119-s1139

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1139 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1139

 To amend the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care 
 Improvement Act of 2019 to modify and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant 
Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 26, 2025

 Mr. Moran introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care 
 Improvement Act of 2019 to modify and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant 
Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Optimize Prevention and 
Engagement for Heroes Act of 2025'' or the ``HOPE for Heroes Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO AND REAUTHORIZATION OF THE STAFF SERGEANT 
 PARKER GORDON FOX SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM OF THE 
 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Coordination by Secretary.--Subsection

    (b) of 

section 201 of 
the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement 
Act of 2019 (38 U.S.C. 1720F note; Public Law 116-171) is amended, in 
the second sentence, by striking ``the Office of Mental Health and 
Suicide Prevention'' and inserting ``the Assistant Under Secretary for 
Health for Clinical Services''.

    (b) Use of Grant Funds.--Subsection
            (c) of such section is 
amended--

    (1) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``; Use of 
 Grant Funds'' after ``Grants'';

    (2) in paragraph

    (2)
        (A) --
        (A) by striking ``a maximum'' and inserting 
 ``except as provided in paragraph

    (3) , a maximum''; and
        (B) by striking ``$750,000'' and inserting 
 ``$1,000,000''; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
 ``

    (3) Additional amounts.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The Secretary may award amounts 
 to a grantee in addition to the maximum amount under 
 paragraph

    (2)
        (A) based on a performance-based metric 
 established by the Secretary.
 ``
        (B) Performance.--The performance-based metric 
 established under subparagraph
        (A) with respect to a 
 grantee shall be based on the number of individuals who 
 go through the intake process to receive suicide 
 prevention services from the grantee under this 
 section.
 ``
            (C) Limit.--The additional amount authorized 
 under subparagraph
        (A) may not exceed $500,000 per 
 grantee per fiscal year.
 ``

    (4) Use of grant funds.--For any grant awarded under this 
 section--
 ``
        (A) not more than 30 percent of the grant funds 
 may be spent on administrative costs; and
 ``
        (B) not more than five percent of the grant funds 
 may be spent on food and beverages.''.
            (c) Coordination by Grant Recipients.--Subsection

    (e)

    (3) of such 
section is amended--

    (1) by redesignating subparagraphs
        (B) and
            (C) as 
 subparagraphs
            (C) and
            (D) , respectively; and

    (2) by inserting after subparagraph
        (A) the following new 
 subparagraph
        (B) :
 ``
        (B) coordinate with the Secretary to develop a 
 plan for communication between the entity and local 
 suicide prevention coordinators regarding whether 
 veterans receiving assistance under this section from 
 the entity are attending appointments to ensure 
 continuity of care;''.
            (d) Training and Technical Assistance.--Subsection

    (g) of such 
section is amended--

    (1) in paragraph

    (1)
        (A) , by inserting ``, including 
 training on how to properly use the Columbia Protocol (also 
 known as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS))'' 
 after ``management''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
 ``

    (3) Training for department employees.--The Secretary 
 shall provide training to employees of the Department on the 
 grant program under this section.''.

    (e) Briefing for Local VAMCs.--Subsection

    (h) of such section is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
 ``

    (5) Briefing for local vamcs.--Not less frequently than 
 once per calendar quarter, the Secretary shall provide, to the 
 appropriate personnel of each medical center of the Department 
 located not more than 100 miles from the primary location of a 
 recipient of a grant under this section, a briefing about the 
 grant program under this section in order to improve 
 coordination between such recipient and personnel.''.

    (f) Duration.--Subsection

    (j) of such section is amended by 
striking ``the date that is three years after the date on which the 
first grant is awarded under this section'' and inserting ``September 
30, 2030''.

    (g) Interim Report.--Subsection

    (k)

    (1)
        (B) of such section is 
amended by adding at the end the following new clause:
 ``
            (xiii) A description of the Secretary's 
 compliance with the requirement to train 
 employees of the Department under subsection

    (g)

    (3) .''.

    (h) Emergent Suicide Care.--Subsection

    (n) of such section is 
amended--

    (1) by striking ``When the Secretary'' and inserting the 
 following:
 ``

    (1) In general.--When the Secretary''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
 ``

    (2) Emergent suicide care.--If the Secretary does not 
 provide mental health or behavioral health care services under 
 paragraph

    (1) to an eligible individual during the 72-hour 
 period following a referral under subsection
            (m) , such eligible 
 individual shall be treated as eligible for emergent suicide 
 care under 

section 1720J of title 38, United States Code.''.
            (i) Reauthorization.--Subsection

    (p) of such section is amended by 
striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2030''.

    (j) Technical Correction to 

=== Definitions. ===
-Subsection

    (q)

    (5) of such 
section is amended, in the first sentence--

    (1) by striking ``Medical services'' and inserting ``The 
 term `emergency treatment' means medical services''; and

    (2) by striking ``was rendered'' and inserting 
 ``rendered''.

    (k) Definition of Risk of Suicide.--Subsection

    (q)

    (8)
        (A) of such 
section is amended by striking ``any of the following (to a degree 
determined by the Secretary pursuant to regulations)'' and inserting 
``any of the following health, environmental, or historical risk 
factors (to any degree)''.
            (l) Suicide Prevention Services.--

    (1) Required use of certain screening protocol.--Subsection

    (q)

    (11)
        (A)
            (ii) of such section is amended by adding at the end 
 the following new sentence: ``In the case of a recipient of a 
 grant awarded under this section on or after the date of the 
 enactment of the Helping Optimize Prevention and Engagement for 
 Heroes Act of 2025, such screening shall be the Columbia 
 Protocol (also known as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating 
 Scale (C-SSRS)).''.

    (2) Transportation.--Subsection

    (q)

    (11)
        (A) of such section 
 is amended--
        (A) by redesignating clause
            (xi) as clause
            (xii) ; 
 and
        (B) by inserting after clause
            (x) the following new 
 clause:
 ``
            (xi) Transportation and rideshare 
 services for eligible individuals to use for 
 appointments.''.
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