H.R. 5986 — Introduced in House

I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5986 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 29, 2018Mr. Taylor (for himself, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mrs. Comstock, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Banks of Indiana, and Mr. Bilirakis) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program on posttraumatic growth, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Bill Mulder and Ryan Larkin Posttraumatic Growth Act. 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) There is a shortage of adequate, timely, and effective mental health care available to veterans across the United States. (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to highlight veterans mental health care and suicide prevention as a key priority. (3) There is an opportunity to explore effective alternative treatments focused on the area of posttraumatic growth. 3. Pilot program on posttraumatic growth (a) Program The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a pilot program to study the effectiveness and benefits of nonprofit posttraumatic growth programs to determine— (1) the outcomes of such programs in contrast to traditional models of mental health care; (2) the possible integration of such nonprofit programs into the mental health care programs provided by the Secretary; and (3) the budgetary impacts of such integration. (b) Duration The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) for a two-year period. (c) Locations The Secretary shall select more than one location at which to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a), of which at least one location shall include a rural area. (d) Participants (1) Groups For each location selected under subsection (c), the Secretary shall establish one or more groups consisting of not more than six veterans to participate in the pilot program under subsection (a). The Secretary shall establish a total of 24 groups. (2) Eligibility A veteran is eligible to participate in a group under paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that the veteran is— (A) at risk of committing suicide; and (B) not participating in traditional mental health treatment. (3) Female veterans Not fewer than four groups of veterans under paragraph (1) shall consist only of female veterans. (e) Nonprofit organizations The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) by entering into an agreement with one or more nonprofit organizations that— (1) have staff with expertise in evidence-based care and experience working with veterans; (2) have experience in the science of posttraumatic growth; and (3) uses a standardized, evaluated, and comprehensive curriculum. (f) Report Not later than one year after the date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) is completed, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program, including a comparison of the care provided under the pilot program and the clinical care model of the Department.