I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8145 
To provide for a staffing improvement plan and occupational series for li-
censed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family 
therapists of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 
Mrs. HAYES (for herself, Mr. RYAN, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, 
Mr. RUSH, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. 
WILD, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. SOTO, and Mr. 
CA´RDENAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide for a staffing improvement plan and occupational 
series for licensed professional mental health counselors 
and marriage and family therapists of Department of 
Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. STAFFING IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND OCCUPA-
TIONAL 
SERIES 
FOR 
LICENSED 
PROFES-
SIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS AND 
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS OF DE-
PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) STAFFING PLAN.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a 
plan to address staffing shortages of licensed profes-
sional mental health counselors and marriage and 
family therapists of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The plan required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) The number of positions for licensed 
professional mental health counselors and mar-
riage and family therapists of the Department 
that need to be filled to meet demand, 
disaggregated by Veterans Integrated Service 
Network and medical center. 
(B) An identification of the steps that the 
Secretary will take in each Veterans Integrated 
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Service Network to address such shortages, in-
cluding the following: 
(i) A description of any region-specific 
hiring incentives to be used by the Sec-
retary in consultation with the directors of 
Veterans Integrated Service Networks and 
medical centers of the Department. 
(ii) A description of any local reten-
tion or engagement incentives to be used 
by directors of Veterans Integrated Service 
Networks. 
(C) Such recommendations for legislative 
or administrative action as the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Inspector General of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, considers nec-
essary to aid in addressing staffing shortages of 
licensed professional mental health counselors 
and marriage and family therapists of the De-
partment. 
(b) OCCUPATIONAL SERIES FOR CERTAIN MENTAL 
HEALTH PROVIDERS.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Personnel 
Management, shall develop— 
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(1) an occupational series for licensed profes-
sional mental health counselors of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs; and 
(2) an occupational series for marriage and 
family therapists of the Department. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the sub-
mittal of the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 
House of Representatives a report setting forth the num-
ber of licensed professional mental health counselors and 
marriage and family therapists hired by the Department 
during the one-year period preceding the submittal of the 
report, disaggregated by Veterans Integrated Service Net-
work and medical center. 
Æ 
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