PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 13, 2008
Armed Forces Mental Health Professionals Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends federal military pay provisions to provide: (1) a bonus of up to $25,000 per year for officers who agree to remain on active duty as clinical psychologists; (2) an accession bonus of up to $400,000 to clinical psychologists with a critically short wartime specialty who agree to accept a commission and remain on active duty for at least four years; and (3) special pay for officers serving as clinical psychologists for at least one year.
Provides: (1) an accession bonus of up to $30,000 for social workers in critically short wartime specialties agreeing to serve as officers on active duty for at least three years; and (2) special pay for officers serving as social workers for at least one year.
Provides special pay for officers serving as mental health nurses for at least one year.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Includes psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health nurses under Department of Defense (DOD) authority to provide retention incentives for members of the Armed Forces qualified in critical military skills or assigned to high priority units.
Includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses, and other behavioral health professionals as eligible health professions under the DOD health professions scholarship and financial assistance program.
Authorizes the Secretary of each military department to use the authorities in this Act to facilitate the recruitment and retention in the reserve components of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, and mental health nurses.
People & committees
Sen. Lieberman, Joseph I. [ID-CT] · ID–CT
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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