S.Amdt. 1617

SA 1617. Mr. DONNELLY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities
of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to
prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

Strike section 713 and insert the following:

SEC. 713. IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDED BY
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Training on Recognition and Management of Risk of
Suicide.--
(1) Initial training.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned
shall ensure that all primary care and mental health care
providers under the jurisdiction of such Secretary receive,
or have already received, evidence-based training on the
recognition and assessment of individuals at risk for suicide
and the management of such risk.
(2) Additional training.--The Secretary concerned shall
ensure that providers who receive, or have already received,
training described in paragraph (1) receive such additional
training thereafter as may be required based on evidence-
based changes in health care practices.
(b) Assessment of Mental Health Workforce.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report assessing the
mental health workforce of the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs and the long-term mental
health care needs of members of the Armed Forces, veterans,
and their dependents for purposes of determining the long-
term requirements of the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs for mental health care
providers.
(2) Elements.--The report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include an assessment of the following:
(A) The number of mental health care providers of the
Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs
as of the date of the submittal of the report, disaggregated
by specialty, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social
workers, mental health counselors, and marriage and family
therapists.
(B) The number of mental health care providers that are
anticipated to be needed by the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(C) The types of mental health care providers that are
anticipated to be needed by the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(D) Locations in which mental health care providers are
anticipated to be needed by the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(c) Plan for Development of Procedures to Measure Mental
Health Data.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned shall develop a
plan for the development of procedures to compile and assess
data relating to the following:
(A) Outcomes for mental health care provided under the laws
administered by such Secretary.
(B) Variations in such outcomes among different medical
facilities under the jurisdiction of such Secretary.
(C) Barriers, if any, to the implementation by mental
health care providers under the jurisdiction of such
Secretary of the clinical practice guidelines and other
evidence-based treatments and approaches recommended for such
providers by such Secretary.
(2) Submittal of plan.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this

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Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress each of the plans developed under paragraph (1).
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives
(2) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means the Secretary of Defense with respect to matters
concerning the Department of Defense and the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs with respect to matters concerning the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
______