SEC. 162. ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS RESOURCES. 
In order to improve access to mental health services, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide the fol-
lowing: 
(1) 100 additional full-time equivalent employ-
ees to Readjustment Counseling Service outstations. 
(2) A PTSD clinical team at every medical cen-
ter of the Veterans Health Administration. 
(3) A family therapist at each Vet Center under 
section 1712A of title 38, United States Code. 
(4) A PTSD coordinator in each regional net-
work referred to as a Veterans Integrated Service 
Network (VISN ) whose duties shall include— 
(A) development of plans for meeting 
PTSD and other post-deployment mental health 
treatment needs consistent with the report 
under section 152(b); 
(B) assurance of implementation of clinical 
practice guidelines throughout the VISN; 
(C) liaison among all health-care sites in 
the VISN and the Department Central Office 
on matters relating to PTSD. 
(5) A PTSD coordinator in each regional office 
of the Readjustment Counseling Service whose du-
ties shall include liaison with regional office staff
and medical centers for veterans seeking service-con-
nection for PTSD. 
CHAPTER 6—FAMILY THERAPY 
SEC. 165. ELIGIBILITY FOR FAMILY COUNSELING AND BE-
REAVEMENT COUNSELING. 
(a) COUNSELING FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF VET-
ERANS BEING TREATED FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED DIS-
ABILITIES.—Section 1782(a) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
sentence: ‘‘In addition, the Secretary shall provide to an 
individual described in subsection (c) such professional 
counseling and mental health services as are necessary as 
a consequence of a disability of a veteran described in the 
preceding sentence. Counseling and mental health services 
under the preceding sentence shall be provided (if so re-
quested by the individual) for a period of two years from 
the date on which the individual first receives such coun-
seling or mental health services under the preceding sen-
tence.’’. 
(b) BEREAVEMENT COUNSELING.—Section 1783 of 
such title is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘may provide’’ in subsections (a) 
and (b) and inserting ‘‘shall, upon request, provide’’; 
and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) DURATION OF COUNSELING.—Counseling under 
subsection (a) or with respect to the death of a veteran 
or under subsection (b) with respect to the death of a 
member who dies in the active military, naval, or air serv-
ice shall be provided to an individual eligible for such 
counseling (if so requested by that individual) for a period 
of two years from the date on which the individual first 
receives counseling under this section with respect to that 
death.’’. 
CHAPTER 7—EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES 
SEC. 171. TRAINING PROGRAM FOR HEALTH-CARE PRO-
VIDERS. 
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary 
of Defense shall jointly develop a broad training program 
for all health-care providers in the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs and the Department of Defense to famil-
iarize those providers with mental health-care issues that 
are likely to arise among persons deployed to combat thea-
ters during the five years after such a deployment.
SEC. 172. CURRICULUM AND PROTOCOLS FOR CROSS- 
TRAINING OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS CLINICIANS. 
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall develop a cur-
riculum and required protocols for cross-training to allow 
the following clinicians of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs to screen for post-deployment mental health prob-
lems, including PTSD, and, as appropriate, provide infor-
mation and appropriate referral to— 
(1) primary care providers; 
(2) practitioners assigned as Gulf War points- 
of-contact; and 
(3) clinicians assigned as case managers. 
SEC. 173. PUBLICATION OF STATE-OF-THE-ART POST-DE-
PLOYMENT MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS DI-
AGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. 
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary 
of Defense shall jointly develop a plan for the production 
and dissemination of publications to advise clinicians on 
state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and 
other mental health disorders experienced after deploy-
ment, including any medical conditions associated with 
such disorders.