,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dgbd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #bd1
 #bjbj,ms4 ,hassan 7for herself1 ,mr4   
,cramer1 and ,mr4 ,cassidy7 introduced  
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
improve and expand the ,solid ,start    
program of the ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,solid ,start ,act of #bjbj4  #b4   
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,in #bjbj1 veterans continue to   
die by suicide at higher rates than     
civilians4 ,many of those veterans have 
no ties to the ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs1 limiting the ability of the   
,department to help in times of crisis4 
7#b7 ,the first year after separating   
from the military is a critical time in 
the transition to civilian life for a   
member of the ,armed ,forces4 ,many     
changes occur during that transition1   

from career and location changes to     
shifts in financial circumstances and   
health care coverage4  #c4 ,sense of    
,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress 
that the ,united ,states must strive to 
better serve members of the ,armed      
,forces and veterans who are            
transitioning to civilian life by-- 7#a7
 providing up-to-date information and   
access to resources that such members of
 the ,armed ,forces may not be aware of2
  7#b7 supporting the critical time of  
transition by ensuring that mental      
health needs are met in a timely manner2
 and  7#c7 assisting members of the     
,armed ,forces and veterans in accessing
 newly available services4  #d4         
,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act    
are-- 7#a7 to build the capacity of the 
,department of ,veterans ,affairs to    
efficiently and effectively respond to  
the queries and needs of veterans who   
have recently separated from the ,armed 
,forces2 and  7#b7 to systemically      
integrate and coordinate efforts to     

assist veterans1 including efforts--    
7,a7 to proactively reach out to newly  
separated veterans to inform them of    
their eligibility for programs of and   
benefits provided by the ,department2   
and  7,b7 to connect veterans in crisis 
to resources that address their         
immediate needs4  #e4 ,activities of the
 ,solid ,start program of the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7  
,required activities ,the ,secretary of 
,veterans ,affairs1 in coordination with
 the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall carry
 out the ,solid ,start program of the   
,department of ,veterans ,affairs by--  
7#a7 collecting up-to-date contact      
information during transition classes or
 separation counseling for all members  
of the ,armed ,forces who are separating
 from the ,armed ,forces1 while         
explaining the existence and purpose of 
the ,solid ,start program2  7#b7 calling
 each veteran1 regardless of separation 
type or characterization of service1 not
 less than twice within the first year  

after separation from the ,armed        
,forces2  7#c7 providing information    
about the ,solid ,start program on the  
website of the ,department and in       
materials of the ,department1 especially
 transition booklets and other          
resources2  7#d7 ensuring calls are     
truly tailored to the needs of each     
veteran's unique situation by conducting
 quality assurance tests2 and  7#e7     
prioritizing outreach to veterans who   
have accessed mental health resources   
prior to separation from the ,armed     
,forces4  7b7 ,authorized activities    
,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1  
in coordination with the ,secretary of  
,defense1 may carry out the ,solid      
,start program by-- 7#a7 encouraging    
members of the ,armed ,forces who are   
transitioning to civilian life to       
authorize alternate points of contact   
who can be reached should the member be 
unavailable during the first year       
following the separation of the member  
from the ,armed ,forces2  7#b7 following

 up missed phone calls with tailored    
mailings to ensure the veteran still    
receives similar information2 and  7#c7 
striving to reach out to veterans who   
separated prior to the initiation of the
 ,solid ,start program to provide       
similar services to those veterans1 when
 feasible4  #f4 ,assessment by          
,government ,accountability ,office of  
,solid ,start program of the ,department
 of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,assessment 
7#a7 ,in general ,beginning on the date 
that is one year after the date of the  
enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller
 ,general of the ,united ,states shall  
carry out an assessment of the ,solid   
,start program of the ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs4  7#b7 ,elements ,the
 assessment required by paragraph 7#a7  
shall analyze the following3 7,a7 ,how  
many veterans have been contacted       
through the ,solid ,start program since 
the establishment of the program as     
compared to how many veterans have not  
been reached4  7,b7 ,whether feedback on

 the ,solid ,start program indicates    
that the program is working4  7,c7      
,whether the ,solid ,start program is   
meeting the purposes described in       
section #d4  7,d7 ,improvements that    
could be made to the ,solid ,start      
program4  7b7 ,report ,not later than   
#abj days after the date described in   
subsection 7a77#a71 the ,comptroller    
,general shall-- 7#a7 complete the      
assessment required by such subsection2 
and  7#b7 submit a report on the        
findings of the assessment to-- 7,a7 the
 ,committee on ,veterans ,affairs' and  
the ,committee on ,armed ,services of   
the ,senate2 and  7,b7 the ,committee on
 ,veterans ,affairs' and the ,committee 
on ,armed ,services of the ,house of    
,representatives4  #g4 ,authorization of
 appropriations ,there are authorized to
 be appropriated to carry out this ,act 
the greater of-- 7#a7 such sums as may  
be necessary for each fiscal year to    
carry out this ,act2 or  7#b7 the amount
 expended by the ,department of         

,veterans ,affairs during fiscal year   
#bjbj to carry out activities of the    
,solid ,start program4