PUBLIC LAW 109–461—DEC. 22, 2006
120 STAT. 3409
(a)(1)(D) of this section), until the date on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs prescribes the regulations required by the amendments made by this section.
TITLE II—HEALTH MATTERS SEC. 201. ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS.
(a) APPOINTMENTS.—Section 7401(3) is amended by inserting after ‘‘social workers,’’ the following: ‘‘marriage and family therapists, licensed professional mental health counselors,’’. (b) QUALIFICATIONS.—Section 7402(b) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (12); and (2) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following new paragraphs: ‘‘(10) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST.—To be eligible to be appointed to a marriage and family therapist position, a person must— ‘‘(A) hold a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, or a comparable degree in mental health, from a college or university approved by the Secretary; and ‘‘(B) be licensed or certified to independently practice marriage and family therapy in a State, except that the Secretary may waive the requirement of licensure or certification for an individual marriage and family therapist for a reasonable period of time recommended by the Under Secretary for Health. ‘‘(11) LICENSED PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR.— To be eligible to be appointed to a licensed professional mental health counselor position, a person must— ‘‘(A) hold a master’s degree in mental health counseling, or a related field, from a college or university approved by the Secretary; and ‘‘(B) be licensed or certified to independently practice mental health counseling.’’. (c) REPORT ON MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY WORKLOAD.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the provision of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder by marriage and family therapists employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. (2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) The actual and projected workloads in facilities of the Veterans Readjustment Counseling Service and the Veterans Health Administration for the provision of marriage and family counseling for veterans diagnosed with, or otherwise in need of treatment for, post-traumatic stress disorder. (B) The resources available and needed to support the projected workload described in subparagraph (A). (C) An assessment by the Under Secretary for Health of the effectiveness of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder that is provided by marriage and family therapists.
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38 USC 7401.
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