To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish qualifications for the appointment of a person as a marriage and family therapist, qualified to provide clinical supervision, in the Veterans Health Administration.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member for bringing my bill forward today.

I rise in support of the bill titled: Establishment of Qualifications for the Appointment of a Person as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Qualified to Provide Clinical Supervision, in the Veterans Health Administration, legislation I have authored, because of the very real stories I have heard from veterans, from their families, and from therapists, not only in my district but across our great country.

Ventura County has a long and proud military history. We are home to Naval Base Ventura County, and more than 40,000 veterans call our community home.

Every day, I see the strength, the resilience, and sacrifice of these families. I also see the challenges they face when their service ends and their transition back to civilian life begins. That transition is not only difficult for many servicemembers. It affects their spouses. It affects their children, and it affects entire families.

Many of these families, rightly so, turn to therapy and counseling for support as they navigate major life changes, trauma, and the stress that can follow after years of service.

Licensed marriage and family therapists are often the professionals helping these veterans and their families. They help couples work through their challenges. They help parents and children communicate. They help veterans develop healthy coping mechanisms and rebuild stability at home.

However, the VA's current promotion rules are discouraging many of these highly trained and qualified therapists from working at VA facilities throughout the country. While VA hires marriage and family therapists who are accredited through different organizations, under current VA regulations, only therapists who graduated from the one specific accreditation pathway are eligible to be promoted into supervisory roles at VA. This is despite the fact that, nationwide, nearly 30 percent of licensed marriage and family therapists did not graduate from that specific accreditation program. In States like New York, Florida, and Ohio, that number is closer to 40 percent. In my home State of California, 95 percent of licensed marriage and family therapists hold licenses from other programs.

Let's be clear: All of these marriage and family therapists are fully licensed in their States where they practice and are fully qualified professionals. Their accreditations are also already recognized by private insurance, TRICARE, and some State Medicaid programs.

However, inside the VA system, they hit a career ceiling, which they cannot fix because this credential cannot be obtained retroactively. What happens? They leave, or they never come to the VA in the first place, and veterans and their families lose access to care or lose the therapists that they have trusted.

I have heard directly from therapists who want to serve veterans but feel pushed away by this outdated rule. I have heard from so many veterans who want to keep their therapist who has helped them and their family through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

This bill is about fixing that. It is about recognizing that these therapists are qualified, capable, and already doing life-changing work for veterans and their families. It is about removing an unnecessary bureaucratic barrier that is shrinking the pool of providers and supervisors at a time when demand for mental health services has never been greater.

More importantly, this bill is about upholding our promise to care for veterans after their service, not just with words, but with access to support their families' needs to stay strong and healthy.

This legislation passed the Veterans' Affairs Committee with strong, bipartisan support.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill today and support our Nation's veterans and their families who depend on this care.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 658, legislation introduced by my colleague Representative Julia Brownley of California. This legislation would establish qualifications for the appointment of marriage and family therapists to provide clinical supervision in the Veterans Health Administration.

Licensed marriage and family therapists provide critical therapy and support to address the unique challenges that military veterans and their families face.

Veterans and their families are no strangers to facing life challenges when transitioning from Active Duty, whether that is adjusting to life as a civilian, navigating new family dynamics, or even dealing with medical needs or big moves.

Licensed marriage and family therapists help individuals and couples develop coping strategies and mechanisms to face these challenges head- on, and help ensure those who serve our Nation have the resources they need to support themselves and their families.

Licensed marriage and family therapists have provided care to countless veterans since 2010 when VA first established qualification standards for the profession and began hiring licensed marriage and family therapists.

However, in 2018, the VA amended its qualification standards and created a new requirement that licensed marriage and family therapists who want to serve as supervisors or managers must obtain the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy's ``approved supervisor'' designation.

Currently, the VA does not require licensed professional mental health counselors, social workers, or other mental health providers to obtain a designation from a private organization in order to serve as clinical supervisors.

Additionally, the VA's current qualification standards are not in alignment with State law. All 50 States and the District of Columbia license or certify licensed marriage and family therapists and have requirements for individuals who want to provide clinical supervision. However, only two States, North Carolina and Tennessee, require that clinical supervisors hold a private association's ``approved supervisor'' designation.

The VA's current qualification standards place licensed marriage and family therapists at a disadvantage when it comes to retention and promotion. There are thousands of licensed marriage and family therapists who are

recognized as State-approved supervisors, yet they are not eligible to supervise within the VA because they do not have the ``approved supervisor'' designation. Some licensed family and marriage therapists have left VA employment because of this restriction which contributes to vacancies among mental health providers within the Department.

H.R. 658 would help expand veterans' access to mental health care by expanding the pool of eligible licensed marriage and family therapist applicants for both rank and file and supervisory positions.

We must ensure that dedicated mental health professionals are able to fully support our veterans. That is why I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health and the author of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in passing H.R. 658, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 658) to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish qualifications for the appointment of a person as a marriage and family therapist, qualified to provide clinical supervision, in the Veterans Health Administration, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 658, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 658, as amended. This bill was introduced by my colleague Representative Julia Brownley of California.

Under current law, only one accrediting body has power over who can work as a marriage and family therapist in supervisory roles at the VHA. This is an unnecessary burden. It unnecessarily restricts access to licensed marriage and family therapists who can help veterans grow and maintain healthy familial relationships.

With Representative Brownley's bill, the law would include more eligible licensors to ensure a sufficient pipeline of therapists are able to work at VA and help our Nation's veterans, if they need it.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Brownley for her bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I encourage everyone to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.