I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9924 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish standard practices for 

a grant or pilot program administered by the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs through the Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 4, 2024 

Mr. LANDSMAN (for himself, Mr. LUTTRELL, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. VAN ORDEN, 

Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. BROWNLEY, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish standard 

practices for a grant or pilot program administered by 

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs through the Veterans 

Health Administration, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘What Works for Pre5 venting Veteran Suicide Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARD PRACTICES FOR A 

2 GRANT OR PILOT PROGRAM ADMINISTERED 

3 BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

4 THROUGH THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINIS5 TRATION. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 527 of title 38, 

7 United States Code, is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before 

9 ‘‘The Secretary,’’; 

10 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 

11 paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub13 section (b): 

14 ‘‘(b) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations that 

15 establish standard practices that, unless otherwise prohib16 ited by law, shall apply to a grant program or pilot pro17 gram relating to suicide prevention or mental health car18 ried out through the Veterans Health Administration. 

19 Such practices shall include the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) The establishment of clear and measurable 

21 objectives. 

22 ‘‘(2) The development of a methodology and 

23 plan to— 

24 ‘‘(A) determine information necessary to 

25 evaluate the program; 


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1 ‘‘(B) identify sources, methods, timing, 

2 and frequency for collecting of such informa3 tion; 

4 ‘‘(C) determine how such information will 

5 be analyzed to evaluate the program’s imple6 mentation and performance and to identify les7 sons learned; and 

8 ‘‘(D) identify criteria or standards for in9 forming decisions about whether the program 

10 should be expanded, extended, or made perma11 nent. 

12 ‘‘(3) The communication of program objectives, 

13 assessment methodology, and evaluation plan with 

14 entities determined relevant to the program by the 

15 Secretary— 

16 ‘‘(A) during the development of the pro17 gram; 

18 ‘‘(B) at least 30 days prior to the begin19 ning of the program; and 

20 ‘‘(C) throughout the term of the program. 

21 ‘‘(4) At the conclusion of the program, the per22 formance of an evaluation of the program— 

23 ‘‘(A) to validate lessons learned; and 

24 ‘‘(B) to assess the generalizability of the 

25 program. 


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1 ‘‘(5) The sharing of program results and best 

2 practices with entities determined relevant to the 

3 program by the Secretary.’’. 

4 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

6 Veterans Affairs shall prescribe regulations under section 

7 527(b) of such title, as amended by subsection (a). 

8 (c) APPLICABILITY.—The standard practices pre9 scribed in such regulations shall apply to a grant or pilot 

10 program without regard to when such program was estab11 lished. 

Æ 


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