To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the outreach activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Summary: Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish, maintain, and modify as necessary procedures for ensuring the effective coordination of outreach activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs between and among the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration.

Directs the Secretary to ensure that state and local outreach assistance is provided in locations that: (1) have relatively large concentrations of veterans; or (2) are experiencing growth in veteran populations. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to state veterans agencies for state and local outreach services.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subchapter:

                  ``SUBCHAPTER IV--OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

``Sec. 561. Outreach activities: coordination of activities within the 
              Department
    ``(a) The Secretary shall establish and maintain procedures for 
ensuring the effective coordination of the outreach activities of the 
Department between and among the following:
            ``(1) The Office of the Secretary.
            ``(2) The Office of Public Affairs.
            ``(3) The Veterans Health Administration.
            ``(4) The Veterans Benefits Administration.
            ``(5) The National Cemetery Administration.
    ``(b) The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) annually review the procedures in effect under 
        subsection (a) for the purpose of ensuring that those 
        procedures meet the requirements of that subsection; and
            ``(2) make such modifications to those procedures as the 
        Secretary considers appropriate in light of such review in 
        order to better achieve that purpose.
``Sec. 562. Outreach activities: cooperative activities with States; 
              grants to States for improvement of outreach
    ``(a) It is the purpose of this section to provide for assistance 
by the Secretary to the States in carrying out programs within their 
respective jurisdiction that offer a high probability of improving 
outreach and assistance to veterans, and to the spouses, children, and 
parents of veterans, so as to ensure that such individuals are fully 
informed about, and assisted in applying for, any veterans' and 
veterans-related benefits and programs (including State veterans' 
programs) for which they may be eligible.
    ``(b) The Secretary shall ensure that, as a condition of the 
provision of assistance by the Secretary under this section, that such 
assistance is provided for outreach and assistance under State and 
county veteran service programs referred to in subsection (a) in 
locations--
            ``(1) that have relatively large concentrations of 
        populations of veterans and other individuals referred to in 
        subsection (a); or
            ``(2) that are experiencing growth in the population of 
        veterans and other individuals referred to in subsection (a).
    ``(c) The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements and 
arrangements with State veterans agencies in order to carry out, 
coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance outreach by the Department 
and the States (including outreach with respect to State veterans' 
programs).
    ``(d)(1) The Secretary may make grants to State veterans agencies 
in order to achieve the following purposes:
            ``(A) To carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise 
        enhance outreach, including activities pursuant to cooperative 
        agreements and arrangements under subsection (c).
            ``(B) To carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise 
        enhance activities to assist in the development and submittal 
        of claims for veterans' and veterans-related benefits, 
        including activities pursuant to cooperative agreements and 
        arrangements under subsection (c).
    ``(2) A State veterans agency receiving a grant under this 
subsection shall use the grant amount for purposes described in 
paragraph (1) by--
            ``(A) awarding a portion of such grant amount to local 
        governments of that State that provide veterans outreach 
        services, to be awarded on the basis of the number of veterans 
        residing in the jurisdiction of that local government;
            ``(B) awarding a portion of such grant amount to local 
        governments in that State seeking to establish a program of 
        outreach services; and
            ``(C) using the remainder for outreach activities of that 
        State veterans agency.
    ``(3) No portion of the amount of a grant to a State under this 
subsection may be used at the State level for the purpose of 
administering those funds.
    ``(4) Federal funds provided to a State by a grant under this 
subsection may not be used to provide more than 50 percent of the total 
cost of such State and local government activities and shall be used to 
expand existing outreach programs and services, not to supplant 
existing State and local funding. The Secretary shall allocate funds to 
the States for grants under this subsection on the basis of the veteran 
population of the respective States.
    ``(5)(A) In a case in which a unit of local government does not 
have a veteran services program, funds from a grants under this 
subsection may be used to establish such a program.
    ``(B) In a case in which a unit of local government does not have 
such a program and does not seek to establish such a program through 
assistance from a grant amount under this subsection, the State 
veterans agency may use funds available under this subsection to 
provide outreach services for that local government jurisdiction.
    ``(C) In the case of a State in which State and local government 
veteran service programs do not seek to receive a grant amount under 
this subsection, the funds for that State shall be reallocated to those 
States in which local government veteran service programs exist and 
have chosen to seek to receive a grant amount under this subsection.
    ``(6) Funds made available through a grant under this subsection 
may be used for education and training for State and local government 
employees who provide (or when trained will provide) veterans outreach 
services in order for those employees to obtain accreditation in 
accordance with procedures approved by the Secretary and, for employees 
so accredited, for purposes of continuing education.
    ``(7) In this subsection, the term `State veterans agency' means 
the element of the government of a State that has responsibility for 
programs and activities of that State government relating to veterans 
benefits.
``Sec. 563. Outreach activities: funding
    ``(a) Amounts for the outreach activities of the Department under 
this subchapter shall be budgeted and appropriated through a separate 
appropriation account.
    ``(b) In the budget justification materials submitted to Congress 
in support of the Department budget for any fiscal year (as submitted 
with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31), 
the Secretary shall include a separate statement of the amount 
requested to be appropriated for that fiscal year for the account 
specified in subsection (a).
``Sec. 564. Definition of outreach
    ``For purposes of this subchapter, the term `outreach' means the 
act or process of taking steps in a systematic manner to provide 
information, services, and benefits counseling to veterans, and the 
survivors of veterans, who may be eligible to receive benefits under 
the laws administered by the Secretary to ensure that those individuals 
are fully informed about, and assisted in applying for, any benefits 
and programs under such laws for which they may be eligible.
``Sec. 565. Authorization of appropriations
    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the 
purposes of carrying out this subchapter, including the making of 
grants under section 562(d) of this title, the amount of $25,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2006, 2007, and 2008.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new items:
                  ``subchapter iv--outreach activities
``561. Outreach activities: coordination of activities within the 
                            Department.
``562. Outreach activities: cooperative activities with States; grants 
                            to States for improvement of outreach.
``563. Outreach activities: funding.
``564. Definition of outreach.
``565. Authorization of appropriations.''.