Bill > HR5919

This bill, known as the Veterans HOPE (Heroin Overdose Prevention Examination) Act, directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive review of opioid overdose deaths among veterans over a five-year period. The review will analyze detailed information about veterans who died from opioid overdoses, including their demographic characteristics, prescribed medications, medical diagnoses, and combat or trauma experiences. Specifically, the review will document the total number of veteran overdose deaths, compile a list of medications found in deceased veterans' bodies (including those with black box warnings), examine prescription patterns, identify medical facilities with high drug abuse treatment rates, and assess the Department of Veterans Affairs' medication prescribing policies. The bill highlights alarming trends in veteran opioid-related deaths, noting that veterans are seven times more likely to suffer from opioid use disorders compared to commercially insured patients, and that heroin and synthetic opioid deaths among veterans nearly quintupled between 2010 and 2016. Within 18 months of the act's enactment, the Secretary must complete the review and submit a detailed report to Congress, which will be made publicly available, along with recommendations for improving veteran safety and reducing opioid overdose rates.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5919/all-info