Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 
1782 and inserting the following new item: 
‘‘1782. Counseling, training, and mental health services for immediate family 
members, caregivers, and family caregivers.’’. 
SEC. 4. RESPITE CARE TO ASSIST FAMILY CAREGIVERS. 
Section 1720B of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘title.’’ and in-
serting ‘‘title or who receives care from a family 
caregiver.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) In furnishing respite care services under this 
section, the Secretary shall ensure that such services— 
‘‘(1) fulfill the needs of the veteran receiving 
care (including 24-hour in-home respite care); and 
‘‘(2) are appropriate for the veteran with re-
spect to the age of the veteran.’’. 
SEC. 5. MEDICAL CARE FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS. 
Section 1781 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) in accordance with subsection (e), a family 
caregiver,’’; 
(2) in the third sentence of subsection (b), by 
striking ‘‘dependent or survivor’’ and inserting ‘‘de-
pendent, survivor, or family caregiver’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(e)(1) The Secretary shall provide medical care to 
a family caregiver under this section if the Secretary de-
termines that the family caregiver is not entitled to care 
or services under a health-plan contract as defined under 
section 1725(f)(2) of this title (determined, in the case 
of a health-plan contract as defined in subsection (f)(2)(B) 
or (f)(2)(C) of such section, without regard to any require-
ment or limitation relating to eligibility for care or services 
from any department or agency of the United States). 
‘‘(2) In this subsection, a family caregiver is an indi-
vidual who— 
‘‘(A) provides caregiver services to a veteran 
who— 
‘‘(i) was deployed in support of Operation 
Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Free-
dom; and
‘‘(ii) for purposes of this subsection, is de-
termined by the Secretary— 
‘‘(I) to have a service-connected dis-
ability or illness that is severe; 
‘‘(II) to be in need of caregiver serv-
ices, such that without such services, the 
veteran would require hospitalization, nurs-
ing home care, or other residential institu-
tional care; and 
‘‘(III) based on an examination by a 
physician employed by the Department (or, 
in areas where no such physician is avail-
able, by a physician carrying out such 
function under a contract or fee arrange-
ment), to be unable to carry out the activi-
ties (including instrumental activities) of 
daily living; 
‘‘(B) with respect to such veteran, meets the 
definition of the term ‘family caregiver’ under sec-
tion 1701(12) of this title; and 
‘‘(C) is designated by such veteran as the pri-
mary family caregiver for such veteran. 
‘‘(3) The authority of the Secretary to provide med-
ical care to a family caregiver under this section shall ex-
pire on October 1, 2012.’’.
SEC. 6. LODGING AND SUBSISTENCE FOR FAMILY CARE-
GIVERS. 
Section 111(e) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘When’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
when’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) Without regard to whether a covered veteran en-
titled to mileage under this section requires an attendant 
in order to perform such travel, an attendant of such cov-
ered veteran may be allowed expenses of travel (including 
lodging and subsistence) upon the same basis as such vet-
eran during— 
‘‘(A) the period of time in which such veteran 
is traveling to and from a treatment facility; and 
‘‘(B) the duration of the treatment episode for 
such veteran. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary may prescribe regulations to 
carry out this subsection. Such regulations may include 
provisions— 
‘‘(A) to limit the number of attendants that 
may receive expenses of travel under paragraph (2) 
for a single treatment episode of a covered veteran; 
and
‘‘(B) to require such attendants to use certain 
travel services. 
‘‘(4) In this subsection, the term ‘covered veteran’ 
means a veteran who— 
‘‘(A) was deployed in support of Operation En-
during Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom; and 
‘‘(B) for purposes of this subsection, is deter-
mined by the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) to have a service-connected disability 
or illness that is severe; 
‘‘(ii) to be in need of caregiver services, 
such that without such services, the veteran 
would require hospitalization, nursing home 
care, or other residential institutional care; and 
‘‘(iii) based on an examination by a physi-
cian employed by the Department (or, in areas 
where no such physician is available, by a phy-
sician carrying out such function under a con-
tract or fee arrangement), to be unable to carry 
out the activities (including instrumental activi-
ties) of daily living.’’. 
SEC. 7. SURVEY ON CAREGIVERS AND FAMILY CARE-
GIVERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and not less than once