II Calendar No. 290 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 716 [Report No. 109–180] IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 6, 2005 Mr. Akaka (for himself, Mr. Rockefeller, and Mr. Conrad) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs November 16, 2005 Reported by Mr. Craig, without amendment A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance services provided by vet centers, to clarify and improve the provision of bereavement counseling by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Vet Center Enhancement Act of 2005.
2.
Expansion of outreach activities of vet centers
(a)
Additional outreach workers
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall employ not more than 50 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom for the purpose of providing outreach to veterans on the availability of readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code. (b)
Construction with current outreach program
The veterans employed under subsection (a) are in addition to any veterans employed by the Secretary for the purpose described in that subsection under the February 2004 program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide outreach described in that subsection. (c)
Assignment to vet centers
The Secretary may assign any veteran employed under subsection (a) to any vet center that the Secretary considers appropriate in order to meet the purpose described in that subsection. (d)
Inapplicability and termination of limitation on duration of employment
Any limitation on the duration of employment of veterans under the program described in subsection (b) is hereby terminated, and shall not apply to veterans employed under such program or under this section. (e)
Employment status
Veterans employed under subsection (a) shall be employed in career conditional status, which is the employment status in which veterans are employed under the program described in subsection (b). (f)
Definitions
In this section: (1)
Vet center
The term vet center means a center for the provision of readjustment counseling and related mental health services under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code. (2)
Veteran of operation enduring freedom or operation iraqi freedom
The term veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom means any veteran who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
3.
Clarification and enhancement of bereavement counseling
(a)
Clarification of members of immediate family eligible for counseling
Subsection (b) of section 1783 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1)by inserting (1) before The Secretary; and (2)by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (2)For purposes of this subsection, the members of the immediate family of a member of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (1) include the parents of such member. . (b)
Provision of counseling through vet centers
Such section is further amended— (1)by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and (2)by inserting after subsection (b) the following new subsection (c): (c)
Provision of counseling through vet centers
Bereavement counseling may be provided under this section through the facilities and personnel of centers for the provision of readjustment counseling and related mental health services under section 1712A of this title. .
4.
Funding for vet center program
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2006, $180,000,000 for the provision of readjustment counseling and related mental health services through centers under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, including for the discharge of the requirements of this Act (and the amendments made by this Act).
November 16, 2005 Reported without amendment