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 on a website a publicly accessible, searchable database, to be known as 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 the database under paragraph (1) not less frequently than annually; and (3) develop and adhere to recommendations regarding mitigation strategies to minimize exposure to environmental hazards for Federal wildland firefighters. (b) Mental health (1) Establishment of program (A) In general Not later than January 1, 2026, the Secretaries shall establish and carry out a mental health awareness and support program for Federal wildland firefighters. (B) Inclusions The program under this paragraph shall include the following: (i) A mental health awareness campaign. (ii) A mental health education and training program that includes an onboarding curriculum. (iii) An extensive peer-to-peer mental health support network for Federal wildland firefighters and their immediate families. (iv) Expansion of the Critical Incident Stress Management Program— (I) to develop and retain a larger pool of qualified mental health professionals who are familiar with the experiences of the emergency response workforce; and (II) to monitor and track mental health in the Federal wildland firefighter profession to better— (aa) understand the scope of the issue of mental health; and (bb) provide ongoing assistance and professional long-term care to patients. (v) Establish and carry out a new and distinct mental health support service specific to Federal wildland firefighters and their immediate families— (I) with culturally relevant and trauma-informed mental health professionals who are readily available; and (II) not subject to any limit on the number of sessions or services provided. (2) Mental health leave (A) In general Subject to subparagraph (B), each Federal wildland firefighter shall be entitled to 7 consecutive days of mental health leave, without loss or reduction in pay, during a calendar year. (B) Requirements Mental health leave provided under subparagraph (A) shall not— (i) accumulate for use in any succeeding calendar year; or (ii) be considered to be annual or vacation leave— (I) for purposes of section 5551 or 5552 of title 5, United States Code; or (II) 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, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations. (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 and illnesses correlated to fire protection, suppression, and incident support activities; (2) ensure long-term coverage for the duration of the injuries and illnesses described in paragraph (1); and (3) expand the Special Claims Unit to ensure unit staffing levels are sufficient to expedite the claims process and shorten response times to Federal wildland firefighters and incident support personnel injured or affected on the job in order to alleviate the psychological and financial burdens placed on patients and their families.