,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #fii  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #bb1         
#bjag,mr4 ,murphy 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,tester1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,markey1   
,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4   
,bennet1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 and ,mr4         
,franken7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 to direct the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs to furnish mental 
and behavioral health care to certain   
individuals discharged or released from 
the active military1 naval1 or air      
service under conditions other than     
honorable1 and for other purposes4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,honor ,our ,commitment ,act of     
#bjag4  #b4 ,access to ,department of   
,veterans ,affairs mental and behavioral
 health care for certain individuals    
discharged or released from the active  
military1 naval1 or air service under   

conditions other than honorable  7a7 ,in
 general ,subchapter ,,ii of chapter #ag
 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is
 amended by inserting after section     
#agab;,c the following new section3     
#agab;,d4 ,mental and behavioral health 
care for certain individuals discharged 
or released from the active military1   
naval1 or air service under conditions  
other than honorable  7a7 ,in general   
,notwithstanding section #ecjc7;a7 of   
this title and subject to subsection    
7c71 the ,secretary shall furnish to an 
eligible individual covered mental and  
behavioral health care4  7b7 ,eligible  
individuals ,for purposes of this       
section1 an eligible individual is any  
of the following3 7#a7 ,an individual   
who--  7,a7 served in the active        
military1 naval1 or air service for a   
period of more than #ahj days and was   
deployed in a theater of combat         
operations1 in support of a contingency 
operation1 or in an area at a time      
during which hostilities are occurring  

in that area1 for a period of more than 
#cj days during such service2  7,b7 was 
discharged or released from such service
 by reason of committing a covered      
offense2 and  7,c7 was diagnosed by a   
qualified mental health care provider   
with a mental or behavioral health      
condition before committing the covered 
offense4  7#b7 ,an individual who-- 7,a7
 served in the active military1 naval1  
or air service for a period of more than
 #ahj days and was deployed in a theater
 of combat operations1 in support of a  
contingency operation1 or in an area at 
a time during which hostilities are     
occurring in that area1 for a period of 
more than #cj days during such service2 
7,b7 was discharged or released from    
such service by reason of committing a  
covered offense2  7,c7 is diagnosed with
 a mental or behavioral health condition
 after committing such covered offense  
but before the expiration of the        
five-year period beginning on the later 
of--  7i7 the date of the enactment of  

the ,honor ,our ,commitment ,act of     
#bjag2 or  7ii7 the date on which the   
individual is discharged or released    
from such service2  7,d7 submits to the 
,secretary-- 7i7 a certification from a 
qualified mental health care provider   
that the provider believes such         
condition may have led the individual to
 commit such offense2 and  7ii7 the     
,certificate of ,release or ,discharge  
from ,active ,duty 7,,dd ,form #bad7 of 
the individual2 and  7,e7 is determined 
by the ,secretary pursuant to subsection
 7c7 to have had a mental or behavioral 
health condition at the time the        
individual committed the covered offense
 that contributed to the commission of  
the offense4  7c7 ,determination by     
,secretary  7#a7 ,not later than #ij    
days after receiving the information    
submitted under subsection 7b77#b77;,d7 
with respect to an individual1 the      
,secretary shall determine whether1 at  
the time of committing the covered      
offense1 the individual had a mental or 

behavioral health condition that        
contributed to the commission of the    
offense4  7#b7 ,if the ,secretary does  
not make a determination under paragraph
 7#a7 with respect to a mental or       
behavioral health condition of an       
individual before the end of the        
#ij-;day period beginning on the date of
 the submittal of the information       
described in subsection 7b77#b77;,d71   
the condition is deemed to be a mental  
or behavioral health condition that     
contributed to the commission of the    
offense until such time as the          
,secretary makes the determination4  7d7
 ,initial mental health screening  7#a7 
,the ,secretary may furnish to each     
individual described in paragraph 7#b7  
an initial mental health screening not  
later than the later of--  7,a7 five    
years after the date of the enactment of
 the ,honor ,our ,commitment ,act of    
#bjag2 or  7,b7 five years after the    
date on which the individual was        
discharged or released from the active  

military1 naval1 or air service4  7#b7  
,individuals described in this paragraph
 are the following3 7,a7 ,eligible      
individuals described in subsection     
7b77#a74  7,b7 ,individuals described in
 subparagraphs 7,a71 7,b71 and 7,c7 of  
subsection 7b77#b74  7#c7 ,the mental   
health screening provided to an         
individual under paragraph 7#a7 shall be
 at no cost to the individual4  7e7     
,notification of eligibility ,the       
,secretary shall notify each eligible   
individual described in subsection      
7b77#a7 about the eligibility of the    
individual for covered mental and       
behavioral health care under this       
section not later than the later of--   
7#a7 #ahj days after the date of the    
enactment of the ,honor ,our ,commitment
 ,act of #bjag2 or  7#b7 #ahj days after
 the date on which the individual was   
discharged or released from the active  
military1 naval1 or air service4  7f7   
,annual report ,not less frequently than
 annually1 the ,secretary shall submit  

to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
 of the ,senate and the ,committee on   
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives a report that includes1
 with respect to the year preceding the 
submittal of the report1 the following3 
7#a7 ,the number of eligible individuals
 who were furnished covered mental and  
behavioral health care under this       
section4  7#b7 ,the number of           
individuals who the ,secretary          
determined under subsection 7c7 did not 
have a mental or behavioral health      
condition at the time of committing a   
covered offense that contributed to the 
commission of the offense4  7#c7 ,the   
number of individuals who requested an  
initial mental health screening under   
subsection 7d74  7#d7 ,the number of    
individuals who were furnished an       
initial mental health screening under   
subsection 7d74  7g7 ,definitions ,in   
this section3 7#a7 ,the term covered    
mental and behavioral health care means 
the same types of medical services      

furnished by the ,department to         
individuals with service-connected      
mental or behavioral health conditions  
to treat such conditions4  7#b7 ,the    
term covered offense means an offense   
for which an individual is discharged or
 separated from the active military1    
naval1 or air service under conditions  
other than honorable but not a          
dishonorable discharge or a discharge by
 court-martial4  7#c7 ,the term         
qualified mental health care provider   
means a licensed or certified health    
care provider whose scope of practice   
includes diagnosing mental or behavioral
 health conditions and includes         
physicians1 psychologists1 psychiatric  
nurse practitioners1 physician          
assistants1 clinical social workers1 and
 licensed professional counselors4  4   
7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of   
sections at the beginning of chapter #ag
 of such title is amended by inserting  
after the item relating to section      
#agab;,c the following new item3        

#agab;,d4 ,mental and behavioral health 
care for certain individuals discharged 
or released from the active military1   
naval1 or air service under conditions  
other than honorable4  4  7c7 ,effective
 date ,section #agab;,d of title #ch1   
,united ,states ,code1 as added by      
subsection 7a71 shall take effect on the
 date that is #abj days after the date  
of the enactment of this ,act4