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.
Key claim: HR658 establishes that marriage and family therapists appointed in the VHA to provide clinical supervision must hold an appropriate master’s degree, be licensed or certified, and either be state-authorized to provide clinical supervision or be an AAMFT-approved supervisor.
Abstract
(HR658 · 119th Congress) This bill establishes eligibility requirements for the appointment of an individual in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as a marriage and family therapist who is qualified to provide clinical supervision. In order to be appointed as a marriage and family therapist in the VHA who is qualified to provide clinical supervision, a person must hold an appropriate master’s degree, be licensed or certified, and (1) be authorized to provide clinical supervision in the state they are licensed in, or (2) be designated as an approved supervisor by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Latest action (2026-02-03): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Why this matters
HR658 sets federal credentialing floors for a specific VA mental health clinical role, tightening who can serve as an MFT clinical supervisor in the VHA and aligning the VA with state licensure regimes plus AAMFT’s private-sector supervisor credential. For workers, it clarifies eligibility and career-ladder requirements; for the VA as employer, it narrows the recruitment pool but standardizes supervisory quality for a workforce increasingly relied on for veteran mental health care.