I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2698 

To improve and enhance the mental health care benefits available to veterans, 

to enhance counseling and other benefits available to survivors of veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2009 

Ms. GIFFORDS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve and enhance the mental health care benefits 

available to veterans, to enhance counseling and other 

benefits available to survivors of veterans, 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 ‘‘Veterans and Survivors 

5 Behavioral Health Awareness Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR EDUCATION AND 

2 TRAINING OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 

3 SPECIALISTS FOR VET CENTERS. 

4 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet5 erans Affairs, acting through the Under Secretary for 

6 Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall carry 

7 out a program to provide scholarships to individuals pur8 suing education or training in behavioral health care spe9 cialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers 

10 in order to recruit and retain individuals with such special11 ties for service as behavioral health care specialists in Vet 

12 Centers. 

13 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual shall be eligible for 

14 a scholarship under the program under this section if the 

15 individual— 

16 (1) is pursuing education or training leading to 

17 licensure or other certified proficiency in such behav18 ioral health care specialties critical to the operations 

19 of Vet Centers as the Secretary shall designate for 

20 purposes of the program; and 

21 (2) otherwise meets such other criteria or re22 quirements as the Secretary shall establish for pur23 poses of the program. 

24 (c) AMOUNT.—The amount of any scholarship pro25 vided under the program under this section shall be deter26 mined by the Secretary. 


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1 (d) AGREEMENT TO SERVE AS BEHAVIORAL

2 HEALTH CARE SPECIALIST IN VET CENTERS.—As a con3 dition of receipt of a scholarship under the program under 

4 this section, an individual receiving a scholarship shall 

5 enter into an agreement with the Secretary to serve as 

6 an employee of a Vet Center in the behavioral health care 

7 specialty of the individual for such period as the Secretary 

8 shall specify in the agreement. 

9 (e) REPAYMENT.—Each agreement under subsection 

10 (c) shall contain such provisions as the Under Secretary 

11 shall establish for purposes of the program under this sec12 tion relating to repayment of the amount of a scholarship 

13 provided under this section in the event the individual en14 tering into such agreement does not fulfill the service re15 quirements in such agreement. Such provisions shall 

16 apply, to the maximum extent practicable, uniformly to 

17 all recipients of scholarships provided under this section. 

18 (f) FUNDING.—(1) Amounts for scholarships under 

19 the program under this section shall be derived from 

20 amounts available to the Secretary for readjustment bene21 fits. 

22 (2) The total amount available for scholarships under 

23 the program under this section in any fiscal year may not 

24 exceed $2,000,000. 


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1 (g) VET CENTERS DEFINED.—In this section, the 

2 term ‘‘Vet Centers’’ means the centers for readjustment 

3 counseling and related mental health services for veterans 

4 under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code. 

5 SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF AUTHORITY OF VETS CENTERS 

6 TO PROVIDE REFERRAL AND OTHER ASSIST7 ANCE UPON REQUEST TO FORMER MEMBERS 

8 OF THE ARMED FORCES NOT AUTHORIZED 

9 COUNSELING. 

10 Section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, is 

11 amended by inserting after subsection (b) the following 

12 new subsection (c): 

13 ‘‘(c) Upon receipt of a request for counseling under 

14 this section from any individual who has been discharged 

15 or released from active military, naval, or air service but 

16 who is not otherwise eligible for such counseling, the Sec17 retary shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) provide referral services to assist such in19 dividual, to the maximum extent practicable, in ob20 taining mental health care and services from sources 

21 outside the Department; and 

22 ‘‘(2) if pertinent, advise such individual of such 

23 individual’s rights to apply to the appropriate mili24 tary, naval, or air service, and to the Department, 


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1 for review of such individual’s discharge or release 

2 from such service.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE 

4 PROVISION OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SERV5 ICES TO SURVIVORS OF MEMBERS OF THE 

6 ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS. 

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

8 shall carry out a program to award grants to nonprofit 

9 organizations that provide emotional support services for 

10 survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces (in11 cluding members of the National Guard and Reserve) and 

12 deceased veterans through peers of such survivors. 

13 (b) AWARD OF GRANTS.— 

14 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 

15 under the program under this section, a nonprofit 

16 organization shall meet such criteria as the Sec17 retary shall establish for purposes of the program. 

18 (2) APPLICATION.—A nonprofit organization 

19 seeking a grant under the program shall submit to 

20 the Secretary an application for the grant in such 

21 form and manner as the Secretary shall specify for 

22 purposes of the program. 

23 (c) GRANTS.— 

24 (1) AMOUNT.—The amount of each grant 

25 awarded a nonprofit organization under the program 


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1 under this section shall be such amount as the Sec2 retary determines appropriate for purposes of the 

3 program. 

4 (2) DURATION.—The duration of each grant 

5 awarded a nonprofit organization shall be such pe6 riod as the Secretary determines appropriate for 

7 purposes of the program. 

8 (d) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Each nonprofit organi9 zation awarded a grant under the program under this sec10 tion shall utilize amounts under the grant to provide such 

11 emotional support services for survivors of deceased mem12 bers of the Armed Forces (including members of the Na13 tional Guard and Reserve) and deceased veterans through 

14 peers of such survivors as the Secretary shall specify in 

15 the grant. 

16 (e) FUNDING.—Amounts for grants under the pro17 gram under this section shall be derived from amounts au18 thorized to be appropriated for the Veterans Health Ad19 ministration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Æ 


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