Mental Health Exposure Military Official Record Act of 2014
Latest action · Jul 31, 2014 Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 31, 2014
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Mental Health Exposure Military Official Record Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish a significant event tracker (SET) system to track and report individual exposures to traumatic events for members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, to show evidence of possible trauma incurred during their service and to address mental health issues.
Authorizes reportable events to be entered by: (1) unit commanders and subunit leaders when an event affects the entire unit or subunit, (2) a medical treatment facility when an event affects a member undergoing treatment for an injury identified by military medical personnel or as reported by a member to such an individual, and (3) military law enforcement when an event involves victimization or witnessing of a sexual assault.
Defines "reportable event" to include: (1) kinetic combat patrol; (2) witnessed loss of life, dismemberment, or significant physical injury in a combat operation, expeditionary operation, or peacetime regular training; (3) traumatic brain injury; and (4) victimization or witnessing of a sexual assault.
Requires a secure central tracking database to be established as the central repository for all reportable events.
Requires a unit's commanding officer to review and determine the disposition of certain reportable events by assigning designations indicating whether an event is approved, contested, or denied. Requires all reportable events to be entered in the central database regardless of designation.
Permits access to such database by: (1) medical treatment facilities consulting for diagnosis; and (2) military law enforcement and criminal investigative services for purposes of obtaining a limited summary (excluding specific information about events, evidence, or members' private personal information) to diagnose patterns and trends related to crimes committed inside their jurisdiction.
Allows, with the member's consent, a member's complete SET record to be reviewed by the member's: (1) military and civilian legal representatives, unit commander, or military judge in military disciplinary or judicial proceedings; and (2) civilian legal representatives in non-military proceedings. Directs the Secretary to provide guidance for accessing records of servicemembers who are mentally incapable of providing their own consent.
Requires the official SET record of a member to be used by: (1) the Medical Evaluation Board or Physical Evaluation Board in the case of a member preparing for medical retirement due to injury or other conditions, (2) the medical officer of the member's parent unit in the case of a member preparing for a non-medical discharge or retirement, and (3) a benefits specialist in the case of a member initiating a Benefits Delivery at Discharge claim.
Requires, upon a member's separation from service in the Armed Forces, that copies of the member's SET record be distributed to: (1) the separating member; (2) the separating member's service personnel and medical file; (3) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and (4) if specifically designated by the member, the veteran affairs agency of the veteran's state and any other veterans service organization.
Cosponsors 9
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 31, 2014 to Nov 13, 2014; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-TX | Henry Cuellar | Original | Jul 31, 2014 |
| D-CA | Janice Hahn | Original | Jul 31, 2014 |
| R-OH | Steve Stivers | Original | Jul 31, 2014 |
| R-OH | Bill Johnson | Sep 17, 2014 | |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Sep 17, 2014 | |
| R-OH | Robert E. Latta | Sep 17, 2014 | |
| D-MA | Katherine M. Clark | Sep 18, 2014 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Sep 18, 2014 | |
| R-OH | Patrick J. Tiberi | Nov 13, 2014 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Armed Services Committee | Referred Jul 31, 2014 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 31, 2014Introduced in House
- Jul 31, 2014Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H7186.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2368 | Fairman Significant Event Tracker (SET) Act of 2014 | Related bill | May 21, 2014 |
| S 2730 | Mental Health Exposure Military Official Record Act of 2014 | Identical bill | Jul 31, 2014 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish or integrate an online significant event tracker (SET) system for tracking, reporting, and summarizing exposures of members of the Armed Forces, including members of the reserve components thereof, to traumatic events, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Mental Health Exposure Military Official Record Act of 2014
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Assault and harassment offenses
- Conflicts and wars
- Crime victims
- Crimes against women
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Department of Defense
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Evidence and witnesses
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Health information and medical records
- Military education and training
- Military law
- Military operations and strategy
- Military personnel and dependents
- National Guard and reserves
- Neurological disorders
- Personnel records
- Sex offenses
- Veterans' medical care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 31, 2014Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
