[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 928 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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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 Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Not Just a Number Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ANNUAL REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and not later than September 30 of each year
thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress and publish on a publicly available
website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a report to be known as
the ``National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report''.
(b) Extension.--
(1) In general.--If the Secretary requires an extension of
the deadline for a report under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a
written request for such an extension.
(2) Elements.--Each written request under paragraph (1) for
an extension for a report shall include the following:
(A) The rationale for the delay in submitting the
report.
(B) An explanation of the need for an extension.
(C) A proposed amended date for the submittal and
publication of the report.
(c) Briefing.--Before submitting a report under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the
report.
(d) Elements of Report.--
(1) In general.--Each report under subsection (a) shall
include the findings of the national analysis of veteran
suicide rates for the latest year data is available and shall
include trends and comparisons to previous years.
(2) Additional elements.--Each report under subsection (a)
shall include, for the year covered by the report, the
following:
(A) Suicide rates of veterans disaggregated by age,
gender, and race or ethnicity.
(B) Trends in suicide rates of veterans compared to
engagement of those veterans with health care from the
Veterans Health Administration, including an
examination of trends in suicide rates or deaths
among--
(i) veterans who have recently received
health care from the Veterans Health
Administration as compared to veterans who have
never received health care from the Veterans
Health Administration;
(ii) veterans who are enrolled in the
patient enrollment system of the Department of
Veterans Affairs under section 1705(a) of title
38, United States Code, as compared to veterans
who have never enrolled in such system;
(iii) veterans who have recently used
services from a Vet Center as compared to
veterans who have never used such services;
(iv) veterans who have a diagnosis of
substance use disorder; and
(v) other groups of veterans relating to
engagement with health care from the Veterans
Health Administration, as the Secretary
considers practicable.
(C) Trends in suicide rates of veterans compared to
engagement of those veterans with benefits from the
Veterans Benefits Administration, including an
examination of trends in suicide rates or deaths
among--
(i) veterans who are currently using, have
previously used, or have never used educational
assistance under the laws administered by the
Secretary;
(ii) veterans who are currently receiving,
have previously received, or have never
received services or assistance under chapter
31 of title 38, United States Code;
(iii) with respect to compensation under
chapter 11 of such title--
(I) veterans who were recipients of
such compensation as compared to
veterans who never applied for such
compensation prior to death;
(II) veterans who had a claim
denied for such compensation prior to
death;
(III) veterans who had a pending
claim for such compensation at time of
death; and
(IV) veterans who had an
entitlement for such compensation
reduced prior to death;
(iv) veterans who are currently receiving
or have never received pension under chapter 15
of title 38, United States Code;
(v) veterans who are currently using, have
previously used, or have never used programs or
services provided by the Homeless Programs
Office of the Department, including an
examination of trends in suicide rates or
deaths among veterans who made contact with
such office but were denied or deemed
ineligible for any such program or service;
(vi) with respect to housing loans
guaranteed by the Secretary under chapter 37 of
title 38, United States Code--
(I) veterans who applied for such a
loan, whether their application was
accepted or not;
(II) veterans who are current
recipients of, were previously
recipients of, or have never received
such a loan; and
(III) veterans who were turned down
for such a loan by a lender;
(vii) with respect to financial hardships--
(I) veterans facing health care
debts;
(II) veterans owing debts to the
Department;
(III) veterans owing debts to for-
profit businesses assisting veterans
with claims for benefits under the laws
administered by the Secretary; and
(IV) veterans facing foreclosure or
bankruptcy;
(viii) veterans who were involved in a
veterans treatment court program, whether they
graduated successfully or not; and
(ix) veterans who were successfully
contacted, unsuccessfully contacted, or never
contacted by the Department through the Solid
Start program under section 6320 of title 38,
United States Code.
(3) Strategy and recommendations.--
(A) Initial report.--The initial report under
subsection (a) shall include a strategy and
recommendations developed by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, in collaboration with the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
Secretary of Defense, for--
(i) improving data collection at the State
and local levels to accurately capture suicide
deaths of veterans;
(ii) improving the timeliness, efficacy,
and standardization of data reporting on
suicide deaths of veterans at the Federal
level, including by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Department of
Defense, and the Department of Veterans
Affairs;
(iii) improving the timeliness of
identification and analysis of suicide deaths
of veterans by Federal agencies, including the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
Department of Defense, and the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(iv) any other necessary process
improvements for improving the timeliness,
efficacy, and standardization of reporting of
data relating to suicide deaths of veterans,
particularly with respect to the annual report
under this section.
(B) Subsequent reports.--Each report after the
initial report under subsection (a) shall include
updates on actions taken to meet the strategy and
recommendations developed under subparagraph (A).
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Vet center.--The term ``Vet Center'' means a center for
readjustment counseling and related mental health services for
veterans under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES FROM DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS TO PREVENT VETERAN SUICIDE.
(a) In General.--Not later than three years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and publish on a
publicly available website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a
report that analyzes which benefits and services from the Department,
including the Veterans Benefits Administration, have the greatest
impact on prevention of suicide among veterans, including
recommendations for potential expansion of services and benefits to
reduce the number of veteran suicides.
(b) Assessment of Solid Start Program.--The report required by
subsection (a) shall include an analysis of the effectiveness of the
Solid Start program under section 6320 of title 38, United States Code,
on prevention of suicide among veterans.
SEC. 4. TOOLKIT FOR STATE AND LOCAL CORONERS AND MEDICAL EXAMINERS ON
BEST PRACTICES FOR IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING ON SUICIDE
DEATHS OF VETERANS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in
collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, shall develop a toolkit for State and local coroners and
medical examiners that contains best practices for--
(1) accurately identifying and reporting suicide deaths of
veterans, including how to identify veteran status; and
(2) reporting such deaths to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and other applicable entities.
(b) Availability.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make the toolkit developed
under subsection (a) available on a publicly available website of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(c) Outreach.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the Director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall conduct outreach
to appropriate State and local agencies to promote the availability and
use of the toolkit developed under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. STUDY ON FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY OF CREATING A SUICIDE
PREVENTION OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) In General.--After the submittal by the Comptroller General of
the United States to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate
and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives
of the management review required under section 403 of the Commander
John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019
(Public Law 116-171; 134 Stat. 810), which required a management review
of the mental health and suicide prevention services provided by the
Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall--
(1) review the findings and recommendations of the
management review; and
(2) conduct a study on the feasibility and advisability of
creating a suicide prevention office of the Department of
Veterans Affairs at the level of the Office of the Secretary
that would elevate suicide prevention as a top priority across
the entire Department, including with respect to the work and
programs of the Veterans Benefits Administration and under
partnerships with other entities, including other Federal
agencies and non-governmental partners.
(b) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than two years after the
submittal by the Comptroller General of the management review
described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report
summarizing--
(A) any actions planned or taken, including
reorganizations or changes to reporting or governance
structures, in response to the management review,
including any completion dates or targeted completion
dates for any such actions; and
(B) the results of the study required under
subsection (a)(2), which shall include an examination
of the considerations for creating a suicide prevention
office of the Department of Veterans Affairs at the
level of the Office of the Secretary, including--
(i) benefits and potential drawbacks;
(ii) projected costs and staffing needs,
including new full-time equivalent employees
and transferred full-time equivalent employees;
and
(iii) suggested organizational and
leadership structure and principal activities
and functions of the suicide prevention office.
(2) Recommendations regarding organization and leadership
structure.--In providing suggestions for organizational and
leadership structure under the report under paragraph
(1)(B)(iii), the Secretary shall--
(A) assess whether the suicide prevention office of
the Department should be led by a political appointee,
a career employee in a Senior Executive Service
position (as defined in section 3132 of title 5, United
States Code) or equivalent, or another position type;
and
(B) detail which functions would remain in the
current Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
of the Veterans Health Administration, including an
assessment of where management of the Veterans Crisis
Line under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States
Code, should reside.
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