Health provisions

(a) Database; recommendations Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall— (1) establish and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable database on a website, to be called the Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database, to track chronic disease caused by on-the-job environmental exposure over the lifetimes of current and former Federal wildland firefighters; (2) update such database not less than on a yearly basis; and (3) develop and adhere to recommendations on mitigation strategies to minimize exposure to environmental hazards for Federal wildland firefighters. (b) Mental health (1) Mental health program Not later than January 1, 2027, the Secretaries shall establish and carry out a program for Federal wildland firefighters for mental health awareness and support. Such program shall include the following: (A) A mental health awareness campaign. (B) A mental health education and training program that includes an on-boarding curriculum. (C) An extensive peer-to-peer mental health support network for Federal wildland firefighters and their immediate family. (D) Expansion of the Critical Incident Stress Management Program, to develop and retain a larger pool of qualified mental health professionals who are familiar with the experiences of the emergency response workforce. The Program shall monitor and track mental health in the profession to better understand the scope of the issue and provide ongoing assistance and professional long-term care to patients. (E) Establish and carry out a new and distinct mental health support service specific to Federal wildland firefighters and their immediate family, with culturally relevant and trauma informed mental health professionals who are readily available, and not subject to any limit on the number of sessions or service provided. (2) Mental health leave Each Federal wildland firefighter shall be entitled to 7 consecutive days of leave, without loss or reduction in pay, during any calendar year. Leave provided under this paragraph shall not— (A) accumulate for use in succeeding years; and (B) be considered to be annual or vacation leave for purposes of section 5551 or 5552 of title 5, United States Code, or for any other purpose. (c) Coordination In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), the Secretaries may enter into partnerships or cooperative agreements with other Federal agencies, universities, or non-profit institutions. (d) OWCP The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs within the Department of Labor shall— (1) recognize post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological stress-related injuries or illnesses correlated to fire protection, suppression, and incident support activities, and ensure long-term coverage for the duration of the illnesses; and (2) expand the Special Claims Unit to ensure adequate unit staffing levels are sufficient to expedite the claims process and shorten response times to wildland firefighter and incident support personnel injured or effected on the job in order to alleviate the psychological and financial burdens placed on the patient and their families.