[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6553-S6554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DOMENICI (for himself and Mr. Obama):
  S. 38. A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
establish a program for the provision of readjustment and mental health 
services to veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 
Operation Enduring Freedom, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague Senator 
Obama to introduce the Veterans' Mental Health Outreach and Access Act. 
This bill will require the Secretary of Veteran's Affairs to establish 
a program for the provision of readjustment and mental health services 
to veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 
Enduring Freedom, with a particular emphasis on those soldiers who 
served in the National Guard and Reserves.
  Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF, 
are unique in their extensive use of National Guard and Reserve troops 
and their reliance on repetitive deployments. More than 1,500 National 
Guard and Reservists from New Mexico have been deployed in support of 
OIF and OEF. Several hundred of these soldiers have been deployed 
multiple times. This is a new era for our National Guard and for the 
Reserve. The role of these organizations in defending our national 
security has significantly increased. Guard and Reserve members are 
seeing significant combat action and we know that a number of these 
soldiers will return with mental and physical wounds suffered in these 
wars, including post traumatic stress disorder, depression, brain 
injuries and other traumatic illnesses.
  Virtually all returning veterans and their families will face 
readjustment problems. These soldiers and their families deserve the 
best care and treatment possible, but where do our National Guard and 
Reserve soldiers fit into the military and veterans' systems of care? 
These ``citizen-soldiers'' are not returning to military bases, but 
rather to communities that are frequently remote from VA medical 
centers and clinics.
  We're quick to urge that VA provide veterans needed treatment for 
service-related mental health problems, but we also need to do more to 
remove the barriers such as travel and distance that oftentimes will 
prevent a veteran from seeking and continuing treatment. The Domenici-
Obama bill calls on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a 
national program to reach vets who can't or won't seek VA care. It 
requires the Secretary to mount a national program to train a cadre of 
returning servicemembers for positions as peer outreach workers and 
peer-support specialists. In any remote area of the country in which 
the VA determines there is inadequate access to a VA medical center, 
the bill directs the Secretary of the VA to contract with community 
mental health centers and other qualified entities to provide peer 
outreach and support services, readjustment counseling and mental 
health services. However, any resulting contracts would require centers 
to first train and adhere to the VA's expertise and standards of care 
in mental health. It also will require any contract-provider to hire a 
trained peer specialist as well as have its clinicians participate in a 
training program to be certain they'll provide ``culturally competent'' 
services.
  This bill also gives needed attention to the toll these military 
operations have on the mental health needs of our veterans' families. 
These deployments are causing great stress for the spouses and children 
of these soldiers. Yet despite the recognition of the mental health 
needs of the family members of the returning veterans, current law 
limits the ability of the VA to work with these family members. This 
bill will expand access to mental health services for the immediate 
family of the veteran so that they may help the veteran recover in the 
case of injury or illness incurred during deployment. It will also help 
expand access to services so that the family can better help the 
veteran adjust back to civilian life, and also help the readjustment of 
the family to the return of the veteran.
  Lastly, this bill will extend the eligibility for health care 
services from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who 
served in combat from 2 years to 5 years. Two years is often 
insufficient time for symptoms related to PTSD and other mental illness 
to manifest. In many cases, it takes years for symptoms to present 
themselves, and the difficulty is often compounded by the fact that 
many servicemembers do not immediately seek the care that they need. 
Five years provides a more adequate window to address these risks.
  Outreach and access to treatment are essential to prevent 
readjustment problems for our returning veterans and their families. 
Left untreated, mental disorders like PTSD and depression can become 
chronic and debilitating. We need systems in place to ensure that OEF/
OIF veterans who are returning to their homes have access to the 
services they need. It is my hope that this legislation will help close 
the gaps we currently have in our service delivery systems and provide 
help to those who have experienced mental health problems as a result 
of their service to their country.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 38

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Mental Health 
     Outreach and Access Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. PROGRAM ON PROVISION OF READJUSTMENT AND MENTAL 
                   HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO VETERANS WHO SERVED IN 
                   OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING 
                   FREEDOM.

       (a) Program Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall establish a program to provide--
       (1) to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 
     Enduring Freedom, particularly veterans who served in such 
     operations while in the National Guard and the Reserves--
       (A) peer outreach services;
       (B) peer support services;
       (C) readjustment counseling and services described in 
     section 1712A of title 38, United States Code; and

[[Page S6554]]

       (D) mental health services; and
       (2) to members of the immediate family of such a veteran, 
     during the three-year period beginning on the date of the 
     return of such veteran from deployment in Operation Iraqi 
     Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, education, support, 
     counseling, and mental health services to assist in--
       (A) the readjustment of such veteran to civilian life;
       (B) in the case such veteran has an injury or illness 
     incurred during such deployment, the recovery of such 
     veteran; and
       (C) the readjustment of the family following the return of 
     such veteran.
       (b) Contracts With Community Mental Health Centers and 
     Qualified Entities for Provision of Services.--In carrying 
     out the program required by subsection (a), the Secretary 
     shall contract with community mental health centers and other 
     qualified entities to provide the services required by such 
     subsection in areas the Secretary determines are not 
     adequately served by other health care facilities of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs. Such contracts shall require 
     each contracting community health center or entity--
       (1) to the extent practicable, to employ veterans trained 
     under subsection (c);
       (2) to the extent practicable, to use telehealth services 
     for the delivery of services required by subsection (a);
       (3) to participate in the training program conducted in 
     accordance with subsection (d);
       (4) to comply with applicable protocols of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs before incurring any liability on behalf 
     of the Department for the provision of the services required 
     by subsection (a);
       (5) to submit annual reports to the Secretary containing, 
     with respect to the program required by subsection (a) and 
     for the last full calendar year ending before the submission 
     of such report--
       (A) the number of the veterans served, veterans diagnosed, 
     and courses of treatment provided to veterans as part of the 
     program required by subsection (a); and
       (B) demographic information for such services, diagnoses, 
     and courses of treatment;
       (6) for each veteran for whom a community mental health 
     center or other qualified entity provides mental health 
     services under such contract, to provide the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs with such clinical summary information as 
     the Secretary shall require; and
       (7) to meet such other requirements as the Secretary shall 
     require.
       (c) Training of Veterans for the Provision of Peer-Outreach 
     and Peer-Support Services.--In carrying out the program 
     required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall contract with 
     a national not-for-profit mental health organization to carry 
     out a national program of training for veterans described in 
     subsection (a) to provide the services described in 
     subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) of such 
     subsection.
       (d) Training of Clinicians for Provision of Services.--The 
     Secretary shall conduct a training program for clinicians of 
     community mental health centers or entities that have 
     contracts with the Secretary under subsection (b) to ensure 
     that such clinicians can provide the services required by 
     subsection (a) in a manner that--
       (1) recognizes factors that are unique to the experience of 
     veterans who served on active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom 
     or Operation Enduring Freedom (including their combat and 
     military training experiences); and
       (2) utilizes best practices and technologies.
       (e) Reports Required.--
       (1) Initial report on plan for implementation.--Not later 
     than 45 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
     of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
     House of Representatives a report containing the plans of the 
     Secretary to implement the program required by subsection 
     (a).
       (2) Status report.--Not later than one year after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
     the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives a report on the implementation of the 
     program. Such report shall include the following:
       (A) Information on the number of veterans who received 
     services as part of the program and the type of services 
     received during the last full calendar year completed before 
     the submission of such report.
       (B) An evaluation of the provision of services under 
     paragraph (2) of subsection (a) and a recommendation as to 
     whether the period described in such paragraph should be 
     extended to a five-year period.
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs such 
     sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

     SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES 
                   FROM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR 
                   VETERANS OF SERVICE IN COMBAT THEATER.

       Section 1710(e)(3)(C) of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``2 years'' and inserting ``5 years''.
                                 ______