BRAVE Act

Be Ready to Assist Veterans in Extremis Act or the BRAVE Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a patient outreach system under which it must ensure that veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have experienced a traumatic or highly stressful event may elect to receive information and resources relating to mental health and available mental health care services.

The VA must coordinate the system with the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5548 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5548

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Veterans Affairs to establish a patient outreach system relating to 
              mental health care, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2021

 Mr. Wittman (for himself and Mr. Case) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Veterans Affairs to establish a patient outreach system relating to 
              mental health care, 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 ``Be Ready to Assist Veterans in 
Extremis Act'' or the ``BRAVE Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SYSTEM FOR 
              PATIENT OUTREACH RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE.

    (a) Establishment of System.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after section 1720J the following new 
section (and conforming the table of sections at the beginning of such 
chapter accordingly):
``Sec. 1720K. Mental health care: patient outreach system
    ``The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a patient 
outreach system under which the Secretary shall ensure that veterans 
who are enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment established 
and operated under section 1705 of this title and have experienced a 
traumatic or other highly stressful event, may elect to receive from 
the Secretary information relating to mental health and resources 
relating to the mental health care services available to the 
veteran.''.
    (b) Administration of System.--In administering the patient 
outreach system established under section 1720K of title 38, United 
States Code (as added by subsection (a)), the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall seek to coordinate such system with the Transition 
Assistance Program of the Department of Defense.
    (c) Deadline for Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish the 
patient outreach system under such section 1720K by not later than two 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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