,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #hai  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,april #be1 #bjac   
,mr4 ,burr introduced the following     
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1       
,united ,states ,code1 to require a     
program of mental health care and       
rehabilitation for veterans for         
service-related post-traumatic stress   
disorder1 depression1 anxiety disorder1 
or a related substance use disorder1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans
 ,mental ,health ,treatment ,first ,act 
of #bjac4  #b4 ,mental heath care and   
rehabilitation for veterans for         
service-related post-traumatic stress   
disorder1 depression1 anxiety disorder1 
or related substance use disorder  7a7  
,in general ,subchapter ,,ii of chapter 
#ag of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 is amended by inserting after section  
#agab;,b the following new section3     

#agab;,c4 ,mental health care and       
rehabilitation for service-related      
post-traumatic stress disorder1         
depression1 anxiety disorder1 or related
 substance use disorder  7a7 ,in general
 ,the ,secretary shall carry out a      
program of mental health care and       
rehabilitation for veterans who--  7#a7 
have been discharged or released from   
service in the active military1 naval1  
or air service under conditions other   
than dishonorable for a period of not   
more than two years2  7#b7 are enrolled 
in the system of annual patient         
enrollment established and operated by  
the ,secretary under section #agje of   
this title and have been so enrolled    
since before the date of the enactment  
of the ,veterans ,mental ,health        
,treatment ,first ,act of #bjac2  7#c7  
are diagnosed by a physician of the     
,department with post-traumatic stress  
disorder1 depression1 anxiety disorder1 
or substance use disorder related to    
post-traumatic stress disorder1         

depression1 or anxiety disorder that is 
service-related 7as determined in       
accordance with subsection 7b772 and    
7#d7 agree to the conditions of         
participation applicable to such        
veterans set forth in subsection 7c74   
7b7 ,treatment of conditions as         
service-,related  7#a7 ,a condition of a
 veteran described in subsection 7a77#c7
 shall be treated as service-related for
 purposes of this section if--  7,a7 the
 condition has previously been          
adjudicated by the ,secretary to be     
service-connected2 or  7,b7 the         
condition is judged by the physician of 
the ,department making the diagnosis for
 the veteran as described in subsection 
7a77#c7 to be plausibly related to the  
service of the veteran in the active    
military1 naval1 or air service4  7#b7  
,the ,secretary shall prescribe in      
regulations the standards to be utilized
 by physicians of the ,department in    
judging under paragraph 7#a77;,b7       
whether or not a condition of a veteran 

described in subsection 7a77#c7 is      
plausibly related to the service of the 
veteran in the active military1 naval1  
or air service4  7c7 ,conditions of     
participation  7#a7 ,as conditions for  
participation in the program under this 
section1 a veteran seeking mental health
 care and rehabilitation under the      
program for a condition described in    
subsection 7a77#c7 who has not yet filed
 a claim for disability under this title
 for such condition shall agree as      
follows3  7,a7 ,to comply substantially 
with the treatment regimen and          
rehabilitation plan prescribed under    
subsection 7d7 for the veteran4  7,b7   
,not to submit a claim for disability   
compensation under chapter #aa of this  
title for post-traumatic stress         
disorder1 depression1 anxiety disorder1 
or a related substance use disorder     
until the earlier of--  7i7 the end of  
the one-year period beginning on the    
date of the commencement of the program 
by the veteran2 or  7ii7 the conclusion 

of the treatment regimen and            
rehabilitation plan prescribed under    
subsection 7d7 for the veteran4  7#b7   
,as conditions for participation in the 
program under this section1 a veteran   
seeking mental health care and          
rehabilitation under the program for a  
condition described in subsection       
7a77#c7 who has filed a claim for       
disability under this title for such    
condition that has not been adjudicated 
by the ,secretary at the time of the    
diagnosis of the veteran described in   
subsection 7a77#c7--  7,a7 shall agree  
to comply substantially with the        
treatment regimen and rehabilitation    
plan prescribed under subsection 7d7 for
 the veteran2 and  7,b7 may agree1 at   
the election of the veteran1 to the     
suspension by the ,secretary of         
adjudication of such claim until        
completion by the veteran of the        
treatment regimen and rehabilitation    
plan4  7#c7 ,as conditions for          
participation in the program under this 

section1 a veteran seeking mental health
 care and rehabilitation under the      
program for one or more conditions      
described in subsection 7a77#c7 that    
have been determined by the ,secretary  
to be service-connected shall agree as  
follows3  7,a7 ,to comply substantially 
with the treatment regimen and          
rehabilitation plan prescribed under    
subsection 7d7 for the veteran4  7,b7   
,not to submit a claim for an increase  
in disability compensation under chapter
 #aa of this title for or based on such 
condition or conditions until the       
earlier of--  7i7 the end of the        
one-year period beginning on the date of
 the commencement of the program by the 
veteran2 or  7ii7 the completion of the 
treatment regimen and rehabilitation    
plan prescribed under subsection 7d7 for
 the veteran4  7d7 ,treatment regimen   
and rehabilitation plan  7#a7 ,the      
,secretary shall provide for each       
veteran who participates in the program 
under this section a treatment regimen  

and rehabilitation plan for the         
post-traumatic stress disorder1         
depression1 anxiety disorder1 or related
 substance use disorder of such veteran 
as described in subsection 7a77#c74 ,the
 treatment regimen and rehabilitation   
plan shall be devised by appropriate    
clinicians and other appropriate        
personnel of the ,department assigned   
for that purpose4  7#b7 ,the treatment  
regimen and rehabilitation plan for a   
veteran under this subsection shall     
include such mental health care and     
rehabilitation as the clinicians and    
other personnel concerned consider      
appropriate for the remediation of the  
condition or conditions of the veteran  
covered by the plan4  7#c7 ,the duration
 of each treatment regimen and          
rehabilitation plan under this          
subsection shall be such period as the  
clinician concerned considers           
appropriate4  7e7 ,wellness stipends    
7#a7 ,subject to paragraph 7#d71 each   
veteran covered by subsection 7c77#a7   

who participates in the program under   
this section shall be paid a stipend as 
follows3  7,a7 #b1jjj payable upon      
commencement of the treatment regimen   
and rehabilitation plan provided under  
subsection 7d7 for such veteran4  7,b7  
#a1ejj payable every #ij days thereafter
 upon certification by the clinician    
treating such veteran under the program 
that such veteran is in substantial     
compliance with such treatment regimen  
and rehabilitation plan1 except that the
 total amount payable to such veteran   
under this subparagraph may not exceed  
#f1jjj4  7,c7 #c1jjj payable at the     
earlier of--  7i7 the date of the       
conclusion of such treatment regimen and
 rehabilitation plan2 or  7ii7 one year 
after the date of the commencement of   
such treatment regimen and              
rehabilitation plan by such veteran4    
7#b7 ,subject to paragraph 7#d71 each   
veteran covered by subsection 7c77#b7   
who participates in the program under   
this section shall be paid a stipend as 

follows3  7,a7 ,if such veteran agrees  
as provided in subparagraph 7,b7 of     
subsection 7c77#b71 the stipend payable 
under paragraph 7#a74  7,b7 ,if such    
veteran does not agree as provided in   
subparagraph 7,b7 of subsection 7c77#b71
 the stipend payable under paragraph    
7#c74  7#c7 ,subject to paragraph 7#d71 
each veteran covered by subsection      
7c77#c7 who participates in the program 
under this section shall be paid a      
stipend as follows3  7,a7 #ffg payable  
upon commencement of the treatment      
regimen and rehabilitation plan provided
 under subsection 7d7 for such veteran4 
7,b7 #ejj payable every #ij days        
thereafter upon certification by the    
clinician treating such veteran under   
the program that such veteran is in     
substantial compliance with such        
treatment regimen and rehabilitation    
plan1 except that the total amount      
payable to such veteran under this      
subparagraph may not exceed #b1jjj4     
7,c7 #a1jjj payable at the earlier of-- 

7i7 the date of the conclusion of such  
treatment regimen and rehabilitation    
plan2 or  7ii7 one year after the date  
of the commencement of such treatment   
regimen and rehabilitation plan by such 
veteran4  7#d7 ,in the event a veteran  
is determined by the ,secretary to have 
failed to comply with any condition     
agreed to by the veteran under          
subsection 7c71 payment to the veteran  
of any stipend otherwise authorized to  
be payable under this subsection shall  
cease4  7f7 ,limitation on participation
  7#a7 ,except as provided in paragraph 
7#b71 a veteran may participate only    
once in the program under this section4 
7#b7 ,a veteran may participate more    
than once in the program under this     
section if the ,secretary determines    
that such additional participation in   
the program will assist the veteran in  
achieving the remediation of the        
condition or conditions addressed by    
participation in the program4  7#c7 ,the
 total amount of stipend payable under  

subsection 7e7 to a veteran covered by  
paragraph 7#b7 may not exceed #aa1jjj4  
4  7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of
 sections at the beginning of chapter   
#ag of such title is amended by         
inserting after the item relating to    
section #agab;,b the following new item3
  #agab;,c4 ,mental health care and     
rehabilitation for service-related      
post-traumatic stress disorder1         
depression1 anxiety disorder1 or related
 substance use disorder4  4