Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 3722 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 30, 2024 Received AN ACT To require a pilot program on activities under the pre-separa- tion transition process of members of the Armed Forces for a reduction in suicide among veterans, 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:46 Jan 08, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3722.RDS H3722 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 HR 3722 RDS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. 2 and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition 3 to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN THE 5 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF THE 6 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE SOLID 7 START PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 8 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 9 (a) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF THE DE- 10 PARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—Section 1142(b) of title 10, 11 United States Code, is amended— 12 (1) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘(11),’’ be- 13 fore ‘‘and (16)’’; and 14 (2) by striking paragraph (11) and inserting 15 the following: 16 ‘‘(11) Information concerning mental health, in- 17 cluding— 18 ‘‘(A) the availability of mental health serv- 19 ices furnished by the Secretary concerned, the 20 Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans 21 Affairs, or a non-profit entity; 22 ‘‘(B) the treatment of post-traumatic 23 stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety 24 disorders, depression, chronic pain, sleep dis- 25 orders, suicidal ideation, or other mental health 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:46 Jan 08, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3722.RDS H3722 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 HR 3722 RDS conditions associated with service in the armed 1 forces; 2 ‘‘(C) the risk of suicide, including signs, 3 symptoms, and risk factors (including adverse 4 childhood experiences, depression, bipolar dis- 5 order, homelessness, unemployment, and rela- 6 tionship strain); 7 ‘‘(D) the availability of treatment options 8 and resources to address substance abuse, in- 9 cluding alcohol, prescription drug, and opioid 10 abuse; 11 ‘‘(E) the potential effects of the loss of 12 community and support systems experienced by 13 a member separating from the armed forces; 14 ‘‘(F) isolation from family, friends, or soci- 15 ety; and 16 ‘‘(G) the potential stressors associated with 17 separation from the armed forces.’’. 18 (b) SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 19 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.—Section 6320(b)(1) of title 38, 20 United States Code, is amended— 21 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) and 22 (H) as subparagraphs (I) and (J), respectively; and 23 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the fol- 24 lowing new subparagraphs: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:46 Jan 08, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3722.RDS H3722 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 4 HR 3722 RDS ‘‘(G) assisting eligible veterans who elect to en- 1 roll in the system of patient enrollment under sec- 2 tion 1705(a) of this title; 3 ‘‘(H) educating veterans about mental health 4 and counseling services available through the Vet- 5 erans Health Administration;’’. 6 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 7 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and 8 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to 9 the appropriate congressional committees a report on the 10 information and materials developed pursuant to the 11 amendments made by this Act. 12 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES 13 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con- 14 gressional committees’’ means— 15 (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the 16 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and 17 (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the 18 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 19 Representatives. 20 Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 2024. Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:46 Jan 08, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3722.RDS H3722 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS