Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2426 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2426

  To require a study on the quality of care difference between mental
health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of
     the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department
                   providers, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 27, 2025

Mr. Fallon (for himself, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr.
 Magaziner, Mr. Gooden, and Mr. Nehls) introduced the following bill;
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To require a study on the quality of care difference between mental
health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of
     the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department
                   providers, 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 Mental Health and Addiction
Therapy Quality of Care Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON QUALITY OF CARE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND
              ADDICTION THERAPY CARE PROVIDED BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
              OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMPARED TO NON-
              DEPARTMENT PROVIDERS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to
enter into an agreement with an independent and objective organization
outside the Department of Veterans Affairs under which that
organization shall--
            (1) conduct a study on the quality of care difference
        between mental health and addiction therapy care under the laws
        administered by the Secretary provided by health care providers
        of the Department compared to non-Department providers across
        various modalities, such as telehealth, in-patient, intensive
        out-patient, out-patient, and residential treatment; and
            (2) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
        Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
        Representatives and publish on a publicly available website a
        report containing the final results of such study.
    (b) Timing.--The Secretary shall ensure that the organization with
which the Secretary enters into an agreement pursuant to subsection (a)
is able to complete the requirements under such subsection by not later
than 18 months after the date on which the agreement is entered into.
    (c) Elements.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection (a)(2)
shall include an assessment of the following:
            (1) The amount of improvement in health outcomes from start
        of treatment to completion, including symptom scores and
        suicide risk using evidence-based scales, including the
        Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale.
            (2) Whether providers of the Department and non-Department
        providers are using evidence-based practices in the treatment
        of mental health and addiction therapy care, including criteria
        set forth by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
            (3) Potential gaps in coordination between providers of the
        Department and non-Department providers in responding to
        individuals seeking mental health or addiction therapy care,
        including the sharing of patient health records.
            (4) Implementation of veteran-centric care, including the
        level of satisfaction of patients with care and the competency
        of providers with the unique experiences and needs of the
        military and veteran population.
            (5) Whether veterans with co-occurring conditions receive
        integrated care to holistically address their needs.
            (6) Whether providers monitor health outcomes continually
        throughout treatment and at regular intervals for up to three
        years after treatment.
            (7) The average length of time to initiate services, which
        shall include a comparison of the average length of time
        between the initial point of contact after patient outreach to
        the point of initial service, as measured or determined by the
        Secretary.
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