I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3282 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide certain veterans with 

readjustment and mental health care services, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 21, 2009 

Mr. RODRIGUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide certain 

veterans with readjustment and mental health care services, 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. PROGRAM ON PROVISION OF READJUSTMENT 

4 AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO 

5 VETERANS WHO SERVED IN OPERATION 

6 IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING 

7 FREEDOM. 

8 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

10 of Veterans Affairs shall establish a program to provide— 


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1 (1) to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and 

2 Operation Enduring Freedom, particularly veterans 

3 who served in such operations while in the National 

4 Guard and the Reserves— 

5 (A) peer outreach services; 

6 (B) peer support services; 

7 (C) readjustment counseling and services 

8 described in section 1712A of title 38, United 

9 States Code; and 

10 (D) mental health services; and 

11 (2) to members of the immediate family of such 

12 a veteran, during the three-year period beginning on 

13 the date of the return of such veteran from deploy14 ment in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 

15 Enduring Freedom, education, support, counseling, 

16 and mental health services to assist in— 

17 (A) the readjustment of such veteran to ci18 vilian life; 

19 (B) in the case such veteran has an injury 

20 or illness incurred during such deployment, the 

21 recovery of such veteran; and 

22 (C) the readjustment of the family fol23 lowing the return of such veteran. 

24 (b) CONTRACTS WITH COMMUNITY MENTAL

25 HEALTH CENTERS AND QUALIFIED ENTITIES FOR PROVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:10 Jul 22, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3282.IH H3282

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1 VISION OF SERVICES.—In carrying out the program re2 quired by subsection (a), the Secretary shall contract with 

3 community mental health centers and other qualified enti4 ties to provide the services required by such subsection 

5 only in areas the Secretary determines are not adequately 

6 served by other health care facilities of the Department 

7 of Veterans Affairs. Such contracts shall require each con8 tracting community health center or entity— 

9 (1) to the extent practicable, to employ veterans 

10 trained under subsection (c); 

11 (2) to the extent practicable, to use telehealth 

12 services for the delivery of services required by sub13 section (a); 

14 (3) to participate in the training program con15 ducted in accordance with subsection (d); 

16 (4) to comply with applicable protocols of the 

17 Department of Veterans Affairs before incurring any 

18 liability on behalf of the Department for the provi19 sion of the services required by subsection (a); 

20 (5) to submit annual reports to the Secretary 

21 containing, with respect to the program required by 

22 subsection (a) and for the last full calendar year 

23 ending before the submission of such report— 

24 (A) the number of the veterans served, vet25 erans diagnosed, and courses of treatment proVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:10 Jul 22, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3282.IH H3282

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1 vided to veterans as part of the program re2 quired by subsection (a); and 

3 (B) demographic information for such 

4 services, diagnoses, and courses of treatment; 

5 (6) for each veteran for whom a community 

6 mental health center or other qualified entity pro7 vides mental health services under such contract, to 

8 provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with 

9 such clinical summary information as the Secretary 

10 shall require; and 

11 (7) to meet such other requirements as the Sec12 retary shall require. 

13 (c) TRAINING OF VETERANS FOR THE PROVISION OF

14 PEER-OUTREACH AND PEER-SUPPORT SERVICES.—In 

15 carrying out the program required by subsection (a), the 

16 Secretary shall contract with a national not-for-profit 

17 mental health organization to carry out a national pro18 gram of training for veterans described in subsection (a) 

19 to provide the services described in subparagraphs (A) and 

20 (B) of paragraph (1) of such subsection. 

21 (d) TRAINING OF CLINICIANS FOR PROVISION OF

22 SERVICES.—The Secretary shall conduct a training pro23 gram for clinicians of community mental health centers 

24 or entities that have contracts with the Secretary under 


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1 subsection (b) to ensure that such clinicians can provide 

2 the services required by subsection (a) in a manner that— 

3 (1) recognizes factors that are unique to the ex4 perience of veterans who served on active duty in 

5 Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring 

6 Freedom (including the combat and military training 

7 experiences of such veterans); and 

8 (2) uses best practices and technologies. 

9 (e) REPORTS REQUIRED.— 

10 (1) INITIAL REPORT ON PLAN FOR IMPLEMEN11 TATION.—Not later than 45 days after the date of 

12 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

13 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 

14 and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

15 House of Representatives a report containing the 

16 plans of the Secretary to implement the program re17 quired by subsection (a). 

18 (2) STATUS REPORT.—Not later than one year 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec20 retary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 

21 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet22 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a re23 port on the implementation of the program. Such re24 port shall include the following: 


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1 (A) Information on the number of veterans 

2 who received services as part of the program 

3 and the type of services received during the last 

4 full calendar year completed before the submis5 sion of such report. 

6 (B) An evaluation of the provision of serv7 ices under paragraph (2) of subsection (a) and 

8 a recommendation as to whether the period de9 scribed in such paragraph should be extended 

10 to a five-year period. 

11 (C) An evaluation of the provision of serv12 ices under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of sub13 section (a)(1), including a list of each national 

14 not-for-profit mental health organization that 

15 provides such services pursuant to subsection 

16 (c). 

17 (D) An evaluation of the training provided 

18 under subsection (d). 

Æ 


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