[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2778 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2778
To require a pilot program on activities under the Transition
Assistance Program for a reduction in suicide among veterans, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 22, 2021
Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio (for himself, Mr. Langevin, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, and
Ms. Jacobs of California) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a pilot program on activities under the Transition
Assistance Program for a reduction in suicide among veterans, and for
other purposes.
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 ``Daniel J. Harvey Jr. and Adam
Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide
Act''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON ACTIVITIES UNDER THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM FOR A REDUCTION IN SUICIDE AMONG VETERANS.
(a) Pilot Program Required.--The Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly carry out a pilot program
to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing the module
described in subsection (b) and the services described in subsection
(c) as part of the Transition Assistance Program for members of the
Armed Forces participating in the Transition Assistance Program as a
means of reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans.
(b) Module.--The module described in this subsection is a three-
hour module under the Transition Assistance Program for each member of
the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program that includes the
following:
(1) An in-person meeting between the cohort of the member
and a social worker in which the social worker--
(A) counsels the cohort on specific potential risks
confronting members after discharge or release from the
Armed Forces, including loss of community or a support
system, isolation from family, friends, or society,
identity crisis in the transition from military to
civilian life, vulnerability viewed as a weakness, need
for empathy, self-medication and addiction, importance
of sleep and exercise, homelessness, and reasons why
veterans attempt and complete suicide;
(B) counsels members of the cohort who have been
diagnosed with physical, psychological, or neurological
issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder,
traumatic brain injury, adverse childhood experiences,
depression, and bipolar disorder, on--
(i) the potential risks for such members
from such issues after discharge or release;
and
(ii) the resources and treatment options
afforded to members for such issues through the
Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department
of Defense, and non-profit organizations;
(C) counsels the cohort about the resources
afforded to victims of military sexual trauma through
the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
(D) counsels the cohort about the five stages of
grieving, the manner in which members might experience
grieving during the transition from military to
civilian life, and the resources afforded to them for
grieving through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) The provision to each cohort member of contact
information for a counseling or other appropriate facility of
the Department of Veterans Affairs in the locality in which
such member intends to reside after discharge or release.
(3) The submittal by cohort members to the Department of
Veterans Affairs (including both the Veterans Health
Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration) of
their medical records in connection with service in the Armed
Forces, whether or not such members intend to file a claim with
the Department for benefits with respect to any service-
connected disability.
(c) Services.--The services described in this subsection in
connection with the Transition Assistance Program for each member of
the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program are the following:
(1) Not later than 90 days after the discharge or release
of the member from the Armed Forces, a contact of the member by
a social worker or behavioral health coordinator from the
Department of Veterans Affairs to schedule a follow-up
appointment with a social worker or behavioral health provider
at the facility applicable to the member under subsection
(b)(2) to occur not later than 90 days after such contact.
(2) During the appointment scheduled pursuant to paragraph
(1)--
(A) an assessment of the member to determine the
experiences of the member with events during service in
the Armed Forces that could lead, whether individually
or cumulatively, to physical, psychological, or
neurological issues, including issues described in
subsection (b)(1)(B); and
(B) the development of a medical treatment plan for
the member, including treatment for issues identified
pursuant to the assessment under subparagraph (A).
(d) Locations.--
(1) In general.--The pilot program shall be carried out at
not fewer than 10 Transition Assistance Centers of the
Department of Defense that serve not fewer than 300 members of
the Armed Forces annually that are jointly selected by the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for
purposes of the pilot program.
(2) Members served.--The centers selected under paragraph
(1) shall, to the extent practicable, be centers that, whether
individually or in aggregate, serve all the Armed Forces and
both the regular and reserve components of the Armed Forces.
(e) Selection and Commencement.--The Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly select the locations of the
pilot program under subsection (d)(1) and commence carrying out
activities under the pilot program by not later than 120 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
(f) Duration.--
(1) In general.--The duration of the pilot program shall be
five years.
(2) Continuation.--If the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs recommend in the report under
subsection (g) that the pilot program be extended beyond the
date otherwise provided by paragraph (1), the Secretaries may
jointly continue the pilot program for such period beyond such
date as the Secretaries jointly consider appropriate.
(g) Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter during
the duration of the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense and
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to
Congress a report on the activities under the pilot program.
(2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A description of the members of the Armed
Forces who participated in the pilot program during the
180-day period ending on the date of such report,
broken out by the following:
(i) Sex.
(ii) Branch of the Armed Forces in which
served.
(iii) Diagnosis of, or other symptoms
consistent with, military sexual trauma, post-
traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain
injury, depression, or bipolar disorder in
connection with service in the Armed Forces.
(B) A description of the activities under the pilot
program during such period.
(C) An assessment of the benefits of the activities
under the pilot program during such period to veterans
and family members of veterans.
(D) An assessment whether the activities under the
pilot program as of the date of such report have
reduced the incidence of suicide among members who
participated in the pilot program within one year of
discharge or release from the Armed Forces.
(E) Such recommendations as the Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs jointly
consider appropriate regarding expansion of the pilot
program, extension of the pilot program, or both.
(h) Transition Assistance Program Defined.--In this section, the
term ``Transition Assistance Program'' means the program of assistance
and other transitional services carried out pursuant to section 1144 of
title 10, United States Code.
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