Sec. 738. Pilot program on pre-programming of suicide prevention resources into smart devices issued to members of the Armed Forces
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/bill/118/hr/8070/rds/section-738·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall commence the conduct of a pilot program under which the Secretary— pre-downloads the Virtual Hope Box application of the Defense Health Agency, or such successor application, on the covered devices of members of the Armed Forces; pre-programs the National Suicide Hotline number and Veterans Crisis Line number into the contacts for such covered devices; and provides training, as part of the training on suicide awareness and prevention conducted throughout the Department of Defense, on the preventative resources described in paragraphs
(1)and (2). The Secretary of Defense shall carry out the pilot program under this section for a two-year period. The Secretary of Defense shall determine the appropriate scope of individuals participating in the pilot program under this section to best represent each Armed Force and to ensure a relevant sample size. In carrying out the pilot program under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall coordinate with the Director of the Defense Health Agency and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to identify other useful technology-related resources for use in the pilot program. Not later than 30 days after the date on which the pilot program under this section terminates, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the pilot program, including recommendations by the Secretary relating to expanding the scope of future pilot programs to include members of the Armed Forces who do not possess covered devices. In this section: The term covered device means a smart device (including a mobile phone) that is issued to an individual by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of an Armed Force. The term Veterans Crisis Line means the toll-free hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code.