Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) has introduced a bill that will give more veterans access to mental health care. An oversight in current law allows only mental health providers who have received a master’s degree in mental health counseling to serve in the U.S. Department of Affairs (VA) as licensed professional mental health counselors. The law does not take into account those mental health professionals who do not have a master’s degree but do have an equivalent or higher degree, like a Ph.D. or M.D., in mental health counseling.

“We can’t let a mistake in the law keep our veterans from accessing the mental health care they need. The bill I have introduced is a small, technical fix, but it will go a long way towards making sure there are enough mental health counselors to serve our veterans,” said Mullin.

The VA identified the problem with the wording of the current law and knew it could only be fixed by an Act of Congress. Mullin’s bill, H.R. 5161, the House companion to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s S. 2771, would allow mental health counselors who have a master’s degree or equivalent to serve in the VA.

“Every day, I’m working with the veterans caseworkers on my team to fix the bureaucracy that gets in the way of delivering important health services to our veterans,” Mullin added. “Whenever we see or hear about a problem within the VA, we immediately dive in and see how we can fix it.” 

H.R. 5161, has been referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for consideration.

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