Comprehensive Assistance for Veterans Exposed to Traumatic Stressors Act of 2006
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Comprehensive Assistance for Veterans Exposed to Traumatic Stressors Act of 2006 - Extends eligibility for readjustment counseling services for Vietnam-era veterans.
Requires implementation of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Department of Defense (DOD) Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund.
Requires: (1) the DOD to assist the VA with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health-related data collection; (2) substance use disorder questions in pre- and post-deployment screens and related treatment protocols; and (3) routine preventative maintenance intervention for returning members of the Armed Forces.
Requires a study of factors that decrease the likelihood of developing combat-related chronic PTSD.
Extends the enhanced eligibility period for VA health services for certain veterans.
Provides for a joint demonstration project that stations VA psychologists and psychiatrists at major demobilization sites and military treatment facilities.
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) carry out a program of veteran peer counseling to other veterans on mental health matters; and (2) develop model programs to address mental health disorders prevalent among veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Requires: (1) performance measures that ensure appropriate deployment of resources to implement the Iraq war clinical practice guidelines; (2) establishment of the DOD/VA Council on Post-Deployment Mental Health; (3) a plan for expanded access to specialized PTSD care; and (4) additional mental health services personnel for certain VA programs and locations.
Requires counseling for immediate family members of disabled veterans and Armed Forces personnel killed in action.
Establishes a National Steering Committee on PTSD Education.
Addresses deficiencies in compensation and pension examinations with regard to PTSD.
Requires development of criteria for determining which medical conditions are likely associated with PTSD and when secondary service-connection should be granted for those conditions.
Provides for an outreach program to enhance PTSD awareness.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on September 28, 2006. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 28, 2006: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
THOMAS HARKIN (D-IA) introduced it on September 28, 2006, and 5 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 5 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 28, 2006, 7287 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7287 days ago, on September 28, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers