To provide for a staffing improvement plan and occupational series for licensed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8145 To provide for a staffing improvement plan and occupational series for li- censed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 Mrs. HAYES (for herself, Mr. RYAN, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. WILD, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. SOTO, and Mr. CA´RDENAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To provide for a staffing improvement plan and occupational series for licensed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Sep 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8145.IH H8145 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8145 IH SECTION 1. STAFFING IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND OCCUPA- 1 TIONAL SERIES FOR LICENSED PROFES- 2 SIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS AND 3 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS OF DE- 4 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 5 (a) STAFFING PLAN.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days 7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 8 retary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 9 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet- 10 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a 11 plan to address staffing shortages of licensed profes- 12 sional mental health counselors and marriage and 13 family therapists of the Department of Veterans Af- 14 fairs. 15 (2) ELEMENTS.—The plan required by para- 16 graph (1) shall include the following: 17 (A) The number of positions for licensed 18 professional mental health counselors and mar- 19 riage and family therapists of the Department 20 that need to be filled to meet demand, 21 disaggregated by Veterans Integrated Service 22 Network and medical center. 23 (B) An identification of the steps that the 24 Secretary will take in each Veterans Integrated 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Sep 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8145.IH H8145 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8145 IH Service Network to address such shortages, in- 1 cluding the following: 2 (i) A description of any region-specific 3 hiring incentives to be used by the Sec- 4 retary in consultation with the directors of 5 Veterans Integrated Service Networks and 6 medical centers of the Department. 7 (ii) A description of any local reten- 8 tion or engagement incentives to be used 9 by directors of Veterans Integrated Service 10 Networks. 11 (C) Such recommendations for legislative 12 or administrative action as the Secretary, in 13 consultation with the Inspector General of the 14 Department of Veterans Affairs, considers nec- 15 essary to aid in addressing staffing shortages of 16 licensed professional mental health counselors 17 and marriage and family therapists of the De- 18 partment. 19 (b) OCCUPATIONAL SERIES FOR CERTAIN MENTAL 20 HEALTH PROVIDERS.—Not later than one year after the 21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet- 22 erans Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Personnel 23 Management, shall develop— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Sep 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8145.IH H8145 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8145 IH (1) an occupational series for licensed profes- 1 sional mental health counselors of the Department 2 of Veterans Affairs; and 3 (2) an occupational series for marriage and 4 family therapists of the Department. 5 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the sub- 6 mittal of the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary 7 shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 8 Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 9 House of Representatives a report setting forth the num- 10 ber of licensed professional mental health counselors and 11 marriage and family therapists hired by the Department 12 during the one-year period preceding the submittal of the 13 report, disaggregated by Veterans Integrated Service Net- 14 work and medical center. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Sep 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8145.IH H8145 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS