[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 36 (Thursday, March 6, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 548. A bill to improve mental health programs for veterans, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, as a senior member of the Senate 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud to reintroduce legislation 
today intended to strengthen mental health programs within the 
Department of Veterans Affairs a key element of caring for those who 
have served on the battlefield.
  Historically, as many as one-third of all veterans seeking care at VA 
have received mental health treatment, and research suggests that 
serious mental illnesses affect at least one-fifth of the veterans who 
use the VA health care system. About 450,000 of the approximately 2.3 
million veterans who receive compensation from VA have service-
connected psychiatric and neurological disorders.
  I remain concerned about the viability of some of the programs 
developed to care for veterans with mental health needs. I have heard 
testimony about a number of these programs endangered by budget 
constraints and a shift in focus from inpatient care to outpatient 
clinics. Specialized programs particularly for substance use disorders 
and PTSD shut down, reduced in size, or understaffed--offering little 
or no care to veterans suffering from these seriously debilitating 
disorders.
  Congress previously enacted a provision to designate $15 million in 
VA funding specifically to assist medical facilities in their efforts 
to improve care for veterans with substance use disorders and PTSD. 
This additional funding has enabled VA to develop better outpatient 
substance abuse and PTSD treatment programs, outpatient dual-diagnosis 
programs, more PTSD community clinical teams, and more residential 
substance abuse disorder rehabilitation programs.
  The funds for these mental health programs, mandated by the 
Millennium Benefits and Health Care Act of 1999, will soon revert to a 
general fund. The bill I am introducing today ensures that this funding 
will remain ``protected'' for three more years and increases the total 
amount of funding identified specifically for treatment of substance 
use disorders and PTSD from $15 million to $25 million.
  Another provision of the legislation I am introducing today concerns 
VA's Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers, called 
``MIRECCs. In 1996, Congress authorized VA to establish five of these 
centers dedicated to mental illness research, education, and clinical 
activities. This provision will allow VA to establish up to ten more 
MIRECCs to study and treat mental illnesses. MIRECCs have encouraged 
research, given VA caregivers more and better tools to treat patients 
with mental disorders, and increased our fundamental understanding of 
mental illnesses. Much more can be done in this area if the program is 
expanded.
  Another critical area of VA care involves counseling and treatment 
for veterans who were victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault 
during active military service. In 1992, Congress authorized VA to 
provide counseling to women who experienced sexual trauma during active 
military service. Two years later, recognizing that sexual trauma is 
not limited to women, Congress expanded VA's mandate to offer 
counseling and treatment regardless of gender. The Veterans Millennium 
Health Care and Benefits Act of 1999 broadened VA's responsibilities 
toward victims of sexual trauma even further, strengthening outreach 
efforts and extending the programs through December 2004. The 
legislation I am reintroducing today would provide permanent authority 
to VA for counseling and treatment of veterans who have experienced 
military sexual trauma, so that veterans and health care professionals 
can depend upon these critical services.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting the expansion of 
these enormously important mental health programs with the Department 
of Veterans Affairs. We owe our service men and women no less.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of this bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 548

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR COUNSELING AND TREATMENT 
                   OF VETERANS FOR SEXUAL TRAUMA.

       Section 1720D of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``During the period 
     through December 31, 2004, the Secretary'' and inserting 
     ``The Secretary''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``, during the period 
     through December 31, 2004,''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``establishment and''; 
     and
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``establishing a 
     program'' and inserting ``operating a program''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO OPERATE ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS CENTERS FOR MENTAL ILLNESS 
                   RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLINICAL ACTIVITIES.

       Section 7320(b)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``five centers'' and inserting ``15 
     centers''.

     SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF PROGRAM FOR PROVISION OF SPECIALIZED 
                   MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO VETERANS.

       (a) Increase in Funding.--Subsection (c) of section 116 of 
     the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (Public 
     Law 106-117; 113 Stat. 1559; 38 U.S.C. 1712A note) is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``$15,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$25,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, 
     and 2006'';
       (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``$15,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$25,000,000''; and
       (3) in paragraph (3)--
       (A) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``(3)''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, in fiscal years 2004, 
     2005, and 2006, the fiscal year utilized to determine the 
     baseline amount shall be fiscal year 2003.''.
       (b) Allocation of Funds.--Subsection (d) of that section is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting ``(1) In 
     each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2006, the Secretary''; 
     and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(2) In allocating funds to facilities in a fiscal year 
     under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that--
       ``(A) not less than $10,000,000 is allocated by direct 
     grants to programs that are identified by the Mental Health 
     Strategic Health Care Group and the Committee on Care of 
     Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans;
       ``(B) not less than $5,000,000 is allocated for programs on 
     post-traumatic stress disorder; and
       ``(C) not less than $5,000,000 is allocated for programs on 
     substance abuse disorder.
       ``(3) The Secretary shall provide that the funds to be 
     allocated under this section during each of fiscal years 
     2004, 2005, and 2006 are funds for a special purpose program 
     for which funds are not allocated through the Veterans 
     Equitable Resource Allocation system.''.
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