SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Honoring Our Nation’s 
Obligation to Returning Warriors Act’’ or ‘‘HONOR War-
riors Act’’. 
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 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jun 13, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6268.IH
H6268
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
(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. 
(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 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jun 13, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6268.IH
H6268
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
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. 
(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. ELIGIBILITY OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 
WHO SERVE IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 
OR OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM FOR 
COUNSELING AND SERVICES THROUGH VETS 
CENTERS. 
(a) IN
GENERAL.—Any member of the Armed 
Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Re-
serve, who serves on active duty in the Armed Forces in 
Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom 
is eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental 
health services under section 1712A of title 38, United 
States Code, through the centers for readjustment coun-
seling and related mental health services (commonly re-
ferred to as ‘‘Vet Centers’’) operated under that section. 
(b) NO REQUIREMENT FOR CURRENT ACTIVE DUTY 
SERVICE.—A member of the Armed Forces who meets the 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jun 13, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6268.IH
H6268
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
requirements for eligibility for counseling and services 
under subsection (a) is entitled to counseling and services 
under that subsection regardless of whether or not the 
member is currently on active duty in the Armed Forces 
at the time of receipt of counseling and services under that 
subsection. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The eligibility of members of the 
Armed Forces for counseling and services under sub-
section (a) shall be subject to such regulations as the Sec-
retary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall jointly prescribe for purposes of this section. 
SEC. 4. 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— 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jun 13, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6268.IH
H6268
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
‘‘(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, 
for review of such individual’s discharge or release 
from such service.’’. 
SEC. 5. TREATMENT OF SUICIDES OF CERTAIN FORMER 
MEMBERS 
OF 
THE 
ARMED 
FORCES 
AS 
DEATHS IN LINE OF DUTY FOR PURPOSES OF 
ELIGIBILITY OF SURVIVORS FOR CERTAIN 
BENEFITS. 
(a) TREATMENT AS DEATH IN LINE OF DUTY OF 
SUICIDES
OF CERTAIN FORMER MEMBERS
OF
THE 
ARMED FORCES.—The suicide of a former member of the 
Armed Forces described in subsection (b) that occurs dur-
ing the two-year period beginning on the date of the sepa-
ration or retirement of the former member from the 
Armed Forces shall be treated as a death in line of duty 
of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty in the 
Armed Forces for purposes of the eligibility of the sur-
vivors of the former member for the benefits described in 
subsection (c). 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:28 Jun 13, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6268.IH
H6268
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS