VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3863 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3863

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of
   Veterans Affairs to furnish annual mental health consultations to
               certain veterans, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 2025

 Ms. Budzinski (for herself and Mr. Edwards) 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 furnish annual mental health consultations to
               certain veterans, 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 ``VA Mental Health Outreach and
Engagement Act''.

SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS AND OUTREACH TO A VETERAN RECEIVING
              COMPENSATION FOR A SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY RELATING
              TO A MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS.

    (a) Annual Consultation; Outreach.--The section 1167 of title 38,
United States Code, relating to mental health consultations is
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, by
        striking ``In General'' and inserting ``Initial Consultation'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections
        (c) and (d), respectively;
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
        subsection (b):
    ``(b) Annual Consultation; Outreach.--Not less frequently than once
each year, the Secretary shall, with regards to a veteran who is
receiving compensation under this chapter for a service-connected
disability relating to a mental health diagnosis--
            ``(1) offer a mental health consultation to assess the
        mental health needs of, and discuss other mental health care
        options for, the veteran; and
            ``(2) conduct outreach regarding the availability of--
                    ``(A) consultations under paragraph (1); and
                    ``(B) other mental health services furnished by the
                Secretary.'';
            (4) in subsection (c), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by
        inserting ``or (b)'' after ``under subsection (a)'' both places
        it appears; and
            (5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by
        inserting ``, or to require the reevaluation of any entitlement
        of the veteran to compensation under this chapter'' before the
        period at the end.
    (b) Technical Corrections.--
            (1) Redesignation.--Such section, as amended, is
        redesignated as section 1169 of such title.
            (2) Clerical amendments.--The table of sections at the
        beginning of chapter 11 of such title is amended--
                    (A) by striking the item relating to the section
                1167 that relates to mental health consultations; and
                    (B) by inserting after the item relating to section
                1168 the following new item:

``1169. Mental health consultations.''.
    (c) GAO Review.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and
House of Representatives a report on the effect of the amendments made
by this section. Elements of such report shall include--
            (1) the number of veterans who received--
                    (A) mental health consultations under paragraph (1)
                of subsection (b) of section 1169 of such title; and
                    (B) outreach under paragraph (2) of such
                subsection;
            (2) whether veterans reported barriers to seeking such
        consultations; and
            (3) such barriers, if any.
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