119-s702

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 702 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 702

 To require a study on the quality of care difference between mental 
health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department 
 providers, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 25, 2025

 Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. 
 Cassidy, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Peters, and Ms. Collins) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
 Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require a study on the quality of care difference between mental 
health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department 
 providers, 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 ``Veterans Mental Health and Addiction 
Therapy Quality of Care Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON QUALITY OF CARE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND 
 ADDICTION THERAPY CARE PROVIDED BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS 
 OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMPARED TO NON-
 DEPARTMENT PROVIDERS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to 
enter into an agreement with an independent and objective organization 
outside the Department of Veterans Affairs under which that 
organization shall--

    (1) conduct a study on the quality of care difference 
 between mental health and addiction therapy care under the laws 
 administered by the Secretary provided by health care providers 
 of the Department compared to non-Department providers across 
 various modalities, such as telehealth, in-patient, intensive 
 out-patient, out-patient, and residential treatment; and

    (2) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
 Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
 Representatives and publish on a publicly available website a 
 report containing the final results of such study.

    (b) Timing.--The Secretary shall ensure that the organization with 
which the Secretary enters into an agreement pursuant to subsection

    (a) is able to complete the requirements under such subsection by not later 
than 18 months after the date on which the agreement is entered into.
            (c) Elements.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection

    (a)

    (2) shall include an assessment of the following:

    (1) The amount of improvement in health outcomes from start 
 of treatment to completion, including symptom scores and 
 suicide risk using evidence-based scales, including the 
 Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale.

    (2) Whether providers of the Department and non-Department 
 providers are using evidence-based practices in the treatment 
 of mental health and addiction therapy care, including criteria 
 set forth by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

    (3) Potential gaps in coordination between providers of the 
 Department and non-Department providers in responding to 
 individuals seeking mental health or addiction therapy care, 
 including the sharing of patient health records.

    (4) Implementation of veteran-centric care, including the 
 level of satisfaction of patients with care and the competency 
 of providers with the unique experiences and needs of the 
 military and veteran population.

    (5) Whether veterans with co-occurring conditions receive 
 integrated care to holistically address their needs.

    (6) Whether providers monitor health outcomes continually 
 throughout treatment and at regular intervals for up to three 
 years after treatment.

    (7) The average length of time to initiate services, which 
 shall include a comparison of the average length of time 
 between the initial point of contact after patient outreach to 
 the point of initial service, as measured or determined by the 
 Secretary.
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