HONOR Warriors Act

A bill to improve and enhance the mental health care benefits available to members of the Armed Forces and veterans, to enhance counseling and other benefits available to survivors of members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and for other purposes.

5/12/2008--Introduced.
Honoring Our Nation's Obligation to Returning Warriors Act or HONOR Warriors Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide scholarships to individuals pursuing education or training in behavioral health care specialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers (centers for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans) in order to recruit and retain individuals with such specialties for service in Vet Centers. Conditions the scholarship agreeing to serve in such a capacity for whatever period the Secretary specifies in the agreement. Makes any Armed Forces member who serves in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers regardless of whether the member is on active duty at the time of receipt of counseling and services. Directs the Secretary, on receipt of a request for counseling from an individual who has been discharged or released from active service, to:
(1) provide referrals to assist the individual in obtaining mental health care and services outside the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
(2) if pertinent, advise such individual of the individual's rights to apply for review of the discharge or release. Treats the suicide of a former member that occurs within two years after separation or retirement, if the member had a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a death in line of duty for purposes of the survivors' eligibility to burial benefits and benefits under the Survivor Benefit Plan, laws administered by the Secretary, and the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide emotional support services for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces and deceased veterans through the survivors' peers. Directs the Secretary of the Army to carry out at Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of various means of enhancing awareness among members of the Army of PTSD.


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Sponsor

• Sen. Christopher Bond [R, MO]
• and 15 Co-Sponsors
  • Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA]
  • Sen. Samuel Brownback [R, KS]
  • Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY]
  • Sen. Susan Collins [R, ME]
  • Sen. John Cornyn [R, TX]
  • Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R, NC]
  • Sen. Pete Domenici [R, NM]
  • Sen. Charles Grassley [R, IA]
  • Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I, CT]
  • Sen. Claire McCaskill [D, MO]
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R, AK]
  • Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL]
  • Sen. Arlen Specter [R, PA]
  • Sen. Ted Stevens [R, AK]
  • Sen. John Sununu [R, NH]
  close

Committees

• Senate Veterans' Affairs

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to S.3008

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by Senate		Voted on by House		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
May 12, 2008

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All Bill Actions

• May 12, 2008: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
• Introduced on May 12, 2008.

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Related Bills:

• S.2963
• H.R.6268

Related Issue Areas:

• War casualties
• Veterans' rehabilitation
• Veterans' medical care
• Veterans' benefits
• 44 more
• Trauma care
• Survivors' benefits
• Suicide
• South Asia
• Social services
• Social security
• Scholarships
• Recruiting of employees
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Pensions
• Old age, survivors and disability insurance
• Nonprofit organizations
• National Guard
• Missouri
• Military pensions
• Military operations
• Military medicine
• Military dependents
• Military bases
• Middle East and North Africa
• Mental health services
• Medicine
• Medical education
• Medical care
• Iraq compilation
• Iraq
• Higher education
• Grants-in-aid
• Government employees
• Federal employees
• Family services
• Families
• Executive departments
• Education
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Defense policy
• Counseling
• Colorado
• Budgets
• Army
• Armed forces reserves
• Armed forces
• Afghanistan
• Veterans

Data from the Congressional Research Service

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Blog Coverage

June 10, 2008 Cornyn Announces Support For Bill To Enhance Mental Health Care ...

The Honoring Our Nation's Obligation to Returning Warriors Act (HONOR Warriors Act), S.3008, introduced by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., recognizes the prevalence of mental health conditions among returning troops. This bill would, among other ...

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Source: United States Senator John Cornyn, Texas

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May 11, 2008 S. 3008, A bill to improve and enhance the mental health care ...

S. 3008 would improve and enhance the mental health care benefits available to members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and it would enhance counseling and other benefits available to survivors of members of the Armed Forces and ...

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Source: washingtonwatch.com - Welcome to washingtonwatc...

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