PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 28, 2006
Comprehensive Assistance for Veterans Exposed to Traumatic Stressors Act of 2006 - Extends eligibility for readjustment counseling services for Vietnam-era veterans.
Requires implementation of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Department of Defense (DOD) Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund.
Requires: (1) the DOD to assist the VA with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health-related data collection; (2) substance use disorder questions in pre- and post-deployment screens and related treatment protocols; and (3) routine preventative maintenance intervention for returning members of the Armed Forces.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Requires a study of factors that decrease the likelihood of developing combat-related chronic PTSD.
Extends the enhanced eligibility period for VA health services for certain veterans.
Provides for a joint demonstration project that stations VA psychologists and psychiatrists at major demobilization sites and military treatment facilities.
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) carry out a program of veteran peer counseling to other veterans on mental health matters; and (2) develop model programs to address mental health disorders prevalent among veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Requires: (1) performance measures that ensure appropriate deployment of resources to implement the Iraq war clinical practice guidelines; (2) establishment of the DOD/VA Council on Post-Deployment Mental Health; (3) a plan for expanded access to specialized PTSD care; and (4) additional mental health services personnel for certain VA programs and locations.
Requires counseling for immediate family members of disabled veterans and Armed Forces personnel killed in action.
Establishes a National Steering Committee on PTSD Education.
Addresses deficiencies in compensation and pension examinations with regard to PTSD.
Requires development of criteria for determining which medical conditions are likely associated with PTSD and when secondary service-connection should be granted for those conditions.
Provides for an outreach program to enhance PTSD awareness.
People & committees
Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · D–IA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10484)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 15, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze S.3984 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.3984 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.3984 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.3984 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.