ALCOAST 286/18 - AUG 2018 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT (MHA) REQUIREMENT

united states coast guard

R 160816 AUG 18
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-11//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N06010//
ALCOAST 286/18
COMDTNOTE 6010
SUBJ: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT (MHA) REQUIREMENT
A. 10 U.S.C. §§1074m-n
1. Mental health issues are a serious problem for military personnel. These illnesses
are often not visible to others, making them difficult to diagnose and leading to
unnecessary suffering.
2. The Coast Guard, along with the other military services, will be implementing
yearly mental health screenings IAW REF (A) to identify military members in the
early stages of mental illness and to refer them for treatment, helping them heal,
and improving overall medical readiness.
3. Coast Guard members will receive an annual mental health assessment (MHA) when
they receive their Periodic Health Assessment (PHA). The new All-Services PHA, implemented
CG-wide for all PHAs after 1 MAR 2018, contains an MHA that meets the requirements of REF (A).
4. The following personnel will meet the annual MHA requirement for FY 2018 without
further action:
   A. Personnel who completed or will complete the new All-Services PHA after 01 OCT 2017.
   B. Personnel who completed or who will complete a Deployment Mental Health Assessment,
DD Form 2978 after 01 OCT 2017.
5. All other personnel must complete a standalone MHA before 30 SEP 2018 to comply with
REF (A), even if they are showing green for their PHA in Coast Guard Business Intelligence (CGBI).
The standalone MHA has two phases – completion of an online questionnaire and a
person-to-person review with health care personnel trained to administer an MHA.
   A. The first step is to complete the online questionnaire at:
https://data.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/edha/. Detailed instructions can be found at:
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/hswlsc/OpMed/SitePages/Periodic%20Health%20Assessment.aspx/
and at: https://www.reserve.uscg.mil/Portals/2/Resources/mha.pdf.
   B. Once the questionnaire is completed, personnel who receive PHA services at Coast Guard
or DoD clinics should contact their clinic to schedule their person-to-person MHA review.
They should inform the clinic that they already had their PHA this fiscal year, but that it
did not include an MHA.
   C. Personnel who receive PHA services through the Reserve Health Readiness Program
(i.e. Logistics Health, Incorporated, or LHI) should call 888-734-7299 to complete their
person-to-person MHA review once they have completed their questionnaire; no appointment is
needed and the phone number is operational 24/7.
6. The standalone MHA review can be completed telephonically by the following personnel as
long as they have completed MHA training – Independent Duty Health Services Technicians,
Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, or Physicians.
7. After 30 SEP 2018, all Coast Guard AD and SELRES personnel must fulfill their annual
MHA requirement through the PHA.
8. POC: CDR Shane Steiner (Chief, Preventive Medicine, COMDT (CG-1121)), 202-475-5256,
or Shane.C.Steiner@uscg.mil.
9. RADM Erica G. Schwartz, Director, Health, Safety, and Work-Life, sends.
10. Internet release authorized.