Veterans' Sentinel Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a pilot program establishing a working group in the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention to collect and analyze data regarding on-campus (i.e., on VA property) suicides and on-campus attempted suicides by veterans. The working group is authorized to implement improvements to the process by which the VA collects data related to on-campus suicides to unify the disparate sources of such data.
The VA must annually brief Congress regarding the progress and findings of the working group.
The bill requires the VA to (1) annually evaluate the statistical trends of suicides and attempted suicides by veterans that occur on VA property, and (2) determine recommendations for preventing such suicides and attempted suicides.
Finally, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to submit a report on (1) the actions the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention has taken to meet the priority objective of the VA with respect to preventing veteran suicide, (2) the challenges the office has faced in making such actions, and (3) recommendations for improvements.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8449 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8449
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot
program to collect and analyze data regarding suicides and attempted
suicides by veterans on the property of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 30, 2020
Mr. Crow (for himself, Mr. Kelly of Mississippi, Mr. DesJarlais, Ms.
Omar, and Mr. Crist) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot
program to collect and analyze data regarding suicides and attempted
suicides by veterans on the property of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, 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 ``Veterans' Sentinel Act''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON COLLECTING AND ANALYZING DATA REGARDING
CERTAIN VETERAN SUICIDES.
(a) Pilot Program.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall establish in the Office of Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention a pilot program under which the Secretary
establishes a working group in the Office to collect and
analyze data regarding on-campus suicides and on-campus
attempted suicides.
(2) Working group.--
(A) Membership.--The members of the working group
established under paragraph (1) shall be selected from
among staff representing each of the following:
(i) The Office of Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention.
(ii) The Veterans Health Administration.
(iii) The Veterans Benefits Administration.
(iv) The National Cemeteries
Administration.
(v) The Office of Operations, Security, and
Preparedness of the Department.
(vi) The National Patient Safety Centers of
the Department.
(vii) Any other element of the Department
as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(B) Reporting.--The working group shall report
directly to the Executive Director of the Office of
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
(3) Methodology.--In collecting and analyzing the
information under paragraph (1), the working group shall--
(A) use root cause analysis to review all on-campus
suicides and on-campus attempted suicides;
(B) with respect to on-campus suicides--
(i) conduct Behavioral Health Autopsy
Program assessments, including family
interviews; and
(ii) document reasons for any deficiencies
in the data collected; and
(C) not less frequently than every 90 days,
communicate with the medical centers and field offices
of the Department in order to coordinate the collection
and review actions of the working group with such
actions carried out by the medical centers and field
offices.
(4) Data collection intake improvements.--The working group
shall consider, and may implement for purposes of the pilot
program under paragraph (1), improvements to the process by
which the Secretary collects data on on-campus suicides and on-
campus attempted suicides to unify the disparate sources of
such data, including with respect to--
(A) modifying incident reports and other methods to
collect data, including both suicide and attempted
suicide report fields;
(B) developing and ensuring that each data source,
including the Behavioral Health Autopsy Program
assessment, relating to on-campus suicides and on-
campus attempted suicides include a specified section
for such on-campus incidents; and
(C) developing an associated management system to
consolidate all relevant data for on-campus suicides
and on-campus attempted suicides, including such data
from Behavioral Health Autopsy Program assessments,
health records of the Department, root cause analyses,
incident reports, and other sources of data.
(5) Briefings.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the
life of the pilot program under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall provide to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the
House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on the
progress and findings of the working group established under
such paragraph.
(6) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which
the pilot program under paragraph (1) is completed, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs
of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report
detailing--
(A) the effectiveness of the working group
established under such paragraph; and
(B) any recommendations to enhance the data
collection and management by the Secretary with respect
to on-campus suicides and on-campus suicide attempts,
including improvements identified under paragraph (4).
(7) Duration.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot
program under paragraph (1) for a period that is not less than
two years.
(8) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) The term ``on-campus attempted suicide'' means
an attempted suicide by a veteran that occurs on
property of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(B) The term ``on-campus suicide'' means a suicide
by a veteran that occurs on property of the Department
of Veterans Affairs.
(b) Annual Reports.--Section 1709B of title 38, United States Code,
is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsection (b):
``(b) On-Campus Suicides.--On an annual basis, the Secretary
shall--
``(1) evaluate the statistical trends of suicides and
attempted suicides by veterans that occur on the property of
the Department; and
``(2) determine recommendations for preventing such
suicides and attempted suicides.''; and
(3) in subsection (c), as so redesignated--
(A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph
(3); and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following
new paragraph (2):
``(2) Beginning with the report submitted in 2022, the
matters under subsection (b), including any other matters
relating to such matters as the Executive Director of the
Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention determines
appropriate.''.
(c) Comptroller General Report on the Office of Mental Health and
Suicide Prevention.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to the Committees on Veterans'
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report
on--
(A) the actions the Office of Mental Health and
Suicide Prevention of the Department of Veterans
Affairs has taken to meet the priority objective of the
Department with respect to preventing veteran suicide;
(B) the challenges the Office has faced in making
such actions; and
(C) recommendations for improvements.
(2) Elements.--The report under paragraph (1) shall
include, with respect to the Office, an analysis of--
(A) staffing and resource levels;
(B) policies and processes;
(C) leadership structure and stability;
(D) identification and prioritization of
activities;
(E) organizational and reporting structure within
the Department; and
(F) any other matters the Comptroller General
determines appropriate.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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