[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3373 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3373
To direct the Secretary of the Navy to take certain actions relating to
improved mental health care, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 16, 2023
Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia (for herself, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Panetta, Mr.
Scott of Virginia, Ms. Tokuda, Mrs. McClellan, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mr.
Joyce of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Navy to take certain actions relating to
improved mental health care, 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 ``Sailor Standard of Care Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. ACTIONS BY SECRETARY OF THE NAVY RELATING TO IMPROVED MENTAL
HEALTH CARE.
(a) Reforms Relating to Limited Duty.--
(1) Additional resources.--The Secretary of the Navy shall
provide additional resources to any unit with greater than 15
members of the Navy designated for limited duty at a given
time, including through the establishment of a new billet for a
medical officer, chaplain, and civilian employee of the
Department of Defense in a mental health position for such
unit.
(2) Mental health screening.--The Secretary of the Navy
shall require that each member of the Navy designated for
limited duty receives, upon such designation and once every 60
days thereafter for the duration of such designation, a mental
health screening by a mental health professional of the
Department.
(3) Framework.--The Secretary of the Navy shall establish a
framework to ensure--
(A) centralized leadership for the management of
members of the Navy designated for limited duty and
centralized responsibility for the well-being of such
members while so designated; and
(B) a smooth transition for members of the Navy who
have suicidal ideations or other mental health care
needs during transfers between units or while
designated for limited duty.
(4) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2024, the
Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the Committees on Armed
Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a
report on--
(A) whether timeliness standards applicable to the
timing of appointments between medical providers and
members of the Navy designated for limited duty are
sufficient, as determined by the Secretary of the Navy,
and the extent to which such standards are complied
with; and
(B) the number of databases used to track the
status of such appointments and recommendations by the
Secretary of the Navy regarding methods to simplify
such tracking.
(5) Briefing.--Not later than January 31, 2024, the
Secretary of the Navy shall provide to the Committees on Armed
Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a
briefing on--
(A) the average number of days for the medical
separation of a member of the Navy previously
designated for limited duty; and
(B) recommendations for steps the Secretary of the
Navy may take to streamline and expedite applicable
processes to ensure such separation is timely.
(b) Resources Dashboard.--Not later than December 31, 2024, the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs shall
establish and maintain a dashboard to track quality of life programs of
the Department of the Navy (including such programs relating to
childcare, healthcare, education, housing, and spouse employment) and
the rate of usage of each such program.
(c) Best Practices in Dealing With Multiple Suicides.--
(1) Study.--The Secretary of the Navy shall conduct a study
on recent cases in which multiple suicides occurred within 30
days of each other among members assigned to the same unit or
command of the Department of the Navy.
(2) Elements.--The study under paragraph (1) shall include
an assessment of the following:
(A) Any underlying quality of life issues that may
have been prevalent among the unit or command leading
up to the initial suicide.
(B) The culture of the unit or command prior to
such initial suicide.
(C) The actions taken immediately following such
initial suicide and preceding any subsequent suicides.
(D) Whether the individuals who completed suicide
had previously expressed suicide ideation and whether
such individuals engaged with mental health resources
available prior to completing suicide.
(E) The mental health resources that were available
to such individuals prior to the initial suicide, after
the initial suicide, and after any subsequent suicides.
(3) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit
to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a report containing the findings
of the study under paragraph (1) and a standard operating
procedure of the Department of the Navy for responding to
multiple suicides.
(d) Report on Mental Health Care Under TRICARE.--Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House
of Representatives and the Senate a report containing the following:
(1) An analysis of the average timeline to credential
potential mental health care providers under the TRICARE
program as compared to the timeline under Medicare and other
major insurance networks, including quantitative data
regarding, with respect to individuals applying for
credentialing as mental health care providers under the TRICARE
program, the following:
(A) The denial of such applications.
(B) The method and frequency of notifications
regarding the application provided to such applicants.
(C) With respect to denied applications, the method
of feedback provided to such applicants, and the
resolution processes available to such applicants.
(2) The number of current and projected mental health care
providers under the TRICARE program, as compared to the number
of civilian mental health care providers outside of such
program, and a description of any capacity shortfalls with
respect to mental health care providers under the TRICARE
program, taking into account the mental health crisis within
the Armed Forces.
(3) An analysis of the reimbursement rates for mental
health care providers under the TRICARE program, disaggregated
by TRICARE provider network region, as compared to the average
reimbursement rates for such providers under private health
insurance plans and Medicare.
(4) An assessment of--
(A) whether the Secretary of Defense, in carrying
out the TRICARE program, has used the methods outlined
in part 199.14 of title 32, Code of Federal
Regulations, to increase reimbursement rates in certain
geographic locations; and
(B) what, if any, corrective measures have been
taken since the publication by the Comptroller General
of the United States of the report titled ``Defense
Health Care: TRICARE Multiyear Surveys Indicate
Problems with Access to Care for Nonenrolled
Beneficiaries (GAO 13-364)'' on April 2, 2013, and in
particular, corrective measures addressing the finding
of such report dealing with civilian mental health care
providers and reimbursement rates.
(5) The status of implementing the recommendations
contained in the report of the Inspector General of the
Department of Defense published August 10, 2020, titled
``Evaluation of Access to Mental Health Care in the Department
of Defense (DODIG-2020-112)'' (or any successor report) and the
estimated implementation date for any such recommendations that
have not been implemented as of the date of the submission of
the report.
(6) An assessment of what, if any, additional authorities
and resources may be needed by the Department of Defense to
effectively address the issue of timely access to mental
healthcare for members of the Armed Forces on active duty and
the dependents thereof.
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