Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2014 or the MEPS Act - Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health assessment before such individual enlists, or is commissioned as an officer, in the Armed Forces; and (2) use assessment results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examination. Prohibits such Secretary from considering the results of such assessment in determining the assignment or promotion of a member of the Armed Forces.
Requires the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to submit to Congress and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) a report on preliminary mental health assessments of members, including recommendations regarding: (1) establishing such an assessment to bring mental health screenings to parity with physical screenings of members; and (2) the composition of the assessment, best practices, and how to track assessment changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions.
Requires the Secretary concerned to provide a comprehensive physical examination and a mental health screening to each member who, after a period of active duty of more than 180 days, is undergoing separation from the Armed Forces and is not otherwise provided such examination or screening in connection with such separation from either DOD or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress an assessment of DOD's capacity to provide each member who is undergoing separation an electronic copy of the member's service treatment record at the time of separation.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2231 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2231
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide an individual with a
mental health assessment before the individual enlists in the Armed
Forces or is commissioned as an officer in the Armed Forces, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 9, 2014
Mr. Portman (for himself and Mr. Rockefeller) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide an individual with a
mental health assessment before the individual enlists in the Armed
Forces or is commissioned as an officer in the Armed Forces, 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 ``Medical Evaluation Parity for
Servicemembers Act of 2014'' or the ``MEPS Act''.
SEC. 2. PRELIMINARY MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS BECOMING
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.
(a) In General.--Chapter 31 of title 10, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 520d. Preliminary mental health assessments
``(a) Provision of Mental Health Assessment.--Before any individual
enlists in an armed force or is commissioned as an officer in an armed
force, the Secretary concerned shall provide the individual with a
mental health assessment. The Secretary shall use such results as a
baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations, including such
examinations provided under sections 1074f and 1074m of this title.
``(b) Use of Assessment.--The Secretary may not consider the
results of a mental health assessment conducted under subsection (a) in
determining the assignment or promotion of a member of the armed
forces.
``(c) Application of Privacy Laws.--With respect to applicable laws
and regulations relating to the privacy of information, the Secretary
shall treat a mental health assessment conducted under subsection (a)
in the same manner as the medical records of a member of the armed
forces.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
such chapter is amended by adding after the item relating to section
520c the following new item:
``520d. Preliminary mental health assessments.''.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the National Institute of Mental
Health of the National Institutes of Health shall submit to
Congress and the Secretary of Defense a report on preliminary
mental health assessments of members of the Armed Forces.
(2) Matters included.--The report under paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) Recommendations with respect to establishing a
preliminary mental health assessment of members of the
Armed Forces to bring mental health screenings to
parity with physical screenings of members.
(B) Recommendations with respect to the composition
of the mental health assessment, best practices, and
how to track assessment changes relating to traumatic
brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and
other conditions.
(3) Coordination.--The National Institute of Mental Health
shall carry out paragraph (1) in coordination with the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the surgeons general of the military
departments, and other relevant experts.
SEC. 3. PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS AND MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS FOR CERTAIN
MEMBERS UNDERGOING SEPARATION FROM THE ARMED FORCES WHO
ARE NOT OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE FOR SUCH EXAMINATIONS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the military department concerned
shall provide a comprehensive physical examination (including a
screening for Traumatic Brain Injury) and a mental health screening to
each member of the Armed Forces who, after a period of active duty of
more than 180 days, is undergoing separation from the Armed Forces and
is not otherwise provided such an examination or screening in
connection with such separation from the Department of Defense or the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(b) No Right to Health Care Benefits.--The provision of a physical
examination or mental health screening to a member under subsection (a)
shall not, by itself, be used to determine the eligibility of the
member for any health care benefits from the Department of Defense or
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(c) Funding.--Funds for the provision of physical examinations and
mental health screenings under this section shall be derived from funds
otherwise authorized to be appropriated for the military department
concerned for the provision of health care to members of the Armed
Forces.
SEC. 4. REPORT ON CAPACITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO PROVIDE
ELECTRONIC COPY OF MEMBER SERVICE TREATMENT RECORDS TO
MEMBERS SEPARATING FROM THE ARMED FORCES.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than six months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to
Congress a report setting forth an assessment of the capacity of the
Department of Defense to provide each member of the Armed Forces who is
undergoing separation from the Armed Forces an electronic copy of the
member's service treatment record at the time of separation.
(b) Matters Relating to the National Guard.--The assessment under
subsection (a) with regards to members of the National Guard shall
include an assessment of the capacity of the Department to ensure that
the electronic copy of a member's service treatment record includes
health records maintained by each State or territory in which the
member served.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
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