H.R. 6873

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6873 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6873 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include information relating to the rate of suicide among covered Reserves in each National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department of Veterans Affairs. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 19, 2023 Mr. Reschenthaler (for himself, Mr. Kilmer, and Mr. Van Orden) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include information relating to the rate of suicide among covered Reserves in each National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Each year since 2016, the Department of Veterans Affairs has produced an annual report regarding suicide mortality of ``veterans'', defined as persons who-- (A) were activated for Federal military service; and (B) were not performing such Federal military service at the time of death. (2) Since 2020, the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department has not included information relating to the rate of suicide among former members of the Guard or Reserve who were never activated for Federal military service. (3) In 2018, there were 538 suicides among former members of the Armed Forces who were never activated for Federal military service, an average of 1.5 suicide deaths per day according to the 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. (4) According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there is ongoing collaboration between suicide prevention and surveillance scientists in the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs with respect to suicide mortality among former members of the Armed Forces who were never activated for Federal military service. SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF RATE OF SUICIDE AMONG COVERED RESERVES IN NATIONAL VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ANNUAL REPORTS. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall include the rate of suicide among covered Reserves in each National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department (or any successor document). (b) Definitions.--In this section: (1) The terms ``active military, naval, air, or space service'' and ``reserve component'' have the meanings given such terms in section 101 of title 38, United States Code. (2) The term ``covered Reserve'' means a former member of a reserve component of one of the Armed Forces who did not serve in the active military, naval, air, or space service. <all>