Public Policy and Legislation
07/07/10: It is not too late to get your congressman/woman to sign onto H.R. 3839 as a cosponsor. In most states there is a U.S. Rep. on the House Armed Services Committee. Where there is not a representative on the House Armed Services Committee, you are still encouraged to contact your representative and ask that he/she cosponsor H.R. 3839 by signing onto the bill. This is quickly moving. We’re in the Senate bill, but the language in the Senate bill is less inclusive than the House language. The more cosponsors we can get for the House bill (contacting U.S. Reps.), the greater our likelihood of having the more broad language, allowing all licensed mental health counselors to see TRICARE beneficiaries endorsed when the bill gets to conference (negotiations between the House and Senate).
These "Western Region" House Armed Services Committee members need to be contacted by email or phone ASAP to ask that they cosponsor, H.R. 3839, the version of the TRICARE bill which would permit, if passed, all LCPCs to practice independently under TRICARE.
We cannot get this moving further, and into the National Defense Authorization Act, unless we have more people signed on as cosponsors. Below is a simple template that can be shared with your U.S. House/Senate members. You need not write a long email or have a long phone call. The message is simple:
"Support our troops' immediate access to outpatient mental health professionals, by cosponsoring H.R. 3839. As a mental health counselor constituent from Idaho, this is very important to me. Thank you."
Thanks so much for your advocacy efforts!
Contact your representative via email by clicking onthe "communicate with elected officials" link to the left.
Website created by: www.lpcwebdesign.com
IMHCA P.O. Box 1217, Meridian, Idaho 83680
