S. 646 · 114th Congress
Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2015
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
PortmanSponsor2 cosponsors · 1 D, 1 R
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health screening before such individual enlists or is commissioned as an officer in the Armed Forces, and (2) use such results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Mar 3, 2015
Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2015
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health screening before such individual enlists or is commissioned as an officer in the Armed Forces, and (2) use such results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations.
Prohibits the Secretary from considering the results of such screening in determining the promotion of a member of the Armed Forces.
Directs the Secretary to treat a screening in the same manner as medical records with respect to laws and regulations relating to the privacy of information.
Requires the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to submit to Congress and the Department of Defense (DOD) a report on preliminary mental health screenings of members of the Armed Forces, including recommendations regarding: (1) establishing preliminary mental health screenings to establish parity with physical screenings; and (2) the composition of the mental health screening, evidenced-based best practices, and how to track changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions.
Directs DOD and the Government Accountability Office to report on the efficacy of preliminary mental health screenings. Requires DOD to report on the efficacy of the mental health components of the physical examinations to members of the Armed Forces who are separated from active duty.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2015
Latest action (Mar 3, 2015): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Mar 3, 2015
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.