<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
<item congress="116" measure-type="hr" measure-number="1812" measure-id="id116hr1812" originChamber="HOUSE" orig-publish-date="2019-03-18" update-date="2021-08-31">
<title>Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act</title>
<summary summary-id="id116hr1812v49" currentChamber="BOTH" update-date="2021-08-31">
<action-date>2020-10-20</action-date>
<action-desc>Public Law</action-desc>
<summary-text><![CDATA[<p><b>Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act</b></p> <p>This bill expands eligibility for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers to certain members of the Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves. Specifically, eligibility is expanded to include (1) members of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation; and (2) members of the National Guard or Reservists who were activated due to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the President, or responded to a disaster or civil disorder in a state. Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide social and psychological services to eligible veterans, active duty service members, and their families. </p> <p>The bill also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a plan to provide Vet Center services to veterans living in geographic areas where no Vet Center is located.</p>]]></summary-text>
</summary>
<summary summary-id="id116hr1812v00" currentChamber="HOUSE" update-date="2021-08-31">
<action-date>2019-03-18</action-date>
<action-desc>Introduced in House</action-desc>
<summary-text><![CDATA[<p><b>Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act</b></p> <p>This bill expands eligibility for readjustment counseling and related mental health services to certain members of the Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves. Specifically, eligibility is expanded to include (1) members of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation; and (2) members of the National Guard or Reservists who were activated due to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the President, or responded to a disaster or civil disorder in a state.</p>]]></summary-text>
</summary>
</item>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
<dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
<dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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</BillSummaries>
