I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2147 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire additional Veterans 

Justice Outreach Specialists to provide treatment court services to justice-involved veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2017 

Mr. COFFMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to hire additional Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists to provide 

treatment court services to justice-involved veterans, 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 ‘‘Veterans Treatment 

5 Court Improvement Act of 2017’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. HIRING BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

2 OF ADDITIONAL VETERANS JUSTICE OUT3 REACH SPECIALISTS. 

4 (a) HIRING OF ADDITIONAL VETERANS JUSTICE

5 OUTREACH SPECIALISTS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec8 retary of Veterans Affairs shall hire not fewer than 

9 50 Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists and place 

10 each such Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist at 

11 an eligible Department of Veterans Affairs medical 

12 center in accordance with this section. 

13 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall en14 sure that each Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist 

15 employed under paragraph (1)— 

16 (A) serves, either exclusively or in addition 

17 to other duties, as part of a justice team in a 

18 veterans treatment court or other veteran-fo19 cused court; and 

20 (B) otherwise meets Department hiring 

21 guidelines for Veterans Justice Outreach Spe22 cialists. 

23 (3) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The Sec24 retary shall ensure that the total number of Vet25 erans Justice Outreach Specialists employed by the 

26 Department is not less than the sum of— 

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1 (A) the total number of Veterans Justice 

2 Outreach Specialists that were employed by the 

3 Department on the day before the date of the 

4 enactment of this Act; and 

5 (B) the number of Veterans Justice Out6 reach Specialists set forth in paragraph (1). 

7 (b) ELIGIBLE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

8 MEDICAL CENTERS.—For purposes of this section, an eli9 gible Department of Veterans Affairs medical center is 

10 any Department of Veterans Affairs medical center that— 

11 (1) complies with all Department guidelines and 

12 regulations for placement of a Veterans Justice Out13 reach Specialist; 

14 (2) works within a local criminal justice system 

15 with justice-involved veterans; 

16 (3) maintains an affiliation with one or more 

17 veterans treatment courts or other veteran-focused 

18 courts; and 

19 (4) either— 

20 (A) routinely provides Veterans Justice 

21 Outreach Specialists to serve as part of a jus22 tice team in a veterans treatment court or other 

23 veteran-focused court; or 

24 (B) establishes a plan that is approved by 

25 the Secretary to provide Veterans Justice Outmstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS

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1 reach Specialists employed under subsection 

2 (a)(1) to serve as part of a justice team in a 

3 veterans treatment court or other veteran-fo4 cused court. 

5 (c) PLACEMENT PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall 

6 prioritize the placement of Veterans Justice Outreach Spe7 cialists employed under subsection (a)(1) at eligible De8 partment of Veterans Affairs medical centers that have 

9 or intend to establish an affiliation, for the purpose of car10 rying out the Veterans Justice Outreach Program, with 

11 a veterans treatment court, or other veteran-focused court, 

12 that— 

13 (1) was established on or after the date of the 

14 enactment of this Act; or 

15 (2)(A) was established before the date of the 

16 enactment of this Act; and 

17 (B) is not fully staffed with Veterans Justice 

18 Outreach Specialists. 

19 (d) REPORTS.— 

20 (1) PERIODIC REPORTS BY SECRETARY OF VET21 ERANS AFFAIRS.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

23 after the date of the enactment of this Act and 

24 not less frequently than once every year there25 after, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

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1 submit to Congress a report on the implementa2 tion of this section and its effect on the Vet3 erans Justice Outreach Program. 

4 (B) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted 

5 under paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

6 (i) The status of the efforts of the 

7 Secretary to hire Veterans Justice Out8 reach Specialists pursuant to subsection 

9 (a)(1), including the total number of Vet10 erans Justice Outreach Specialists hired by 

11 the Secretary pursuant to such subsection 

12 and the number that the Secretary expects 

13 to hire pursuant to such subsection. 

14 (ii) The total number of Veterans 

15 Justice Outreach Specialists assigned to 

16 each Department of Veterans Affairs med17 ical center that participates in the Vet18 erans Justice Outreach Program, including 

19 the number of Veterans Justice Outreach 

20 Specialists hired under subsection (a)(1) 

21 disaggregated by Department of Veterans 

22 Affairs medical center. 

23 (iii) The total number of eligible De24 partment of Veterans Affairs medical cen25 ters that sought placement of a Veterans 

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1 Justice Outreach Specialist under sub2 section (a)(1), how many Veterans Justice 

3 Outreach Specialists each such center 

4 sought, and how many of such medical 

5 centers received no placement of a Vet6 erans Justice Outreach Specialist under 

7 subsection (a)(1). 

8 (iv) The total number of justice-in9 volved veterans who were served or are ex10 pected to be served by a Veterans Justice 

11 Outreach Specialist hired under subsection 

12 (a)(1). 

13 (2) REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF

14 THE UNITED STATES.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two 

16 years after the date of the enactment of this 

17 Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

18 States shall submit to Congress a report on the 

19 implementation of this section and the effective20 ness of the Veterans Justice Outreach Program. 

21 (B) CONTENTS.—The report required by 

22 subparagraph (A) shall include the following: 

23 (i) An assessment of whether the Sec24 retary has fulfilled the Secretary’s obliga25 tions under this section. 

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1 (ii) The number of veterans who are 

2 served by Veterans Justice Outreach Spe3 cialists hired under subsection (a)(1), 

4 disaggregated by demographics (including 

5 discharge status). 

6 (iii) An identification of any sub7 groups of veterans who underutilize serv8 ices provided under laws administered by 

9 the Secretary, including an assessment of 

10 whether these veterans have access to Vet11 erans Justice Outreach Specialists under 

12 the Veterans Justice Outreach Program. 

13 (iv) Such recommendations as the 

14 Comptroller General may have for the Sec15 retary to improve the effectiveness of the 

16 Veterans Justice Outreach Program. 

17 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

19 appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 

20 carry out subsection (a) $5,500,000 for each of fis21 cal years 2017 through 2027. 

22 (2) IDENTIFICATION OF OFFSETS.—The Sec23 retary shall submit to Congress a report that identi24 fies such legislative or administrative actions as the 

25 Secretary determines will result in a reduction in exmstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS

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1 penditures by the Department of Veterans Affairs 

2 that is equal to or greater than the amounts author3 ized to be appropriated by paragraph (1). 

4 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) JUSTICE TEAM.—The term ‘‘justice team’’ 

6 means the group of individuals, which may include 

7 a judge, court coordinator, prosecutor, public de8 fender, treatment provider, probation or other law 

9 enforcement officer, program mentor, and Veterans 

10 Justice Outreach Specialist, who assist justice-in11 volved veterans in a veterans treatment court or 

12 other veteran-focused court. 

13 (2) JUSTICE-INVOLVED VETERAN.—The term 

14 ‘‘justice-involved veteran’’ means a veteran with ac15 tive, ongoing, or recent contact with some compo16 nent of a local criminal justice system. 

17 (3) LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.—The 

18 term ‘‘local criminal justice system’’ means law en19 forcement, jails, prisons, and State and local courts. 

20 (4) VETERANS JUSTICE OUTREACH PRO21 GRAM.—The term ‘‘Veterans Justice Outreach Pro22 gram’’ means the program through which the De23 partment of Veterans Affairs identifies justice-in24 volved veterans and provides such veterans with ac25 cess to Department services. 

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1 (5) VETERANS JUSTICE OUTREACH SPE2 CIALIST.—The term ‘‘Veterans Justice Outreach 

3 Specialist’’ means an employee of the Department of 

4 Veterans Affairs who serves as a liaison between the 

5 Department and the local criminal justice system on 

6 behalf of a justice-involved veteran. 

7 (6) VETERANS TREATMENT COURT.—The term 

8 ‘‘veterans treatment court’’ means a State or local 

9 court that is participating in the veterans treatment 

10 court program (as defined in section 2991(i)(1) of 

11 the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

12 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa(i)(1))). 

Æ 

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