I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7504 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish standards and 

requirements for non-Department mental health care providers participating in Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care program, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2020 

Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, and Mr. LEVIN of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish 

standards and requirements for non-Department mental 

health care providers participating in Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care program, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Clinical Training 

5 in Evidence-based treatments And Military Culture Act of 

6 2020’’ or the ‘‘VA Clinical TEAM Culture Act of 2020’’. 

2 

•HR 7504 IH

1 SEC. 2. STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-DE2 PARTMENT MENTAL HEALTH CARE PRO3 VIDERS PARTICIPATING IN DEPARTMENT OF 

4 VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMUNITY CARE PRO5 GRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

7 shall establish standards and requirements for the provi8 sion of mental health care by non-Department of Veterans 

9 Affairs health care providers under the Community Care 

10 program of the Department under section 1703 of title 

11 38, United States Code. Such standards shall be the same 

12 as the standards and requirements applicable to Depart13 ment employees who provide such mental health care. 

14 (b) TRAINING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than the 

15 date that is 180 days after the date on which a provider 

16 of mental health care becomes an approved provider under 

17 the Community Care program of the Department under 

18 section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary 

19 shall require the provider to complete— 

20 (1) the basic course described in subsection 

21 (c)(1); and 

22 (2) each of the four clinical domain courses de23 scribed in subsection (c)(2). 

24 (c) COURSES DESCRIBED.— 

25 (1) BASIC COURSE.—The course described in 

26 this paragraph is— 

3 

•HR 7504 IH

1 (A) a free, four-module course, made avail2 able online, that is developed by the Depart3 ment of Veterans Affairs about military culture 

4 and core competencies for health care profes5 sionals; or 

6 (B) a successor course or other course the 

7 Secretary determines is comparable to the 

8 course described in subparagraph (A). 

9 (2) CLINICAL DOMAIN COURSES.—The courses 

10 described in this paragraph are free courses, made 

11 available online, in each of the following clinical do12 mains: 

13 (A) Evaluation and management of sui14 cide. 

15 (B) Post-traumatic stress disorder. 

16 (C) Traumatic brain injury. 

17 (D) Military sexual trauma. 

18 (3) CONTINUING EDUCATION.—Each course de19 scribed in this subsection shall be designed to meet 

20 continuing education requirements for mental health 

21 care providers. 

22 (d) ADDITIONAL TRAINING.— 

23 (1) IDENTIFICATION OF TRAINING AREAS.—Not 

24 later than two years after the date of the enactment 

25 of this Act, the Secretary shall identify at least three 

4 

•HR 7504 IH

1 clinical domains for which the need for care among 

2 veterans is high and shall develop training courses in 

3 those clinical domains. 

4 (2) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 60 days 

5 after the training courses developed pursuant to 

6 paragraph (1) are made available, the Secretary 

7 shall require all non-Department mental health care 

8 providers approved under the Community Care pro9 gram of the Department under section 1703 of title 

10 38, United States Code, to complete the courses. 

11 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to 

12 the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

13 House of Representatives an annual report on the require14 ments of this section. Each such report shall include, for 

15 the year covered by the report, the number of non-Depart16 ment mental health care providers who have completed the 

17 requirements under this section. 

Æ