,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #gad  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #aa1 #bjae   
,mr4 ,donnelly 7for himself and ,mr4    
,boozman7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary of
 ,defense and the ,secretary of         
,veterans ,affairs to jointly conduct a 
pilot program to assess the feasibility 
and advisability of expanding the use by
 the ,department of ,defense and the    
,department of ,veterans ,affairs of    
physician assistants specializing in    
psychiatric medicine1 and for other     
purposes4  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,frontline ,mental  
,health ,provider ,training ,act4  #b4  
,pilot program on expansion of use of   
physician assistants to provide mental  
health care to members of the ,armed    
,forces and veterans  7a7 ,pilot program
 ,not later than one year after the date
 of the enactment of this ,act1 the     

,secretary of ,defense and the          
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs 7in    
this section referred to as the         
,secretaries7 shall jointly commence the
 conduct of a pilot program to assess   
the feasibility and advisability of     
expanding the use by the ,department of 
,defense and the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs of physician         
assistants specializing in psychiatric  
medicine at medical facilities of the   
,department of ,defense and the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs in    
order to meet the increasing demand for 
mental health care providers at such    
facilities through the use of an        
#ah-month psychiatry fellowship program 
for physician assistants4  7b7          
,locations  7#a7 ,department of ,defense
 ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall carry
 out the pilot program at not less than 
three military medical treatment        
facilities1 of which--  7,a7 not less   
than one shall be a military medical    
treatment facility under the            

jurisdiction of the ,secretary of the   
,army2  7,b7 not less than one shall be 
a military medical treatment facility   
under the jurisdiction of the ,secretary
 of the ,navy2 and  7,c7 not less than  
one shall be a military medical         
treatment facility under the            
jurisdiction of the ,secretary of the   
,air ,force4  7#b7 ,department of       
,veterans ,affairs ,the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs shall carry out the  
pilot program at not less than three    
medical centers of the ,department of   
,veterans ,affairs4  7c7 ,eligible      
individuals  7#a7 ,in general ,except as
 provided in paragraph 7#b71 an         
individual eligible for participation in
 the pilot program is an individual     
who--  7,a7 has successfully graduated  
with a masters degree in physician      
assistant studies from an accredited    
physician assistant program2  7,b7 is   
certified by the ,national ,commission  
on ,certification of ,physician         
,assistants2  7,c7 has a valid license1 

certification1 and registration         
necessary to practice medicine2 and     
7,d7 does not have any pending          
challenge1 investigation1 revocation1   
restriction1 disciplinary action1       
suspension1 reprimand1 probation1       
denial1 or withdrawal with respect to   
any license1 certification1 or          
registration described in subparagraph  
7,c74  7#b7 ,department of ,defense     
,with respect to the conduct of the     
pilot program at a military medical     
treatment facility1 an individual       
eligible for participation in the pilot 
program is an individual who--  7,a7    
qualifies as an eligible individual     
under paragraph 7#a72  7,b7 is a        
commissioned officer in the ,armed      
,forces2 and  7,c7 meets the            
requirements necessary to be deployed as
 such an officer throughout the world4  
7d7 ,selection of individuals  7#a7 ,in 
general ,each of the ,secretaries shall 
select not less than #ab individuals    
described in subsection 7c7 to          

participate in the pilot program for    
each #ah-month psychiatry fellowship    
program carried out under subsection    
7e74  7#b7 ,distribution ,each of the   
,secretaries shall equally distribute   
the individuals selected under paragraph
 7#a7 among the locations at which the  
pilot program is to be carried out by   
such ,secretary4  7e7 ,psychiatry       
fellowship program  7#a7 ,in general ,in
 carrying out the pilot program1 the    
,secretaries shall establish an         
#ah-month psychiatry fellowship program 
for physician assistants that meets the 
training model for acuity1 mixture1 and 
volume established for psychiatric      
residency programs4  7#b7 ,training and 
education ,the psychiatric fellowship   
program established under paragraph 7#a7
 shall provide to eligible individuals  
who are selected for the program the    
following3  7,a7 ,training that is      
equivalent to training received during a
 psychiatric residency with respect to  
guidelines1 objectives1 and milestones4 

7,b7 ,education leading to a clinical   
doctorate of science in psychiatry that 
addresses the following3 7i7 ,inpatient 
care4  7ii7 ,outpatient care4  7iii7    
,emergency psychiatry4  7iv7 ,neurology1
 including child1 adolescent1 and       
geriatric neurology4  7v7 ,pain         
management4  7vi7 ,addictive psychiatry4
  7vii7 ,psycho-pharmacology4  7viii7   
,traumatic brain injury4  7ix7 ,clinical
 practice guidelines4  7,c7 ,education  
that addresses the particular needs of  
rural and other underserved populations 
of members of the ,armed ,forces and    
veterans to ensure a particular approach
 to psychiatry that benefits those      
individuals4  7#c7 ,use of other        
programs ,in carrying out the           
psychiatric fellowship program under    
paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretaries shall  
use resources available to the          
,secretaries under existing graduate    
medical education programs of the       
,department of ,defense and the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs to the

 greatest extent possible4  7f7 ,reports
 on pilot program  7#a7 ,initial report 
7,a7 ,in general ,not later than two    
years after the date on which the pilot 
program commences under subsection 7a71 
the ,secretaries shall jointly submit to
 the appropriate committees of ,congress
 a report on the pilot program4  7,b7   
,elements ,the report required by       
subparagraph 7,a7 shall include the     
following3 7i7 ,a description of the    
implementation of the pilot program at  
each location of the pilot program1     
including a detailed description of the 
education and training provided under   
the pilot program at such location4     
7ii7 ,a description and explanation of  
differences1 if any1 in the             
implementation and performance of the   
pilot program among the locations of the
 pilot program4  7iii7 ,an assessment of
 the satisfaction of members of the     
,armed ,forces and veterans with mental 
health care provided under the pilot    
program1 including an assessment of the 

outcomes of such care4  7iv7 ,an        
assessment of cost savings1 if any1 to  
the ,federal ,government resulting from 
the pilot program4  7v7 ,a description  
of improvements1 if any1 to the access  
of members of the ,armed ,forces and    
veterans to mental health care resulting
 from the pilot program4  7vi7 ,a       
description of recommendations1 if any1 
of the ,secretaries of alternative      
methods to improve the access of members
 of the ,armed ,forces and veterans to  
mental health care other than through   
the pilot program4  7vii7 ,a            
recommendation as to the feasibility and
 advisability of extending or expanding 
the pilot program4  7#b7 ,final report  
,not later than #ij days before the date
 on which the pilot program terminates  
under subsection 7g71 the ,secretaries  
shall jointly submit to the appropriate 
committees of ,congress an update to the
 report submitted under paragraph 7#a74 
7#c7 ,appropriate committees of congress
 defined ,in this subsection1 the term  

appropriate committees of ,congress     
means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,armed   
,services and the ,committee on         
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate2 and 
7,b7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services 
and the ,committee on ,veterans'        
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives4  7g7 ,termination ,the
 authority of the ,secretaries to carry 
out the pilot program shall terminate   
upon the completion of two #ah-month    
psychiatry fellowship programs conducted
 under subsection 7e74