[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S58]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INOUYE:
  S. 50. A bill to amend chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, to 
authorize the use of clinical social workers to conduct evaluations to 
determine work-related emotional and mental illnesses; to the Committee 
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today I introduce the Clinical Social 
Workers' Recognition Act to correct a continuing problem in the Federal 
Employees Compensation Act. This bill will also provide clinical social 
workers the recognition they deserve as independent providers of 
quality mental health care services.
  Clinical social workers are authorized to independently diagnose and 
treat mental illnesses through public and private health insurance 
plans across the nation. However, Title V of the United States Code, 
does not permit the use of mental health evaluations conducted by 
clinical social workers for use as evidence in determining workers' 
compensation claims brought by Federal employees. The bill I am 
introducing corrects this problem.
  It is a sad irony that Federal employees may select a clinical social 
worker through their health plans to provide mental health services, 
but may not go to this same professional for workers' compensation 
evaluations. The failure to recognize the validity of evaluations 
provided by clinical social workers unnecessarily limits Federal 
employees' selection of a provider to conduct the workers' compensation 
mental health evaluations. Lack of this recognition may well impose an 
undue burden on federal employees where clinical social workers are the 
only available providers of mental health care.
  Mr. President, 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. 50

       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 ``Clinical Social Workers' 
     Recognition Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. EXAMINATIONS BY CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS FOR FEDERAL 
                   WORKER COMPENSATION CLAIMS.

       Section 8101 of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and osteopathic 
     practitioners'' and inserting ``osteopathic practitioners, 
     and clinical social workers''; and
       (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``osteopathic 
     practitioners'' and inserting ``osteopathic practitioners, 
     clinical social workers,''.
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