,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cbde  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #bj1 
#bjbe,mr4 ,ricketts 7for himself and    
,ms4 ,slotkin7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,department
 of ,veterans ,affairs-,department of   
,defense ,joint ,executive ,committee to
 improve mental health screening        
conducted under separation health       
assessments for members of the ,armed   
,forces1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,medical ,integrity in ,necessary   
,diagnostics for ,our ,veterans ,act of 
#bjbe or the ,,mind ,our ,veterans ,act 
of #bjbe4  #b4 ,improvement of mental   
health screening conducted under        
separation health assessments for       
members of the ,armed ,forces  7a7      
,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of 
,congress that-- 7#a7 in order to       
address the mental health challenges    

following separation of members of the  
,armed ,forces from military service1   
transitioning members must receive      
effective mental health screening prior 
to separation2  7#b7 all screens        
conducted for mental health for members 
of the ,armed ,forces under the         
separation health assessment must be    
validated screens2  7#c7 it is essential
 that the ,department of ,defense fully 
implement the separation health         
assessment with validated screening2 and
  7#d7 screening for substance use      
should be considered a necessary mental 
health screen and included in the       
separation health assessment4  7b7      
,validated mental health screens ,the   
,joint ,executive ,committee shall      
ensure the post-traumatic stress        
disorder 7,,ptsd7 mental health screen1 
the alcohol use mental health screen1   
and the violence risk mental health     
screen under the separation health      
assessment are each modified to be a    
validated tool1 which may include taking

 steps to validate an existing screen or
 replacing an existing screen with an   
already validated screen4  7c7          
,inclusion of substance use in mental   
health screens  7#a7 ,in general ,the   
,joint ,executive ,committee shall      
incorporate screening for substance use 
as a mental health screen and shall     
assess whether to include such screening
 in the separation health assessment1   
including by taking such action as the  
,joint ,executive ,committee considers  
appropriate1 which may include taking   
steps to incorporate a validated screen4
  7#b7 ,report ,not later than #abj days
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,joint ,executive ,committee 
shall submit to the appropriate         
congressional committees a report on the
 justification of the ,joint ,executive 
,committee to include or not include a  
substance use screen under paragraph    
7#a74  7d7 ,implementation of separation
 health assessment ,not later than #abj 
days after the date of the enactment of 

this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense1  
under the guidance of the ,under        
,secretary of ,defense for ,personnel   
and ,readiness1 shall fully implement   
the separation health assessment4  7e7  
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,appropriate congressional committees   
,the term appropriate congressional     
committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee  
on ,armed ,services and the ,committee  
on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate2  
and  7,b7 the ,committee on ,armed      
,services and the ,committee on         
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives4  7#b7 ,joint          
,executive ,committee ,the term ,joint  
,executive ,committee means the         
,department of ,veterans                
,affairs-,department of ,defense ,joint 
,executive ,committee established under 
section #cbj of title #ch1 ,united      
,states ,code4  7#c7 ,separation health 
assessment ,the term separation health  
assessment means the health assessment  
for members of the ,armed ,forces       

separating from military service        
established by the ,joint ,executive    
,committee4