II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1951 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program 

to award grants to nonprofit veterans service organizations to upgrade 

the community facilities of such organizations. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 5, 2017 

Mr. COONS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a 

pilot program to award grants to nonprofit veterans service organizations to upgrade the community facilities of 

such organizations. 

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 ‘‘Veteran Wellness Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON TRANSFORMATION OF VET2 ERANS SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS FACILI3 TIES INTO VETERAN HEALTH AND WELLNESS 

4 CENTERS. 

5 (a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

7 Affairs shall carry out a pilot program under which 

8 the Secretary makes grants to nonprofit veterans 

9 services organizations recognized by the Secretary 

10 for the representation of veterans under section 

11 5902 of title 38, United States Code (in this section 

12 referred to as ‘‘VSOs’’), to upgrade, through con13 struction and repair, community facilities of VSOs 

14 into health and wellness centers and to promote and 

15 expand complementary and integrative wellness pro16 grams. 

17 (2) USE OF AMOUNTS.—The recipient of a 

18 grant under this section shall use the grant 

19 amounts— 

20 (A) to carry out the repair of a facility 

21 owned by the recipient or to construct a facility 

22 on property owned by the recipient; or 

23 (B) to provide complementary and integra24 tive medicine or wellness programs, and to pay 

25 the costs of childcare during such programs, to 

26 veterans and family members, as such term is 


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1 defined in section 1712A(h)(3) of title 38, 

2 United States Code. 

3 (3) LIMITATION ON USE OF AMOUNTS.—The re4 cipient of a grant under this section may not use the 

5 grant amounts to purchase real estate or to carry 

6 out repair of facilities leased by the recipient or to 

7 construct facilities on property leased by the recipi8 ent. 

9 (4) FACILITY OPERATION.—As a condition of 

10 the receipt of a grant under this section, a VSO 

11 shall agree to carry out the operation and mainte12 nance of the facility that is repaired or constructed 

13 using grant amounts for the three-year period begin14 ning on the date of the completion of the repair or 

15 construction. 

16 (b) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The pilot pro17 gram shall be carried out during the two-year period be18 ginning on the date of the commencement of the pilot pro19 gram. 

20 (c) LOCATIONS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting the recipients of 

22 grants under this section, the Secretary shall ensure 

23 that the grant recipients use grant amounts to con24 struct or repair facilities located in not fewer than 

25 ten different geographic locations. 


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1 (2) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give pri2 ority in the selection of locations under paragraph 

3 (1) to locations in economically depressed areas that 

4 are not in close proximity to medical centers of the 

5 Department of Veterans Affairs. 

6 (d) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

7 under this section, a VSO shall submit to the Secretary 

8 an application in such form and in such manner as the 

9 Secretary may require. 

10 (e) REPORTS.— 

11 (1) PERIODIC REPORTS.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

13 days after the date of the enactment of this 

14 Act, and every 180 days thereafter for the du15 ration of the pilot program, the Secretary shall 

16 submit to Congress a report on the pilot pro17 gram. 

18 (B) REPORT ELEMENTS.—Each report re19 quired by subparagraph (A) shall include the 

20 following: 

21 (i) The findings and conclusions of 

22 the Secretary with respect to the pilot pro23 gram during the 180-day period covered by 

24 the report. 


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1 (ii) An assessment of the benefits of 

2 the pilot program to veterans and family 

3 members of veterans during the 180-day 

4 period covered by the report. 

5 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the conclusion of the pilot program, the Sec7 retary shall submit to Congress a report detailing 

8 the recommendations of the Secretary as to the ad9 visability of continuing or expanding the pilot pro10 gram. 

11 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums 

13 as may be necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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