‘‘(ix) Short-term, early interventions for sub-
stance use disorders, such as motivational coun-
seling, that are readily available and provided in a 
manner to overcome stigma associated with the pro-
vision of such interventions and related care. 
‘‘(x) Marital and family counseling. 
‘‘(C) The Secretary shall provide for outreach to vet-
erans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Op-
eration Iraqi Freedom to increase awareness of the avail-
ability of care, treatment, and services from the Depart-
ment for substance use disorders.’’. 
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT FOR ALLOCATION OF DEPARTMENT 
RESOURCES TO ENSURE AVAILABILITY FOR 
ALL VETERANS REQUIRING TREATMENT FOR 
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. 
(a) EQUITABLE ALLOCATION OF FUNDING; ANNUAL 
REPORT.—Section 1720A of title 38, United States Code, 
as amended by section 2, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e)(1) The Secretary shall ensure that amounts 
made available for care, treatment, and services provided 
under this section are allocated in such a manner that a 
full continuum of care (as defined in subsection (d)(3)(B)) 
is available to veterans seeking such care, treatment, or 
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services, without regard to the location of the residence 
of any such veterans. 
‘‘(2)(A) In addition to the report required under sec-
tion 1703(c)(1) of this title (relating to furnishing of con-
tract care and services under this section), the Secretary 
shall include in the budget documents which the Secretary 
submits to Congress for any fiscal year a detailed report 
on the care, treatment, and services furnished by the De-
partment under this section during the most recently com-
pleted fiscal year. 
‘‘(B) Each report under subparagraph (A) shall in-
clude data on the following for each medical facility of the 
Department: 
‘‘(i) The number of veterans who have been 
provided care, treatment, or services under this sec-
tion at the facility for each 1,000 veterans who have 
received hospital care (if applicable) or medical serv-
ices at the facility. 
‘‘(ii) The number of veterans for whom sub-
stance use disorder screening was carried out under 
subsection (d)(3)(B)(i) at the facility. 
‘‘(iii) The number of veterans for whom a sub-
stance use disorder was identified after a screening 
was carried out under subsection (d)(3)(B)(i) at the 
facility. 
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‘‘(iv) The number of veterans who were referred 
by the facility for care, treatment, or services for 
substance use disorders under this section. 
‘‘(v) The number of veterans who received care, 
treatment or services at the facility for substance 
use disorders under this section. 
‘‘(vi) Availability of the full continuum of care 
(as defined in subsection (d)(3)(B)) at the facility. 
‘‘(C) Each report prepared under subparagraph (A) 
shall be reviewed by the Committee on Care of Severely 
Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans authorized by section 
7321 of this title. The Committee shall provide an inde-
pendent assessment of the care, treatment, and services 
furnished directly by the Department under this section 
to veterans. Such assessment shall include a detailed anal-
ysis of the availability, the barriers to access (if any), and 
the quality of such care, treatment, and services.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to fiscal years beginning on or 
after October 1, 2009. 
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SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR INTERNET-BASED SUB-
STANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT FOR 
VETERANS OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 
AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Stigma associated with seeking treatment 
for mental health disorders has been demonstrated 
to prevent some veterans from seeking such treat-
ment at a medical facility operated by the Depart-
ment of Defense or the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
(2) There is a significant incidence among vet-
erans of post-deployment mental health problems, 
especially among members of a reserve component 
who return as veterans to civilian life. 
(3) Computer-based self-guided training has 
been demonstrated to be an effective strategy for 
supplementing the care of psychological conditions. 
(4) Younger veterans, especially those who 
served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation 
Iraqi Freedom, are comfortable with and proficient 
at computer-based technology. 
(5) Veterans living in rural areas find access to 
treatment for substance use disorder limited. 
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(6) Self-assessment and treatment options for 
substance use disorders through an Internet website 
may reduce stigma and provides additional access 
for individuals seeking care and treatment for such 
disorders. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to test the 
feasibility and advisability of providing veterans who seek 
treatment for substance use disorders access to a com-
puter-based self-assessment, education, and specified 
treatment program through a secure Internet website op-
erated by the Secretary. Participation in the pilot program 
is available on a voluntary basis for those veterans who 
have served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation 
Iraqi Freedom. 
(c) ELEMENTS OF PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In designing and carrying 
out the pilot program under this section, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that— 
(A) access to the Internet website and the 
programs available on the website by a veteran 
(or family member) does not involuntarily gen-
erate an identifiable medical record of that ac-
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