,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ccgc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #af1 #bjbc,mrs4 ,kiggans of ,virginia 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,wittman1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,virginia1 ,ms4 ,tokuda1 ,mrs4 ,mc,clellan1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 and ,mr4 ,joyce of ,ohio7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of the ,navy to take certain actions relating to improved mental health care1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,sailor ,standard of ,care ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,actions by ,secretary of the ,navy relating to improved mental health care 7a7 ,reforms relating to limited duty 7#a7 ,additional resources ,the ,secretary of the ,navy shall provide additional resources to any unit with greater than #ae members of the ,navy designated for limited duty at a given time1 including through the establishment of a new billet for a medical officer1 chaplain1 and civilian employee of the ,department of ,defense in a mental health position for such unit4 7#b7 ,mental health screening ,the ,secretary of the ,navy shall require that each member of the ,navy designated for limited duty receives1 upon such designation and once every #fj days thereafter for the duration of such designation1 a mental health screening by a mental health professional of the ,department4 7#c7 ,framework ,the ,secretary of the ,navy shall establish a framework to ensure-- 7,a7 centralized leadership for the management of members of the ,navy designated for limited duty and centralized responsibility for the well-being of such members while so designated2 and 7,b7 a smooth transition for members of the ,navy who have suicidal ideations or other mental health care needs during transfers between units or while designated for limited duty4 7#d7 ,report ,not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbd1 the ,secretary of the ,navy shall submit to the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate a report on-- 7,a7 whether timeliness standards applicable to the timing of appointments between medical providers and members of the ,navy designated for limited duty are sufficient1 as determined by the ,secretary of the ,navy1 and the extent to which such standards are complied with2 and 7,b7 the number of databases used to track the status of such appointments and recommendations by the ,secretary of the ,navy regarding methods to simplify such tracking4 7#e7 ,briefing ,not later than ,january #ca1 #bjbd1 the ,secretary of the ,navy shall provide to the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate a briefing on-- 7,a7 the average number of days for the medical separation of a member of the ,navy previously designated for limited duty2 and 7,b7 recommendations for steps the ,secretary of the ,navy may take to streamline and expedite applicable processes to ensure such separation is timely4 7b7 ,resources dashboard ,not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbd1 the ,assistant ,secretary of the ,navy for ,manpower and ,reserve ,affairs shall establish and maintain a dashboard to track quality of life programs of the ,department of the ,navy 7including such programs relating to childcare1 healthcare1 education1 housing1 and spouse employment7 and the rate of usage of each such program4 7c7 ,best practices in dealing with multiple suicides 7#a7 ,study ,the ,secretary of the ,navy shall conduct a study on recent cases in which multiple suicides occurred within #cj days of each other among members assigned to the same unit or command of the ,department of the ,navy4 7#b7 ,elements ,the study under paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of the following3 7,a7 ,any underlying quality of life issues that may have been prevalent among the unit or command leading up to the initial suicide4 7,b7 ,the culture of the unit or command prior to such initial suicide4 7,c7 ,the actions taken immediately following such initial suicide and preceding any subsequent suicides4 7,d7 ,whether the individuals who completed suicide had previously expressed suicide ideation and whether such individuals engaged with mental health resources available prior to completing suicide4 7,e7 ,the mental health resources that were available to such individuals prior to the initial suicide1 after the initial suicide1 and after any subsequent suicides4 7#c7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of the ,navy shall submit to the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate a report containing the findings of the study under paragraph 7#a7 and a standard operating procedure of the ,department of the ,navy for responding to multiple suicides4 7d7 ,report on mental health care under ,,tricare ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate a report containing the following3 7#a7 ,an analysis of the average timeline to credential potential mental health care providers under the ,,tricare program as compared to the timeline under ,medicare and other major insurance networks1 including quantitative data regarding1 with respect to individuals applying for credentialing as mental health care providers under the ,,tricare program1 the following3 7,a7 ,the denial of such applications4 7,b7 ,the method and frequency of notifications regarding the application provided to such applicants4 7,c7 ,with respect to denied applications1 the method of feedback provided to such applicants1 and the resolution processes available to such applicants4 7#b7 ,the number of current and projected mental health care providers under the ,,tricare program1 as compared to the number of civilian mental health care providers outside of such program1 and a description of any capacity shortfalls with respect to mental health care providers under the ,,tricare program1 taking into account the mental health crisis within the ,armed ,forces4 7#c7 ,an analysis of the reimbursement rates for mental health care providers under the ,,tricare program1 disaggregated by ,,tricare provider network region1 as compared to the average reimbursement rates for such providers under private health insurance plans and ,medicare4 7#d7 ,an assessment of-- 7,a7 whether the ,secretary of ,defense1 in carrying out the ,,tricare program1 has used the methods outlined in part #aii4ad of title #cb1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 to increase reimbursement rates in certain geographic locations2 and 7,b7 what1 if any1 corrective measures have been taken since the publication by the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states of the report titled ,defense ,health ,care3 ,,tricare ,multiyear ,surveys ,indicate ,problems with ,access to ,care for ,nonenrolled ,beneficiaries 7,,gao #ac-cfd7 on ,april #b1 #bjac1 and in particular1 corrective measures addressing the finding of such report dealing with civilian mental health care providers and reimbursement rates4 7#e7 ,the status of implementing the recommendations contained in the report of the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,defense published ,august #aj1 #bjbj1 titled ,evaluation of ,access to ,mental ,health ,care in the ,department of ,defense 7,,dodig-#bjbj-aab7 7or any successor report7 and the estimated implementation date for any such recommendations that have not been implemented as of the date of the submission of the report4 7#f7 ,an assessment of what1 if any1 additional authorities and resources may be needed by the ,department of ,defense to effectively address the issue of timely access to mental healthcare for members of the ,armed ,forces on active duty and the dependents thereof4