The Brandon Act is a law that creates a self-initiated referral process for service members seeking a mental health evaluation and aims to reduce stigma by allowing them to seek help confidentially. The Brandon Act is named after Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta who died by suicide in 2018. The legislation was made law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.
The new policy will put into place procedures to establish protocols and provide procedures for service members to request a referral for a mental health evaluation through a commanding officer or supervisor. The new process allows service members to seek help confidentially, for any reason, at any time, and in any environment, and aims to reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health care. Commanding officers will receive additional training on how to receive these requests.
Implementation of the policy will occur in two phases. In the next 45 days, the Military Departments will establish procedures to implement the policy for all service members on active duty. In phase two, the Military Departments will establish procedures to implement the policy for all service members not serving on active duty.
Additional mental health resources include the 988 Veterans Crisis Line, Military OneSource non-medical counseling, and the 24/7 Psychological Health Resource Center. For more information, visit health.mil/mentalhealth.
More information on implementation of the Brandon Act can be found here.
