Sec. 901. Preliminary mental health assessments
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Chapter 31 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: Before any individual enlists in an Armed Force or is commissioned as an officer in an Armed Force, the Secretary concerned shall provide the individual with a mental health assessment. The Secretary shall use such results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations, including such examinations provided under sections 1074f and 1074m of this title. The Secretary may not consider the results of a mental health assessment conducted under subsection
(a)in determining the assignment or promotion of a member of the Armed Forces. With respect to applicable laws and regulations relating to the privacy of information, the Secretary shall treat a mental health assessment conducted under subsection
(a)in the same manner as the medical records of a member of the Armed Forces. . The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after the item relating to section 520c the following new item: 520d. Preliminary mental health assessments. . Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on preliminary mental health assessments of members of the Armed Forces. The report under paragraph
(1)shall include the following: Recommendations with respect to establishing a preliminary mental health assessment of members of the Armed Forces to bring mental health screenings to parity with physical screenings of members. Recommendations with respect to the composition of the mental health assessment, best practices, and how to track assessment changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions. The Secretary shall carry out paragraph
(1)in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the surgeons general of the military departments, and other relevant experts.