Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Problem:SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Veterans Mental Health Care Capacity
Enhancement Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Mental health treatment capacity at community-based
outpatient clinics remains inadequate and inconsistent, despite
the requirement under section 1706(c) of title 38, United
States Code, that every primary care health care facility of
the Department of Veterans Affairs develop and carry out a plan
to meet the mental health care needs of veterans who require
such services.
(2) In 2001, the minority staff of the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate conducted a survey of
community-based outpatient clinics and found that there was no
established systemwide baseline of acceptable mental health
service levels at such clinics.
(3) In 2004, the Department of Veterans Affairs workgroup
on mental health care, which developed and submitted a
Comprehensive Mental Health Strategic Plan to the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, found service and funding gaps within the
Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, and made
numerous recommendations for improvements. As of May 2005,
Congress had not received a final report on the workgroup's
findings.
(4) In February 2005, the Government Accountability Office
reported that the Department of Veterans Affairs had not fully
met any of the 24 clinical care and education recommendations
made in 2004 by the Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder of the Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health
Administration.

SEC. 3. REQUIRED CAPACITY FOR COMMUNITY-BASED OUTPATIENT CLINICS.

(a) Strengthening of Performance Measures for Mental Health
Programs.--Section 1706(b)(6) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
''(D) The Under Secretary shall include, as goals in the
performance contracts entered into with Network Directors to prioritize
mental health services--
''(i) establishing appropriate staff-patient ratio levels
for various programs (including mental health services at
community-based outpatient clinics);
''(ii) fostering collaborative environments for providers;
and
''(iii) encouraging clinicians to conduct mental health
consultations during primary care visits.''.
(b) Inflationary Indexing of Capacity Requirements.--Section
1706(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following:
''(7) For the purposes of meeting and reporting on the capacity
requirements under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that the
funding levels allocated for specialized treatment and rehabilitative
services for disabled veterans are adjusted for inflation each fiscal
year.''.
(c) Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.--Section 1706(c) of
title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by inserting ''(1)'' before ''The Secretary''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
''(2) The Secretary shall ensure that not less than 90 percent of
community-based outpatient clinics have the capacity to provide onsite,
contract-referral, or tele-mental health services--
''(A) for at least 10 percent of all clinic visits by not
later than September 30, 2006; and
''(B) for at least 15 percent of all clinic visits by not
later than September 30, 2007.
''(3) The Secretary shall ensure that not less than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this paragraph--
''(A) each primary care health care facility of the
Department has the capacity and resources to provide not less
than 5 days of inpatient, residential detoxification services
onsite or at a nearby contracted or Department facility; and
''(B) a case manager is assigned to coordinate follow up
outpatient services at each community-based outpatient
clinic.''.
(d) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than January 31, 2008, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit a report to Congress that--
(1) describes the status and availability of mental health
services at community-based outpatient clinics;
(2) describes the substance of services available at such
clinics;
(3) includes the ratios between mental health staff and
patients at such clinics; and
(4) includes the certification of the Inspector General of
the Department of Veterans Affairs.

SEC. 4. COOPERATION ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND PREVENTION.

(a) Agreement.--The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall enter into a Memorandum of Understanding--
(1) to ensure that separating servicemembers receive
standardized individual mental health and sexual trauma
assessments as part of separation exams; and
(2) includes the development of shared guidelines on how to
conduct the assessments.
(b) Establishment of Joint VA-DoD Workgroup on Mental Health.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a joint workgroup
on mental health, which shall be comprised of not less than 7
leaders in the field of mental health appointed from their
respective departments.
(2) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the establishment
of the workgroup under paragraph (1), the workgroup shall
analyze the feasibility, content, and scope of initiatives
related to--
(A) combating stigmas and prejudices associated
with servicemembers who suffer from mental health
disorders or readjustment issues, through the use of
peer counseling programs or other educational
initiatives;
(B) ways in which the Department of Veterans
Affairs can make their expertise in treating mental
health disorders more readily available to Department
of Defense mental health care providers;
(C) family and spousal education to assist family
members of veterans and servicemembers to recognize and
deal with signs of potential readjustment issues or
other mental health disorders; and
(D) seamless transition of servicemembers who have
been diagnosed with mental health disorders from active
duty to veteran status (in consultation with the
Seamless Transition Task Force and other entities
assisting in this effort).
(3) Report.--Not later than June 30, 2007, the Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit a
report to Congress containing the findings and recommendations
of the workgroup established under this subsection.

SEC. 5. PRIMARY CARE CONSULTATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH.

(a) Guidelines.--The Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health
Administration, shall establish systemwide guidelines for screening
primary care patients for mental health disorders and illnesses.
(b) Training.--Based upon the guidelines established under
subsection (a), the Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health
Administration, shall conduct appropriate training for clinicians of
the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out mental health
consultations.
Solution:
Veterans Mental Health Care Capacity Enhancement Act of 2005 - Requires the Under Secretary for Health for the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include as goals in performance contracts for prioritizing mental health services to veterans: (1) establishing appropriate staff-patient ratio levels; (2) fostering collaborative environments for providers; and (3) encouraging clinicians to conduct mental health consultations during primary care visits.

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that not less than 90 percent of Department community-based outpatient clinics have the capacity to provide on-site, contract-referral, or tele-mental health services for at least: (1) ten percent of all clinic visits by no later than September 30, 2006; and (2) 15 percent of all clinic visits by no later than September 30, 2007.

Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to enter into a memorandum of understanding to ensure interdepartmental cooperation on mental health awareness and mental illness prevention.

Requires the Under Secretary to establish system-wide guidelines for screening primary care patients for mental health disorders and illnesses.