Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Military Suicide Reduction Act”.
Military Suicide Reduction Act
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the mental health assessments provided to members of the Armed Forces deployed in support of a contingency operation.
Sec. 2 Mental health assessments for members of the Armed Forces deployed in support of a contingency operation
in paragraph (1)—
by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively; and
by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new subparagraph (B):
“(B) Once during each 180-day period in which the member is so deployed.”
in paragraph (2), by striking “subparagraph (B) and (C)” and inserting “subparagraphs (C) and (D)”.
Deployment assessments by medical professionals— Subsection (c) of such section is amended—
in paragraph (1), by striking “The mental health” and inserting “Except as provided by paragraph (3), the mental health”; and
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(3)
“(A) If the Secretary determines that a mental health assessment conducted under subsection (a)(1)(B) cannot be performed by an individual described in clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall ensure that the mental health assessment is conducted using an Internet-based questionnaire.
“(B) After a member completes a questionnaire conducted under subparagraph (A), the immediate commanding officer of the member shall complete a separate Internet-based questionnaire regarding the observations of the commanding officer with respect to the mental health of the member. The commanding officer may not have access to the questionnaire of the member conducted under subparagraph (A).
“(C) The Secretary shall ensure that the questionnaires conducted under subparagraphs (A) and (B) to assess a member are combined and such combined document is reviewed and acted upon by personnel described in paragraph (1)(A) in the same manner as an assessment conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A), (C), or (D) of subsection (a)(1).
“(D) Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to treat a questionnaire conducted under subparagraph (A) or subparagraph (B) as being exempt from Department of Defense Directive 6025.18, a successor directive, or any other relevant regulation regarding privacy prescribed pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191).”
Uniform standards assessments— Such section is amended—
in subsection (c)(1)(D), by striking “consistent” and inserting “uniform”; and
in subsection (f)(1), by adding at the end the following new sentence: “Such regulations shall ensure that this section is carried out in a uniform manner among the military departments.”.
Conforming amendment— Subsection (d) of such section is amended by striking “subsection (a)(1)(C)” and inserting “subsection (a)(1)(D)”.