COUNSELING AND TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL TRAUMA.

SEC. 115. COUNSELING AND TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL TRAUMA. (a) Extension of Period of Program.—Subsection (a) of section 1720D is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking “December 31, 2001” and inserting “December 31, 2004”; and (2) in paragraph (3), by striking “December 31, 2001” and inserting “December 31, 2004”. (b) Mandatory Nature of Program.—(1)Subsection (a)(1) of such section is further amended by striking “may provide counseling to a veteran who the Secretary determines requires such counseling” and inserting “shall operate a program under which the Secretary provides counseling and appropriate care and services to veterans who the Secretary determines require such counseling and care and services”. (2) Subsection (a) of such section is further amended— (A) by striking paragraph (2); and (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) (as amended by subsection (a)(2)) as paragraph (2). (c) Outreach Efforts.—Subsection (c) of such section is amended— (1) by inserting “and treatment” in the first sentence and in paragraph (2) after “counseling”; (2) by striking “and” at the end of paragraph (1); (3) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and (4) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new paragraph (2): “(2) shall ensure that information about the counseling and treatment available to veterans under this section— “(A) is revised and updated as appropriate; “(B) is made available and visibly posted at appropriate facilities of the Department; and “(C) is made available through appropriate public information services; and”. (d) Report on Implementation of Outreach Activities.—Not later than six months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the Secretary’s implementation of paragraph (2) of section 1720D(c) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (c). Such report shall include examples of the documents and other means of communication developed for compliance with that paragraph. 113 STAT. 1559 (e) Study of Expanding Eligibility for Counseling and Treatment.—(1)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a study to determine— (A) the extent to which former members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces experienced physical assault of a sexual nature or battery of a sexual nature while serving on active duty for training; (B) the extent to which such former members have sought counseling from the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to those incidents; and (C) the additional resources that, in the judgment of the Secretary, would be required to meet the projected need of those former members for such counseling. (2) Not later than 16 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1). (f) Oversight of Outreach Activities.—Not later than 14 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a joint report describing in detail the collaborative efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to ensure that members of the Armed Forces, upon separation from active military, naval, or air service, are provided appropriate and current information about programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide counseling and treatment for sexual trauma that may have been experienced by those members while in the active military, naval, or air service, including information about eligibility requirements for, and procedures for applying for, such counseling and treatment. The report shall include proposed recommendations from both the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense for the improvement of their collaborative efforts to provide such information. (g) Report on Implementation of Sexual Trauma Treatment Program.—Not later than 14 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the use made of the authority provided under section 1720D of title 38, United States Code, as amended by this section. The report shall include the following with respect to activities under that section since the enactment of this Act: (1) The number of veterans who have received counseling under that section. (2) The number of veterans who have been referred to non-Department mental health facilities and providers in connection with sexual trauma counseling and treatment.