H.R. 2915 would revise the requirements for an annual independent assessment to include metrics on suicide among female veterans. The assessment was recently established under the Clay Hunt SAV Act (Public Law 114-2) and requires a nongovernment entity to review and report on the mental health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill also would require VA to establish and disseminate standards for providing mental health treatment to veterans who served on classified missions.
Based on information from VA and independent entities who have prepared similar assessments, CBO expects that adding an additional metric would increase the cost of preparing the report on mental health care by an insignificant amount, as would preparing and disseminating standards for mental health treatment. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2915 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2016-2020 period. Any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 2915 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2915 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.
H.R. 2915 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
