,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #chjg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #ba1      
#bjbj,mr4 ,blumenthal 7for himself and  
,ms4 ,baldwin7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,armed ,services   
,a ,,bill  ,to enhance the prevention of
 mental health discrimination against   
individuals during accession into the   
,armed ,forces1 and for other purposes4 
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,prevention of ,mental ,health  
,discrimination ,during ,military       
,accession ,act4  #b4 ,medical waivers  
for individuals with mental health      
conditions as minors under standards for
 appointment1 enlistment1 or induction  
in the ,armed ,forces  7a7 ,medical     
waivers ,department of ,defense         
,instruction #facj4jc1 relating to      
standards for appointment1 enlistment1  
or induction in the ,armed ,forces1     
shall be modified to eliminate1 to the  
extent practicable1 undue discrimination

 against individuals with covered mental
 health conditions 7including1 in       
particular1 individuals with a temporary
 or adolescent diagnosis of a mental    
health condition and showing            
demonstrable improvement7 through such  
modifications to medical waiver         
standards and processes under that      
,instruction as the ,under ,secretary of
 ,defense for ,personnel and ,readiness1
 in consultation with appropriate mental
 health practitioners1 considers        
appropriate4  7b7 ,liberal consideration
 of military family life in issuance of 
medical waiver for mental health        
conditions  7#a7 ,in general ,in        
determining whether to issue a waiver of
 the standards for appointment1         
enlistment1 or induction in the ,armed  
,forces for an individual with a prior  
covered mental health condition who was 
raised 7in whole or in part7 in a       
military family for purposes of         
authorization of the appointment1       
enlistment1 or induction of such        

individual in the ,armed ,forces1 the   
,surgeon ,general of the military       
department concerned shall give liberal 
consideration in such individual's favor
 to the potential role of the challenges
 of military family life in such        
condition4  7#b7 ,review in case of     
denial  7,a7 ,in general ,if an         
individual described in paragraph 7#a7  
is denied appointment1 enlistment1 or   
induction in the ,armed ,forces based in
 whole or in part on a covered mental   
health condition notwithstanding the    
liberal consideration required by that  
paragraph1 the ,secretary of the        
military department concerned shall--   
7i7 provide for the review of the denial
 on such basis by a qualified mental    
health care provider2 and  7ii7 if the  
provider determines that the denial was 
unwarranted1 authorize the appointment1 
enlistment1 or induction of the         
individual in the ,armed ,forces 7unless
 appointment1 enlistment1 or induction  
of the individual remains unwarranted on

 some other basis74  7,b7 ,mental health
 care provider ,for purposes of this    
paragraph1 a mental health care provider
 is any psychiatrist1 psychologist1     
mental health nurse practitioner1       
licensed social worker1 or other        
licensed mental health care provider in 
the military health system4  7#c7       
,guidance ,each military department     
shall carry out this subsection in      
accordance with guidance issued by the  
,secretary of such military department  
for purposes of this subsection4  7c7   
,assessments of frequency of denial of  
medical waivers for mental health       
conditions  7#a7 ,in general ,the       
,secretary of ,defense shall conduct an 
assessment of the medical waivers of    
standards for appointment1 enlistment1  
or induction in the ,armed ,forces that 
have been requested and issued under    
section #e4bh of ,department of ,defense
 ,instruction #fajc4jc during the       
five-year period ending on the date of  
the enactment of this ,act in order to  

determine whether1 and the extent to    
which1 individuals with a covered mental
 health condition are disproportionately
 denied enlistment or induction into the
 ,armed ,forces due to such condition4  
7#b7 ,elements ,each assessment under   
paragraph 7#a7 shall include the        
following3 7,a7 ,a description of the   
number of minor military dependents     
whose medical records were accessed in  
connection with requests for and        
issuance of medical waivers as described
 in paragraph 7#a74  7,b7 ,a description
 of the number of military dependents   
who were denied appointment1 enlistment1
 or induction in the ,armed ,forces     
based on information in their medical   
records as minors4  7,c7 ,a description 
of the number of military dependents    
enlisted or inducted into the ,armed    
,forces who have been separated or      
released from the ,armed ,forces        
following the merger of their dependent 
and member medical records4  7,d7 ,an   
assessment whether the policies on      

medical waivers of the standards        
referred to in paragraph 7#a7 in        
connection with psychiatric disorders   
deter military family members from      
seeking mental health care4  7d7        
,covered mental health condition defined
 ,in this section1 the term covered     
mental health condition means a mental  
health condition appearing or diagnosed 
while the individual concerned was a    
minor4