[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4034-H4035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  VET CENTER ELIGIBILITY EXPANSION ACT

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1812) to amend title 38, United States Code, to furnish Vet 
Center readjustment counseling and related mental health services to 
certain individuals, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1812

       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 ``Vet Center Eligibility 
     Expansion Act''.

     SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF VET CENTER SERVICES.

       Section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking ``clauses (i) through (iv)'' both places it 
     appears and inserting ``clauses (i) through (vi)'';
       (2) by striking ``in clause (v)'' both places it appears 
     and inserting ``in clause (vii)'';
       (3) in subsection (a)(1)(C)--
       (A) by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as clauses (vi) 
     and (vii), respectively; and
       (B) by inserting after clause (iii) the following new 
     clauses:
       ``(iv) Any individual who is a veteran or member of the 
     Armed Forces, including a member of a reserve component of 
     the Armed Forces, who served--
       ``(I) on active service in response to a national emergency 
     or major disaster declared by the President; or
       ``(II) in the National Guard of a State under orders of the 
     chief executive of that State in response to a disaster or 
     civil disorder in such State.
       ``(v) Any individual who participated in a drug 
     interdiction operation as a member of the Coast Guard, 
     regardless of the location of that operation.''; and
       (4) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the following 
     new paragraphs:
       ``(4) The term `active service' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 101 of title 10.
       ``(5) The term `civil disorder' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 232 of title 18.''.

     SEC. 3. PLAN TO PROVIDE VET CENTER SERVICES TO VETERANS 
                   LIVING IN AREAS WHERE NO VET CENTER IS LOCATED.

       The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
     Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
     Representatives a plan to provide Vet Center services to 
     veterans living in geographic areas where no Vet Center is 
     located, including in the United States insular areas.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. 
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and insert extraneous material on H.R. 1812.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, the VA is authorized to provide counseling through Vet 
Centers to a broad group of veterans and servicemembers. These veterans 
and servicemembers include National Guard and Reserve members, those 
who have served on Active Duty in any combat theater or area of 
hostility, veterans and servicemembers who experienced military sexual 
trauma, those who provided direct emergent medical care or mortuary 
services to casualties of war, or servicemembers and veterans who 
deployed to combat zones or areas of hostility in a direct support 
role.
  However, members of the National Guard, Reserve, or Coast Guard who 
participated in a drug interdiction or who served in a response to a 
national emergency, major disaster, or civil disorder are currently not 
eligible to receive Vet Center care. This is all despite the effects 
such experiences can have on mental health.
  H.R. 1812, as amended, the Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act, 
introduced by Ranking Member Roe, would correct this oversight by 
extending eligibility for Vet Center care to these individuals.
  It would also require the VA to submit a plan to Congress for 
providing Vet Center services to geographical areas in which no Vet 
Centers are located. These areas include territories of the United 
States, rural, and insular areas.
  By assessing the steps necessary to provide access to Vet Centers for 
veterans living in these underserved areas, the Vet Center Eligibility 
Expansion Act is ensuring veterans, servicemembers, reservists, and 
members of the Coast Guard and National Guard are allowed access to the 
lifesaving services Vet Centers provide.
  This legislation increases access to services that provide early 
intervention for mental healthcare issues, which can reduce the risks 
associated with suicide.
  The sad statistics show that, of the 20 veterans and military 
servicemembers who die by suicide, 14 of those 20 have not received VA 
healthcare. This bill is one step towards changing this tragic number.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Dr. Roe, for his work on 
this important measure, and I call upon all of our colleagues to join 
us in voting ``yes'' on this life-changing piece of legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1812, as 
amended, the Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act.
  Every day, 20 of those who have worn our Nation's uniform die by 
suicide. Of those 20 deaths, each one is a tragedy.
  There are approximately four deaths among Active-Duty servicemembers 
and nonactivated members of the National Guard and Reserve.
  The number of suicides among never federally activated members of the 
National Guard and Reserve, in particular, has increased from 2005 to 
2016, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs' most recent 
suicide data.
  Many of these men and women have stepped up to serve their 
communities and our country honorably in dangerous and unpredictable 
situations. That service can have an understandable impact on mental 
health, but because they may not meet the legal definition of a veteran 
due to the nature of their service, these individuals may not be 
eligible for care from the VA.
  This bill would address that issue by expanding eligibility for 
counseling and care at VA Vet Centers to those in the Reserve, National 
Guard, or Coast Guard who served in response to emergency situations in 
the wake of a disaster or civil disorder or support of drug 
interdiction operations who never deployed.
  VA's 300 Vet Centers are community-based facilities that provide 
readjustment counseling services to Active-Duty servicemembers, 
veterans, and their families.
  Vet Center employees, many of whom are veterans themselves, are on 
the forefront of the fight to prevent suicide among servicemembers and 
veterans, to assure their successful transition following the military, 
and to assist them in recovering from whatever trauma or challenges 
they may be facing.
  I am proud to sponsor this bill and grateful to Congressman   Mike 
Levin from California for joining me as an original cosponsor.
  I am also grateful to the Enlisted Association of the National Guard 
of the United States and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America 
for their support of this legislation.
  It is my sincere hope that this bill will allow all of those who 
served in the National Guard, the Coast Guard, or the Reserve component 
to get the

[[Page H4035]]

help they need and lower the number of suicides among this population 
of heroes.
  Madam Speaker, before reserving, I do want to note my surprise that 
the bill received a discretionary score of $55 million over 5 years 
from the Congressional Budget Office.
  It appears that CBO estimated that VA would need to create costly new 
capacity within the Vet Centers to care for those individuals newly 
eligible in this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I have been to many Vet Centers, and the brick and 
mortar is already there. You don't have to do anything. The personnel 
are there. So there would be, if any, minimal costs.
  However, I understand from VA that excess capacity exists within the 
Vet Centers that this bill would help fill, at little additional cost 
to the Department. I hope that could be taken into account for this 
bill, moving forward.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this bill today, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Levin), my good friend and fellow Californian, the 
chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, and also a cosponsor 
of H.R. 1812.
  Mr. LEVIN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 1812, the Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act.
  Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation 
with my friend from Tennessee and ranking member of the House Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, Dr. Roe.
  We must do more to address the epidemic of suicide among veterans in 
this country. We can start with ensuring all servicemembers have the 
mental health support they need.
  Currently, most National Guard, Coast Guard, and Reserve 
servicemembers are precluded from receiving readjustment counseling 
services at vet centers. Guardsmen and Reservists often face 
emotionally challenging deployments to natural disasters, drug 
interdiction missions, national emergencies, or civil disorders that 
can have serious mental health consequences.
  This bipartisan legislation is an important step in closing the 
mental healthcare gap for those servicemembers who compose four of the 
20 veteran suicides we see each day in this country. As we continue to 
see veterans turn to suicide, often on the grounds of VA facilities, we 
must have an all-hands-on-deck approach, and this bill can play a 
critical role in this effort.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this. I think it is 
a great step forward for our Guard and Reservists.
  I will just pass along a quick story of one of the reasons why I have 
pushed this so hard. In my Tennessee Guard at home, my previous 
commander said that in the first 45 days he commanded the Tennessee 
Guard, he had four suicides. He knew he had to do something, so he 
instituted a program there to help lower veteran suicides.
  We have lowered our suicide rate among our Tennessee guardsmen by 70 
percent. We would like to make sure that all Guard and Reservists have 
access to the benefits they need, the therapy they need, and the help 
they need for their families by allowing them to get this help at the 
vet center.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues in the House 
to support H.R. 1812, as amended, so we can finally pass it into law 
and get justice for these veterans.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1812, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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