline for the administration of
pharmacological therapy, psychological or behavioral therapy,
or other therapy for the management of conditions described in
subsection (a).
(c) Assessment of Existing Guidelines.--Not later than two years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall complete an assessment of
the 2016 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Major
Depressive Disorders to determine whether an update to such guidelines
is necessary.
(d) Work Group.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the
Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall create a work group to develop the clinical
practice guideline or guidelines under subsection (a) to be
known as the ``Serious Mental Illness Work Group'' (in this
subsection referred to as the ``Work Group'').
(2) Membership.--The Work Group created under paragraph (1)
shall be comprised of individuals that represent Federal
Government entities and non-Federal Government entities with
expertise in the areas covered by the Work Group, including the
following entities:
(A) Academic institutions that specialize in
research for the treatment of conditions described in
subsection (a).
(B) The Health Services Research and Development
Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(C) The Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Mental Health and Substance Use of the Department of
Health and Human Services.
(D) The National Institute of Mental Health.
(E) The Indian Health Service.
(F) Relevant organizations with expertise in
researching, diagnosing, or treating conditions
described in subsection (a).
(3) Relation to other work groups.--The Work Group shall be
created and conducted in the same manner as other work groups
for the development of clinical practice guidelines for the
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prevent the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the
Secretary of Defense from considering all relevant evidence, as
appropriate, in creating the clinical practice guideline or guidelines
required under subsection (a) or from ensuring that the final clinical
practice guideline or guidelines developed under such subsection and
subsequently updated, as appropriate, remain applicable to the patient
populations of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
Defense.
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