,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bcbd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #cj1     
#bjai,ms4 ,cortez ,masto 7for herself   
and ,mr4 ,boozman7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,armed   
,services  ,a ,,bill  ,to direct the    
,secretary of ,defense and the          
,secretaries of the military departments
 to encourage women members of the      
,armed ,forces who separate or retire   
from the ,armed ,forces during fiscal   
year #bjbj to participate in the        
,women's ,health ,transition ,training  
,program of the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs1 and for other purposes4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,servicewomen's ,health ,transition 
,training ,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,findings2
 sense of ,congress  7a7 ,findings      
,congress finds the following3  7#a7    
,women are now the fastest growing      
cohort of veterans and are expected to  
double in population by #bjde4  7#b7    

,women comprise approximately #b1jjj1jjj
 veterans in the ,united ,states and #aj
 percent of the total veteran           
population4  7#c7 ,women veterans are   
nearly two times more likely to commit  
suicide than civilian women4  7#d7 ,on  
average1 women do not connect with the  
,veterans ,health ,administration until 
#b4g years after separating from        
military service4  7#e7 ,female veterans
 have a higher rate of homelessness than
 their male counterparts4  7#f7 ,one in 
five female members of the ,armed       
,forces report experiencing military    
sexual trauma4  7b7 ,statement of policy
 objectives ,it is in the national      
interest of the ,united ,states to      
ensure women veterans receive a high    
quality of care by promoting programs   
and initiatives that--  7#a7 educate    
women separating from active duty in the
 ,armed ,forces on the services         
available to them through the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs2  7#b7
 encourage women to enroll in the system

 of annual patient enrollment of the    
,department under section #agje7;a7 of  
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code2 and   
7#c7 increase the number of women       
receiving health care from the          
,department4  7c7 ,sense of ,congress   
,it is the sense of ,congress that the  
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in    
piloting the ,women's ,health           
,transition ,assistance ,program1 has   
found that the pilot program has--  7#a7
 educated hundreds of women in the      
process of separating or retiring from  
the ,armed ,forces on the care they can 
receive from the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs1 #ii percent of whom 
would recommend the program to others2  
7#b7 improved awareness among pilot     
program participants of services        
available from the ,department by #ef   
percent2 and  7#c7 increased the intent 
of pilot program participants-- 7,a7 to 
enroll in the system of annual patient  
enrollment of the ,department under     
section #agje7;a7 of title #ch1 ,united 

,states ,code1 by #ac4a percent2  7,b7  
to use health care services from the    
,department by #ae4f percent2 and  7,c7 
to use suicide prevention services from 
the ,department1 if needed1 by #ai4c    
percent4  #c4 ,participation in the     
,women's ,health ,transition ,training  
,program of the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs  7a7 ,in general ,the         
,secretary of ,defense shall direct--   
7#a7 each ,secretary of a military      
department to encourage women members of
 the ,armed ,forces who separate or     
retire from the ,armed ,forces during   
fiscal year #bjbj to participate in the 
,women's ,health ,transition ,training  
,program of the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs at locations selected by the  
,secretary concerned2 and  7#b7 each    
commander of a military installation    
that has a center for the ,transition   
,assistance ,program under sections     
#aadb and #aadd of title #aj1 ,united   
,states ,code1 to advertise the ,women's
 ,health ,transition ,training ,program 

to women members described in paragraph 
7#a74  7b7 ,report  7#a7 ,in general    
,not later than ,february #a1 #bjba1 the
 ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation
 with the ,secretary of ,veterans       
,affairs1 shall submit to ,congress a   
report regarding participation in the   
,women's ,health ,transition ,training  
,program of the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs as described in subsection    
7a74  7#b7 ,elements ,the report        
required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include
 the following3  7,a7 ,the number of    
participants in the program4  7,b7 ,the 
number of program sessions and the      
locations where the sessions were held4 
7,c7 ,an assessment of available metrics
 including course satisfaction and      
improved awareness of health services   
furnished by the ,secretary of ,veterans
 ,affairs4  7,d7 ,a description of      
barriers to expanding the program to    
reach more women members of the ,armed  
,forces4  7,e7 ,a description of        
barriers to offering the program online 

to reach women members of the ,armed    
,forces who cannot attend in person4    
7,f7 ,recommendations for legislation to
 improve or expand the program4