What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to create an annual report about veteran suicide prevention and share it with Congress and the public. The bill also directs the creation of a toolkit to help state and local officials identify and report veteran suicides. Finally, it requires a study on whether the Veterans Affairs department should create a dedicated suicide prevention office.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Congress, state and local coroners (officials who investigate deaths), medical examiners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and veterans.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must submit a "National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report" to Congress and publish it publicly, starting no later than 18 months after the bill becomes law and then every year by September 30 (Sec. 2(a))
• Each annual report must include veteran suicide rates broken down by age, gender, and race or ethnicity, plus comparisons of suicide rates among veterans who use VA health care services versus those who don't (Sec. 2(d)(2)(A) and (B))
• The initial report must include recommendations developed by the VA Secretary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, and the Secretary of Defense for improving how suicide deaths among veterans are collected, reported, and analyzed at federal and state levels (Sec. 2(d)(3)(A))
• The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, must develop a toolkit by two years after the bill becomes law containing best practices for state and local officials to identify veterans who die by suicide and report these deaths (Sec. 4(a) and (b))
• The Secretary must conduct a study within two years examining whether creating a dedicated suicide prevention office at the department level would be practical and advisable, including examining costs, staffing needs, and organizational structure (Sec. 5(b))
What Changes
The Veterans Affairs department will be required to collect and publicly report detailed data on veteran suicide rates and trends. State and local coroners and medical examiners will receive guidance on identifying and reporting veteran suicides. The department will study whether to create a new suicide prevention office to make suicide prevention a top priority across the entire Veterans Affairs department.
Important Definitions
The bill defines "Vet Center" as a center providing readjustment counseling and mental health services for veterans.
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 928
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual report
on suicide prevention, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 22, 2023
Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. BOOZMAN) 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 to prepare an
annual report on suicide prevention, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Not Just a Number
4
Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. NATIONAL VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION AN-
6
NUAL REPORT.
7
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after
8
the date of the enactment of this Act, and not later than
9
September 30 of each year thereafter, the Secretary of
10
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Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate commit-
1
tees of Congress and publish on a publicly available
2
website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a report
3
to be known as the ‘‘National Veteran Suicide Prevention
4
Annual Report’’.
5
(b) EXTENSION.—
6
(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary requires an
7
extension of the deadline for a report under sub-
8
section (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appro-
9
priate committees of Congress a written request for
10
such an extension.
11
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each written request under
12
paragraph (1) for an extension for a report shall in-
13
clude the following:
14
(A) The rationale for the delay in submit-
15
ting the report.
16
(B) An explanation of the need for an ex-
17
tension.
18
(C) A proposed amended date for the sub-
19
mittal and publication of the report.
20
(c) BRIEFING.—Before submitting a report under
21
subsection (a), the Secretary shall brief the appropriate
22
committees of Congress on the report.
23
(d) ELEMENTS OF REPORT.—
24
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each report under sub-
1
section (a) shall include the findings of the national
2
analysis of veteran suicide rates for the latest year
3
data is available and shall include trends and com-
4
parisons to previous years.
5
(2)
ADDITIONAL
ELEMENTS.—Each
report
6
under subsection (a) shall include, for the year cov-
7
ered by the report, the following:
8
(A) Suicide rates of veterans disaggregated
9
by age, gender, and race or ethnicity.
10
(B) Trends in suicide rates of veterans
11
compared to engagement of those veterans with
12
health care from the Veterans Health Adminis-
13
tration, including an examination of trends in
14
suicide rates or deaths among—
15
(i) veterans who have recently received
16
health care from the Veterans Health Ad-
17
ministration as compared to veterans who
18
have never received health care from the
19
Veterans Health Administration;
20
(ii) veterans who are enrolled in the
21
patient enrollment system of the Depart-
22
ment of Veterans Affairs under section
23
1705(a) of title 38, United States Code, as
24
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compared to veterans who have never en-
1
rolled in such system;
2
(iii) veterans who have recently used
3
services from a Vet Center as compared to
4
veterans who have never used such serv-
5
ices;
6
(iv) veterans who have a diagnosis of
7
substance use disorder; and
8
(v) other groups of veterans relating
9
to engagement with health care from the
10
Veterans Health Administration, as the
11
Secretary considers practicable.
12
(C) Trends in suicide rates of veterans
13
compared to engagement of those veterans with
14
benefits from the Veterans Benefits Administra-
15
tion, including an examination of trends in sui-
16
cide rates or deaths among—
17
(i) veterans who are currently using,
18
have previously used, or have never used
19
educational assistance under the laws ad-
20
ministered by the Secretary;
21
(ii) veterans who are currently receiv-
22
ing, have previously received, or have never
23
received services or assistance under chap-
24
ter 31 of title 38, United States Code;
25
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(iii) with respect to compensation
1
under chapter 11 of such title—
2
(I) veterans who were recipients
3
of such compensation as compared to
4
veterans who never applied for such
5
compensation prior to death;
6
(II) veterans who had a claim de-
7
nied for such compensation prior to
8
death;
9
(III) veterans who had a pending
10
claim for such compensation at time
11
of death; and
12
(IV) veterans who had an entitle-
13
ment for such compensation reduced
14
prior to death;
15
(iv) veterans who are currently receiv-
16
ing or have never received pension under
17
chapter 15 of title 38, United States Code;
18
(v) veterans who are currently using,
19
have previously used, or have never used
20
programs or services provided by the
21
Homeless Programs Office of the Depart-
22
ment, including an examination of trends
23
in suicide rates or deaths among veterans
24
who made contact with such office but
25
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were denied or deemed ineligible for any
1
such program or service;
2
(vi) with respect to housing loans
3
guaranteed by the Secretary under chapter
4
37 of title 38, United States Code—
5
(I) veterans who applied for such
6
a loan, whether their application was
7
accepted or not;
8
(II) veterans who are current re-
9
cipients of, were previously recipients
10
of, or have never received such a loan;
11
and
12
(III) veterans who were turned
13
down for such a loan by a lender;
14
(vii) with respect to financial hard-
15
ships—
16
(I) veterans facing health care
17
debts;
18
(II) veterans owing debts to the
19
Department;
20
(III) veterans owing debts to for-
21
profit businesses assisting veterans
22
with claims for benefits under the
23
laws administered by the Secretary;
24
and
25
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(IV) veterans facing foreclosure
1
or bankruptcy;
2
(viii) veterans who were involved in a
3
veterans treatment court program, whether
4
they graduated successfully or not; and
5
(ix) veterans who were successfully
6
contacted, unsuccessfully contacted, or
7
never
contacted
by
the
Department
8
through the Solid Start program under
9
section 6320 of title 38, United States
10
Code.
11
(3) STRATEGY AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—
12
(A) INITIAL REPORT.—The initial report
13
under subsection (a) shall include a strategy
14
and recommendations developed by the Sec-
15
retary of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with
16
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control
17
and Prevention and the Secretary of Defense,
18
for—
19
(i) improving data collection at the
20
State and local levels to accurately capture
21
suicide deaths of veterans;
22
(ii) improving the timeliness, efficacy,
23
and standardization of data reporting on
24
suicide deaths of veterans at the Federal
25
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•S 928 IS
level, including by the Centers for Disease
1
Control and Prevention, the Department of
2
Defense, and the Department of Veterans
3
Affairs;
4
(iii) improving the timeliness of identi-
5
fication and analysis of suicide deaths of
6
veterans by Federal agencies, including the
7
Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
8
tion, the Department of Defense, and the
9
Department of Veterans Affairs; and
10
(iv) any other necessary process im-
11
provements for improving the timeliness,
12
efficacy, and standardization of reporting
13
of data relating to suicide deaths of vet-
14
erans, particularly with respect to the an-
15
nual report under this section.
16
(B) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Each report
17
after the initial report under subsection (a)
18
shall include updates on actions taken to meet
19
the strategy and recommendations developed
20
under subparagraph (A).
21
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
22
(1)
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
23
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
24
gress’’ means the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of
25
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the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
1
of the House of Representatives.
2
(2) VET
CENTER.—The term ‘‘Vet Center’’
3
means a center for readjustment counseling and re-
4
lated mental health services for veterans under sec-
5
tion 1712A of title 38, United States Code.
6
SEC. 3. REPORT ON ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES
7
FROM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
8
TO PREVENT VETERAN SUICIDE.
9
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three years after
10
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
11
Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Vet-
12
erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet-
13
erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and publish
14
on a publicly available website of the Department of Vet-
15
erans Affairs a report that analyzes which benefits and
16
services from the Department, including the Veterans
17
Benefits Administration, have the greatest impact on pre-
18
vention of suicide among veterans, including recommenda-
19
tions for potential expansion of services and benefits to
20
reduce the number of veteran suicides.
21
(b) ASSESSMENT OF SOLID START PROGRAM.—The
22
report required by subsection (a) shall include an analysis
23
of the effectiveness of the Solid Start program under sec-
24
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•S 928 IS
tion 6320 of title 38, United States Code, on prevention
1
of suicide among veterans.
2
SEC. 4. TOOLKIT FOR STATE AND LOCAL CORONERS AND
3
MEDICAL EXAMINERS ON BEST PRACTICES
4
FOR IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING ON SUI-
5
CIDE DEATHS OF VETERANS.
6
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
7
fairs, in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for
8
Disease Control and Prevention, shall develop a toolkit for
9
State and local coroners and medical examiners that con-
10
tains best practices for—
11
(1) accurately identifying and reporting suicide
12
deaths of veterans, including how to identify veteran
13
status; and
14
(2) reporting such deaths to the Centers for
15
Disease Control and Prevention and other applicable
16
entities.
17
(b) AVAILABILITY.—Not later than two years after
18
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
19
make the toolkit developed under subsection (a) available
20
on a publicly available website of the Department of Vet-
21
erans Affairs.
22
(c) OUTREACH.—The Secretary, in collaboration with
23
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
24
vention, shall conduct outreach to appropriate State and
25
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local agencies to promote the availability and use of the
1
toolkit developed under subsection (a).
2
SEC. 5. STUDY ON FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY OF CRE-
3
ATING A SUICIDE PREVENTION OFFICE OF
4
THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
5
(a) IN GENERAL.—After the submittal by the Comp-
6
troller General of the United States to the Committee on
7
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet-
8
erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives of the man-
9
agement review required under section 403 of the Com-
10
mander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care
11
Improvement Act of 2019 (Public Law 116–171; 134
12
Stat. 810), which required a management review of the
13
mental health and suicide prevention services provided by
14
the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Vet-
15
erans Affairs shall—
16
(1) review the findings and recommendations of
17
the management review; and
18
(2) conduct a study on the feasibility and advis-
19
ability of creating a suicide prevention office of the
20
Department of Veterans Affairs at the level of the
21
Office of the Secretary that would elevate suicide
22
prevention as a top priority across the entire De-
23
partment, including with respect to the work and
24
programs of the Veterans Benefits Administration
25
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and under partnerships with other entities, including
1
other Federal agencies and non-governmental part-
2
ners.
3
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—
4
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two years
5
after the submittal by the Comptroller General of
6
the management review described in subsection (a),
7
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Vet-
8
erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
9
Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a
10
report summarizing—
11
(A) any actions planned or taken, includ-
12
ing reorganizations or changes to reporting or
13
governance structures, in response to the man-
14
agement review, including any completion dates
15
or targeted completion dates for any such ac-
16
tions; and
17
(B) the results of the study required under
18
subsection (a)(2), which shall include an exam-
19
ination of the considerations for creating a sui-
20
cide prevention office of the Department of Vet-
21
erans Affairs at the level of the Office of the
22
Secretary, including—
23
(i) benefits and potential drawbacks;
24
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(ii) projected costs and staffing needs,
1
including new full-time equivalent employ-
2
ees and transferred full-time equivalent
3
employees; and
4
(iii)
suggested
organizational
and
5
leadership structure and principal activities
6
and functions of the suicide prevention of-
7
fice.
8
(2) RECOMME
[Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]