A bill to improve and enhance the mental health care benefits available to members of the Armed Forces and veterans, to enhance counseling and other benefits available to survivors of members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and for other purposes.

Summary

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide scholarships to individuals pursuing education or training in behavioral health care specialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers (centers for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans) in order to recruit and retain individuals with such specialties for service in Vet Centers. Conditions the scholarship on agreeing to serve in such a capacity for whatever period the Secretary specifies in the agreement. Makes any Armed Forces member who serves in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers regardless of whether the member is on active duty at the time of receipt of counseling and services. Directs the Secretary, on receipt of a request for counseling from an individual who has been discharged or released from active service, to: (1) provide referrals to assist the individual in obtaining mental health care and services outside the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (2) if pertinent, advise such individual of the individual's rights to apply for review of the discharge or release. Treats the suicide of a former member that occurs within two years after separation or retirement, if the member had a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a death in line of duty for purposes of the survivors' eligibility to burial benefits and benefits under the Survivor Benefit Plan, laws administered by the Secretary, and the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide emotional support services for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces and deceased veterans through the survivors' peers.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 1 May 2008

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 1 May 2008

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 1 May 2008

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3715-3716)

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 1 May 2008 · Download file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 1 May 2008

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 1 May 2008

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 1 May 2008

  Open at official source

  Leesvertaling

  Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

  Vertaal naarNL · DutchDE · GermanFR · FrenchES · SpanishIT · ItalianPL · PolishPT · PortugueseSV · SwedishDA · DanishFI · FinnishEL · GreekCS · CzechHU · HungarianRO · RomanianBG · BulgarianHR · CroatianSK · SlovakSL · SlovenianLT · LithuanianLV · LatvianET · EstonianGA · IrishMT · Maltese

  Vertaal document

  Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

Sponsors

• Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Stevens, Ted [R-AK] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Obama, Barack [D-IL] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Dole, Elizabeth [R-NC] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO] · D · Cosponsor
• Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY] · D · Cosponsor
• · ssva00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → HONOR Warriors Act
• related to ← HONOR Warriors Act