To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish qualifications for the appointment of a person as a marriage and family therapist, qualified to provide clinical supervision, in the Veterans Health Administration.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill amends title 38 appointment qualifications for marriage and family therapists in the Veterans Health Administration. It creates a specific qualification path for a marriage and family therapist position that is qualified to provide clinical supervision. To qualify, the person must already meet the existing VHA marriage and family therapist qualifications and must be recognized by the relevant state, or otherwise allowed by that state, to provide clinical supervision.
Earlier House text also recognized an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy approved-supervisor designation. The enrolled text focuses on state recognition or state allowance. The bill is narrow, but it matters because clinical supervision authority affects who can supervise trainees or less-experienced therapists inside VA mental health programs.
Who Benefits and How
State-recognized marriage and family therapists benefit because their clinical-supervision authority becomes a federal qualification for VHA appointment. VHA mental health programs benefit from clearer rules for hiring supervisors who can oversee marriage and family therapy practice. Veterans receiving family therapy benefit if VA facilities can hire qualified supervisors and expand supervised behavioral-health capacity. VA trainees and early-career therapists benefit from more clearly qualified clinical supervisors. State licensing boards benefit because state supervision recognition becomes the relevant gate in the enrolled text.
Who Bears the Burden and How
VHA human-resources staff must verify that therapist candidates meet both title 38 qualifications and state clinical-supervision recognition. VA credentialing offices must update appointment reviews for marriage and family therapist supervisor roles. Marriage and family therapists without state supervision recognition bear a burden because they cannot qualify for the clinical-supervision appointment category. VA facility managers may need to document which therapists can supervise clinical practice. Earlier AAMFT-approved supervisors lose a separate statutory path if they lack the required state recognition.
Key Provisions
- Amends title 38 VHA marriage and family therapist appointment qualifications.
- Creates a qualification standard for therapists appointed to provide clinical supervision.
- Requires candidates to meet existing VHA marriage and family therapist qualifications.
- Requires state recognition or state allowance to provide clinical supervision.
- Narrows the final version away from the introduced AAMFT-approved-supervisor alternative.
- Gives VA a clearer credentialing rule for marriage and family therapy supervisors.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Sets clinical-supervision qualifications for Veterans Health Administration marriage and family therapists by requiring the therapist to meet existing VHA appointment qualifications and be recognized or allowed by the licensing state to provide clinical supervision.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans Health, Behavioral Health Workforce, Professional Licensing
Primary Purpose
Sets clinical-supervision qualifications for Veterans Health Administration marriage and family therapists by requiring the therapist to meet existing VHA appointment qualifications and be recognized or allowed by the licensing state to provide clinical supervision.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- State-recognized marriage and family therapists
- VHA mental health programs
- Veterans receiving family therapy
- VA trainees
- State licensing boards
Identified Costs
- VHA human-resources staff
- VA credentialing offices
- Therapists without state supervision recognition
- VA facility managers
- AAMFT-approved supervisors lacking state recognition
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to …
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1932-1933)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Mr. Bost moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 72.
Additional sponsor: Mr. Johnson of Georgia
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
VA credentialing offices, VHA mental health hiring staff, Veterans receiving family therapy
VHA mental health hiring staff faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Veterans receiving family therapy
Negative-direction: VA credentialing offices
AAMFT-approved therapist supervisors, State-authorized therapist supervisors, State-recognized therapist supervisors
Positive-direction: AAMFT-approved therapist supervisors, State-authorized therapist supervisors, State-recognized therapist supervisors
Negative-direction: Therapists lacking state supervision recognition
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "va"
- → Department of Veterans Affairs
- "vha"
- → Veterans Health Administration
- "aamft"
- → American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology