[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 716 Referred in House (RFH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 716
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 22, 2005
Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance services provided by
vet centers, to clarify and improve the provision of bereavement
counseling by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other
purposes.
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 Enhancement Act of
2005''.
SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES OF VET CENTERS.
(a) Additional Outreach Workers.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall employ not more than 50 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom or
Operation Iraqi Freedom for the purpose of providing outreach to
veterans on the availability of readjustment counseling and related
mental health services for veterans under section 1712A of title 38,
United States Code.
(b) Construction With Current Outreach Program.--The veterans
employed under subsection (a) are in addition to any veterans employed
by the Secretary for the purpose described in that subsection under the
February 2004 program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide
outreach described in that subsection.
(c) Assignment to Vet Centers.--The Secretary may assign any
veteran employed under subsection (a) to any vet center that the
Secretary considers appropriate in order to meet the purpose described
in that subsection.
(d) Inapplicability and Termination of Limitation on Duration of
Employment.--Any limitation on the duration of employment of veterans
under the program described in subsection (b) is hereby terminated, and
shall not apply to veterans employed under such program or under this
section.
(e) Employment Status.--Veterans employed under subsection (a)
shall be employed in career conditional status, which is the employment
status in which veterans are employed under the program described in
subsection (b).
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Vet center.--The term ``vet center'' means a center for
the provision of readjustment counseling and related mental
health services under section 1712A of title 38, United States
Code.
(2) Veteran of operation enduring freedom or operation
iraqi freedom.--The term ``veteran of Operation Enduring
Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom'' means any veteran who
served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during
Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF BEREAVEMENT COUNSELING.
(a) Clarification of Members of Immediate Family Eligible for
Counseling.--Subsection (b) of section 1783 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) For purposes of this subsection, the members of the immediate
family of a member of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (1)
include the parents of such member.''.
(b) Provision of Counseling Through Vet Centers.--Such section is
further amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new
subsection (c):
``(c) Provision of Counseling Through Vet Centers.--Bereavement
counseling may be provided under this section through the facilities
and personnel of centers for the provision of readjustment counseling
and related mental health services under section 1712A of this
title.''.
SEC. 4. FUNDING FOR VET CENTER PROGRAM.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2006, $180,000,000 for the provision
of readjustment counseling and related mental health services through
centers under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, including
for the discharge of the requirements of this Act (and the amendments
made by this Act).
Passed the Senate December 22 (legislative day, December
21), 2005.
Attest:
EMILY J. REYNOLDS,
Secretary.