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.
This bill would add explicit eligibility requirements for appointing a person as a marriage and family therapist (MFT) who is qualified to provide clinical supervision within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Specifically, it requires that an MFT meet the existing qualifications for the role and also be authorized to provide clinical supervision in their state (or be designated as an approved supervisor by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, AAMFT). The effect is to ensure that VA hires for MFT supervisory positions are credentialed both at the state level and by a recognized national professional body. The bill also reorganizes the statutory language for clarity (changing how subparagraphs are labeled) and creates a new formal subparagraph under 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(10) that defines these supervision qualifications. The change applies to the Veterans Health Administration and aims to standardize supervision credentials for MFTs who supervise VA clinicians.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a formal eligibility standard for appointment as a marriage and family therapist within the VHA who is qualified to provide clinical supervision.
- 2Requires that the candidate either be authorized to provide clinical supervision in their state or be designated as an approved supervisor by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
- 3The eligibility references the existing qualifications (A) for MFTs and adds a requirement tying supervision authority to state authorization or AAMFT designation.
- 4The statutory text is reorganized for clarity, redesignating certain subparagraphs and inserting a new subparagraph (B) to define the supervisor qualification.
- 5Applies specifically to the Veterans Health Administration, not to other VA components.