II

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2325

To amend certain laws under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans

Affairs to reauthorize programs relating to substance abuse and homeless

assistance for veterans, to authorize a demonstration program to provide

assistance to homeless veterans, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 26 (legislative day, JULY 20), 1994

Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. DASCHLE, and Mr. CAMPBELL) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

A BILL

To amend certain laws under the jurisdiction of the Secretary

of Veterans Affairs to reauthorize programs relating to

substance abuse and homeless assistance for veterans,

to authorize a demonstration program to provide assistance to homeless 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. REAUTHORIZATION OF DEMONSTRATION PRO4 GRAM OF COMPENSATED WORK THERAPY

5 AND THERAPEUTIC TRANSITIONAL HOUSING.

6 Section 7(a) of Public Law 102–54 (38 U.S.C. 1718

7 note) is amended by striking out ‘‘fiscal years 1991
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1 through 1994’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘fiscal years

2 1991 through 1996’’.

3 SEC. 2. PERMANENT AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE TREATMENT

4 AND REHABILITATION FOR ALCOHOL OR

5 DRUG DEPENDENCE OR ABUSE DISABILITIES.

6 Section 1720A of title 38, United States Code, is

7 amended by striking out subsection (e).

8 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF HOMELESS VETERANS’

9 REINTEGRATION PROJECTS.

10 Section 738(e)(1) of the Stewart B. McKinney Home11 less Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11448(e)(1)) is amended

12 by striking out subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and in13 serting in lieu thereof the following new subparagraphs:

14 ‘‘(A) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 1995.

15 ‘‘(B) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 1996.

16 ‘‘(C) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.’’.

17 SEC. 4. AUTHORITY FOR COMMUNITY-BASED RESIDENTIAL

18 CARE FOR HOMELESS CHRONICALLY MEN19 TALLY ILL AND OTHER VETERANS.

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of

21 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the

22 end the following:
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1 ‘‘§ 1720E. Community-based residential care for

2 homeless chronically mentally ill and

3 other veterans

4 ‘‘(a)(1) The Secretary may provide care and treatment

5 and rehabilitative services (directly or by contract) in half6 way houses, therapeutic communities, psychiatric residen7 tial treatment centers, and other community-based treat8 ment facilities to homeless veterans suffering from chronic

9 mental illness disabilities who are eligible for care under

10 section 1710(a)(1) of this title.

11 ‘‘(2) In providing care and treatment and rehabilitative

12 services under paragraph (1), the Secretary may also pro13 vide such care and treatment and rehabilitative services—

14 ‘‘(A) to veterans being furnished hospital or nurs15 ing home care by the Secretary for a chronic mental

16 illness disability; and

17 ‘‘(B) to veterans with service-connected chronic

18 mental illness disabilities.

19 ‘‘(b) Before furnishing care and treatment and rehabili20 tative services by contract under subsection (a) to a vet21 eran through a facility described in subsection (a), the

22 Secretary shall approve (in accordance with criteria which

23 the Secretary shall prescribe) the quality and effectiveness

24 of the program operated by such facility for the purpose

25 for which such veteran is to be furnished such care and

26 services.
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1 ‘‘(c)(1) The Secretary may provide in-kind assistance

2 (through the services of Department employees and the

3 sharing of other Department resources) to a facility de4 scribed in subsection (a) under this section. The Secretary

5 shall provide such assistance to a facility under a contract

6 between the Secretary and the facility.

7 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may provide assistance under

8 paragraph (1)—

9 ‘‘(A) only for use solely in the furnishing of ap10 propriate care and services under this section; and

11 ‘‘(B) only if, under such contract, the Secretary

12 receives reimbursement for the full cost of such as13 sistance, including the cost of services and supplies

14 and normal depreciation and amortization of equip15 ment.

16 ‘‘(3) Reimbursement under paragraph (2)(B) may be

17 made by reduction in the charges to the United States

18 or by payment to the United States.

19 ‘‘(4) Any funds received through reimbursement

20 under paragraph (3) shall be credited to funds allotted to

21 the Department facility that provided the assistance.

22 ‘‘(d) The Secretary may not provide care and treat23 ment and rehabilitative services under this section after

24 September 30, 1998.’’.
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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections

2 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting

3 after the item relating to section 1720D the following new

4 item:

‘‘1720E. Community-based residential care for homeless mentally ill and other

veterans.’’.

5 (c) REPEAL OF SUPERSEDED AUTHORITY.—Section

6 115 of the Veterans’ Benefits and Services Act of 1988

7 (38 U.S.C. 1712 note) is repealed.

8 SEC. 5. REPORTS ON ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

9 VETERANS AFFAIRS TO ASSIST HOMELESS

10 VETERANS.

11 (a) ANNUAL REPORT.—(1) Not later than February

12 1 of each year, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall sub13 mit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate

14 and the House of Representatives a report on the activities

15 of the Department of Veterans Affairs during the year

16 preceding the report under programs of the Department

17 for the provision of assistance to homeless veterans.

18 (2) The report shall—

19 (A) set forth the number of homeless veterans

20 provided assistance under such programs;

21 (B) describe the cost to the Department of pro22 viding such assistance under such programs; and
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1 (C) provide any other information on such pro2 grams and on the provision of such assistance that

3 the Secretary considers appropriate.

4 (b) BI-ANNUAL REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall

5 include in the report submitted under subsection (a)(1)

6 in 1995, and every 2 years thereafter, an evaluation of

7 the effectiveness of the programs of the Department in

8 providing assistance to homeless veterans.

9 SEC. 6. REPORT ON ASSESSMENT AND PLANS FOR RE10 SPONSE TO NEEDS OF HOMELESS VETERANS.

11 (a) UPDATE ON ASSESSMENT.—Subsection (b) of

12 section 107 of the Veterans’ Medical Programs Amend13 ments of 1992 (Public Law 102–405; 106 Stat. 1977; 38

14 U.S.C. 527 note) is amended by adding at the end the

15 following:

16 ‘‘(6) The Secretary shall require that the directors

17 referred to in paragraph (1) update the assessment re18 quired under that paragraph in each of 1995, 1996, and

19 1997.’’.

20 (b) REPORTS ON ASSESSMENTS AND PLAN.—Sub21 section (i) of such section 107 (106 Stat. 1978) is amend22 ed—

23 (1) by striking out ‘‘REPORT.—’’ and inserting

24 in lieu thereof ‘‘REPORTS.—(1)’’; and

25 (2) by adding at the end the following:
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1 ‘‘(2) Not later than December 31, 1994, the Sec2 retary shall submit to such committees a report that—

3 ‘‘(A) describes the results of the assessment

4 carried out under subsection (b);

5 ‘‘(B) sets forth the lists developed under para6 graph (1) of subsection (c); and

7 ‘‘(C) describes the progress, if any, made by the

8 directors of the medical centers and the directors of

9 the benefits offices referred to in such subsection (c)

10 in developing the plan referred to in paragraph (2)

11 of such subsection (c).

12 ‘‘(3) Not later than December 31 of each of 1995,

13 1996, and 1997, the Secretary shall submit to such com14 mittees a report that describes the update to the assess15 ment that is carried out under subsection (b)(6) in the

16 year preceding the report.’’.

17 SEC. 7. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF

18 VETERANS AFFAIRS AND COMMUNITY-BASED

19 ORGANIZATION PARTNERSHIPS TO ASSIST

20 HOMELESS VETERANS.

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs

22 shall carry out a demonstration program under which the

23 Secretary shall enter into partnerships with community24 based homeless service organizations described in sub25 section (b) in order to provide services and assistance to
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1 homeless veterans in conjunction with such organizations.

2 The Secretary shall carry out the program in accordance

3 with this section.

4 (b) COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.—The orga5 nizations with which the Secretary enters into partner6 ships under subsection (a) shall be organizations that—

7 (1) encourage the assumption of personal re8 sponsibility by homeless veterans who receive serv9 ices and assistance from the organization;

10 (2) provide transitional housing to such veter11 ans;

12 (3) provide employment training or employment

13 placement assistance to such veterans;

14 (4) may collect from such veterans rent derived

15 from employment-related income of such veterans;

16 and

17 (5) in the case of organizations that collect rent

18 from such veterans, utilize rent amounts collected to

19 cover the expenses of the organizations in providing

20 services and assistance to such veterans.

21 (c) PROVISION OF SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE.—(1)

22 The Secretary shall carry out the demonstration program

23 authorized under subsection (a) at not more than five loca24 tions designated for that purpose by the Secretary. The
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1 Secretary shall designate such locations in various geo2 graphic areas.

3 (2) With respect to each location designated under

4 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall enter into an agreement

5 with a community-based service organization referred to

6 in subsection (b) in order to provide services and assist7 ance to homeless veterans.

8 (3) The Secretary shall ensure under an agreement

9 entered into under paragraph (1) that appropriate person10 nel of the Department of Veterans Affairs provide individ11 ual and group counseling, substance abuse counseling, em12 ployment counseling, basic medical care, and referrals to

13 other Department health care and benefits programs to

14 homeless veterans at the location covered by the agree15 ment.

16 (d) REVIEW OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall

17 enter into an agreement with an appropriate non-Federal

18 entity under which agreement the entity shall carry out

19 a study of program carried out under this section. The

20 Secretary shall ensure that, in carrying out the study, the

21 entity shall—

22 (1) determine whether assistance and services

23 are provided to homeless veterans under the pro24 gram in a cost-effective manner;
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1 (2) compare the assistance and services avail2 able under the program with the assistance and

3 services provided to homeless individuals under other

4 programs that are similar to the program; and

5 (3) make any recommendations that the entity

6 considers appropriate for the improvement and ex7 pansion of the program or any agreement entered

8 into under subsection (c).

9 (e) REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 1996,

10 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’

11 Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives

12 a report on the results of the study carried out under sub13 section (d).

14 SEC. 8. REVISIONS TO HOMELESS VETERANS COMPREHEN15 SIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS ACT OF 1992.

16 (a) INCREASE IN NUMBER OF DEMONSTRATION PRO17 GRAMS.—Section 2(b) of the Homeless Veterans Com18 prehensive Service Programs Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 7721

19 note) is amended in the first sentence by striking out

20 ‘‘four’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘12’’.

21 (b) REMOVAL OF FUNDING LIMITATION.—Section 12

22 of such Act (38 U.S.C. 7721 note) is amended by striking

23 out the second sentence.

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