,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hade  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #a1       
#bjbj,mrs4 ,hayes 7for herself1 ,mr4    
,ryan1 ,mr4 ,morelle1 ,mr4 ,bishop of   
,georgia1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1    
,ms4 ,fudge1 ,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1  
,ms4 ,wild1 ,mr4 ,o',halleran1 ,ms4 ,lee
 of ,california1 ,mr4 ,soto1 and ,mr4   
,crdenas7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee 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 ,affairs1 and  
for other purposes4  #a4 ,staffing      
improvement plan and occupational series
 for licensed professional mental health
 counselors and marriage and family     
therapists of ,department of ,veterans  
,affairs  7a7 ,staffing plan  7#a7 ,in  
general ,not later than #bgj days after 
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 

the ,secretary shall submit to the      
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,senate and the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives a plan to address      
staffing shortages of licensed          
professional mental health counselors   
and marriage and family therapists of   
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  
7#b7 ,elements ,the plan required by    
paragraph 7#a7 shall include the        
following3  7,a7 ,the number of         
positions for licensed professional     
mental health counselors and marriage   
and family therapists of the ,department
 that need to be filled to meet demand1 
disaggregated by ,veterans ,integrated  
,service ,network and medical center4   
7,b7 ,an identification of the steps    
that the ,secretary will take in each   
,veterans ,integrated ,service ,network 
to address such shortages1 including the
 following3  7i7 ,a description of any  
region-specific hiring incentives to be 
used by the ,secretary in consultation  

with the directors of ,veterans         
,integrated ,service ,networks and      
medical centers of the ,department4     
7ii7 ,a description of any local        
retention or engagement incentives to be
 used by directors of ,veterans         
,integrated ,service ,networks4  7,c7   
,such recommendations for legislative or
 administrative action as the           
,secretary1 in consultation with the    
,inspector ,general of the ,department  
of ,veterans ,affairs1 considers        
necessary to aid in addressing staffing 
shortages of licensed professional      
mental health counselors and marriage   
and family therapists of the            
,department4  7b7 ,occupational series  
for certain mental health providers ,not
 later than one year after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in    
consultation with the ,office of        
,personnel ,management1 shall develop-- 
7#a7 an occupational series for licensed
 professional mental health counselors  

of the ,department of ,veterans         
,affairs2 and  7#b7 an occupational     
series for marriage and family          
therapists of the ,department4  7c7     
,report ,not later than one year after  
the submittal of the plan required by   
subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall    
submit to the ,committee on ,veterans'  
,affairs of the ,senate and the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,house of ,representatives a report    
setting forth the number of licensed    
professional mental health counselors   
and marriage and family therapists hired
 by the ,department during the one-year 
period preceding the submittal of the   
report1 disaggregated by ,veterans      
,integrated ,service ,network and       
medical center4