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 vet-
erans, 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans and Survivors 
Behavioral Health Awareness Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR EDUCATION AND 
TRAINING OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 
SPECIALISTS FOR VET CENTERS. 
(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, acting through the Under Secretary for 
Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall carry 
out a program to provide scholarships to individuals pur-
suing education or training in behavioral health care spe-
cialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers 
in order to recruit and retain individuals with such special-
ties for service as behavioral health care specialists in Vet 
Centers. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual shall be eligible for 
a scholarship under the program under this section if the 
individual— 
(1) is pursuing education or training leading to 
licensure or other certified proficiency in such behav-
ioral health care specialties critical to the operations 
of Vet Centers as the Secretary shall designate for 
purposes of the program; and 
(2) otherwise meets such other criteria or re-
quirements as the Secretary shall establish for pur-
poses of the program. 
(c) AMOUNT.—The amount of any scholarship pro-
vided under the program under this section shall be deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
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(d) AGREEMENT
TO
SERVE
AS
BEHAVIORAL 
HEALTH CARE SPECIALIST IN VET CENTERS.—As a con-
dition of receipt of a scholarship under the program under 
this section, an individual receiving a scholarship shall 
enter into an agreement with the Secretary to serve as 
an employee of a Vet Center in the behavioral health care 
specialty of the individual for such period as the Secretary 
shall specify in the agreement. 
(e) REPAYMENT.—Each agreement under subsection 
(c) shall contain such provisions as the Under Secretary 
shall establish for purposes of the program under this sec-
tion relating to repayment of the amount of a scholarship 
provided under this section in the event the individual en-
tering into such agreement does not fulfill the service re-
quirements in such agreement. Such provisions shall 
apply, to the maximum extent practicable, uniformly to 
all recipients of scholarships provided under this section. 
(f) FUNDING.—(1) Amounts for scholarships under 
the program under this section shall be derived from 
amounts available to the Secretary for readjustment bene-
fits. 
(2) The total amount available for scholarships under 
the program under this section in any fiscal year may not 
exceed $2,000,000. 
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(g) VET CENTERS DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘Vet Centers’’ means the centers for readjustment 
counseling and related mental health services for veterans 
under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF AUTHORITY OF VETS CENTERS 
TO PROVIDE REFERRAL AND OTHER ASSIST-
ANCE UPON REQUEST TO FORMER MEMBERS 
OF THE ARMED FORCES NOT AUTHORIZED 
COUNSELING. 
Section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after subsection (b) the following 
new subsection (c): 
‘‘(c) Upon receipt of a request for counseling under 
this section from any individual who has been discharged 
or released from active military, naval, or air service but 
who is not otherwise eligible for such counseling, the Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(1) provide referral services to assist such in-
dividual, to the maximum extent practicable, in ob-
taining mental health care and services from sources 
outside the Department; and 
‘‘(2) if pertinent, advise such individual of such 
individual’s rights to apply to the appropriate mili-
tary, naval, or air service, and to the Department, 
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for review of such individual’s discharge or release 
from such service.’’. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE 
PROVISION OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SERV-
ICES TO SURVIVORS OF MEMBERS OF THE 
ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall carry out a program to award grants to nonprofit 
organizations that provide emotional support services for 
survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces (in-
cluding members of the National Guard and Reserve) and 
deceased veterans through peers of such survivors. 
(b) AWARD OF GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 
under the program under this section, a nonprofit 
organization shall meet such criteria as the Sec-
retary shall establish for purposes of the program. 
(2) APPLICATION.—A nonprofit organization 
seeking a grant under the program shall submit to 
the Secretary an application for the grant in such 
form and manner as the Secretary shall specify for 
purposes of the program. 
(c) GRANTS.— 
(1) AMOUNT.—The amount of each grant 
awarded a nonprofit organization under the program 
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