I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4182 

To improve the efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs to prevent 

suicide by women veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 9, 2019 

Ms. WATERS (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. NORTON, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of 

Georgia, Mr. CUELLAR, and Ms. GABBARD) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve the efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

to prevent suicide by women 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 ‘‘Women Veterans Sup5 port Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STUDY ON SUICIDE BY WOMEN VETERANS. 

7 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

8 enter into an agreement with an independent entity to 

9 conduct a study on suicide by women veterans. 


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1 (b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The study conducted 

2 under subsection (a) shall— 

3 (1) determine whether experiences with the 

4 medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Af5 fairs vary by gender and, if so, the causes of such 

6 variation; and 

7 (2) include recommendations to— 

8 (A) improve preventing women veterans 

9 from attempting or committing suicide; and 

10 (B) address any variations described in 

11 paragraph (1). 

12 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

14 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

15 Representatives and the Senate, and make publicly avail16 able, a report on the results of the study conducted under 

17 subsection (a), which shall include recommendations to 

18 improve the care provided to women veterans by the De19 partment of Veterans Affairs. 

20 SEC. 3. OUTREACH BY CENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANS. 

21 (a) CENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANS.—Section 318 

22 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

23 the end the following new subsections: 


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1 ‘‘(g) OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.—(1) The Center shall 

2 carry out outreach activities on a national scale under sub3 section (d) to prevent suicide by women veterans. 

4 ‘‘(2) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall develop 

5 metrics to track the effectiveness of the outreach activities 

6 carried out pursuant to paragraph (1). Such metrics shall 

7 include measures of both performance and effectiveness. 

8 ‘‘(3)(A) Not later than October 1, 2020, and annually 

9 thereafter through 2024, the Secretary shall submit to the 

10 Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committees on 

11 Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Represent12 atives a report on the effectiveness of the outreach activi13 ties carried out pursuant to paragraph (1), including a 

14 description of the metrics developed under paragraph (2). 

15 ‘‘(B) The report submitted under subparagraph (A) 

16 shall include the following: 

17 ‘‘(i) An assessment of the effectiveness of the 

18 outreach activities carried out pursuant to para19 graph (1). 

20 ‘‘(ii) An explanation of why the metrics devel21 oped under paragraph (2) were chosen. 

22 ‘‘(iii) An assessment of how accurately those 

23 metrics will reflect the goals and objectives specified 

24 in such paragraph. 


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1 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 is authorized to be appropriated for the Center $2,800,000 

3 for fiscal year 2021. Of such amounts, not less than 50 

4 percent shall be expended on outreach activities conducted 

5 by the Center under subsection (g).’’. 

6 (b) OFFICE OF WOMEN’S HEALTH SERVICES.— 

7 (1) OUTREACH.—The Secretary of Veterans Af8 fairs, acting through the Office of Women’s Health 

9 Services, shall carry out outreach activities on a 

10 local and regional scale to prevent suicide by women 

11 veterans. 

12 (2) METRICS.—The Secretary shall develop 

13 metrics to track the effectiveness of the outreach ac14 tivities carried out pursuant to paragraph (1). Such 

15 metrics shall include measures of both performance 

16 and effectiveness. 

17 (3) REPORT.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than October 

19 1, 2020, and annually thereafter through 2024, 

20 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

21 on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committees on 

22 Appropriations of the Senate and the House of 

23 Representatives a report on the effectiveness of 

24 the outreach activities carried out pursuant to 


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1 paragraph (1), including a description of the 

2 metrics developed under paragraph (2). 

3 (B) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The report 

4 submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include 

5 the following: 

6 (i) An assessment of the effectiveness 

7 of the outreach activities carried out pur8 suant to paragraph (1). 

9 (ii) An explanation of why the metrics 

10 developed under paragraph (2) were cho11 sen. 

12 (iii) An assessment of how accurately 

13 those metrics will reflect the goals and ob14 jectives specified in such paragraph. 

15 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec17 retary of Veterans Affairs for the Office of Women’s 

18 Health Services $27,800,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

19 Of such amounts, not less than 50 percent shall be 

20 expended on outreach activities conducted by the Of21 fice under paragraph (1). 

22 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR WOMEN VETERANS. 

23 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Commencing not later 

24 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

25 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a grant 


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1 program to provide services described in subsection (f) to 

2 women veterans. 

3 (b) DURATION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall 

4 carry out the program during the five-year period begin5 ning on the date of the commencement of the program. 

6 (c) GRANTS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

8 out the program through the award of grants to eli9 gible organizations for the provision of assistance de10 scribed in subsection (a). 

11 (2) MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRED.—A grant 

12 under this section shall be in an amount that does 

13 not exceed 50 percent of the amount required by the 

14 organization to provide the services described in sub15 section (f). 

16 (d) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.—For purposes of 

17 this section, an eligible organization is any nonprofit orga18 nization that the Secretary determines, in consultation 

19 with State entities that serve veterans, is suitable for re20 ceipt of a grant under the program. 

21 (e) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.— 

22 (1) APPLICATIONS.—An organization seeking a 

23 grant under the program shall submit to the Sec24 retary an application therefor at such time, in such 

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1 ances as the Secretary, in consultation with State 

2 entities that serve veterans, may require. 

3 (2) PRIORITY FOR HUBS OF SERVICES.—In 

4 awarding grants under the program, the Secretary 

5 shall give priority to an organization that provides 

6 multiple forms of services described in subsection 

7 (f). 

8 (f) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Each organization re9 ceiving a grant under the program shall use the grant to 

10 provide to services to women veterans, including with re11 spect to— 

12 (1) health care services, including to obtain 

13 health insurance coverage; 

14 (2) mental health support services; 

15 (3) daily living services; 

16 (4) income support services; 

17 (5) financial counseling services; 

18 (6) legal assistance; 

19 (7) education supportive services; 

20 (8) career advancement services; 

21 (9) transportation; 

22 (10) childcare; and 

23 (11) housing. 

24 (g) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 


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

2 after the date of the commencement of the program 

3 and not less frequently than once each year there4 after until the termination of the program, the Sec5 retary shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

6 Congress a report on the program carried out under 

7 this section. 

8 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under 

9 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

10 (A) A list of the organizations that have 

11 received grants under the program, including 

12 the geographic location of the organization and 

13 the types of services outlined in subsection (f) 

14 that each organization provides. 

15 (B) The number of veterans served by each 

16 organization. 

17 (C) An assessment of the effectiveness of 

18 the services provided under the program. 

19 (D) The amount of each grant awarded to 

20 each organization under the program. 

21 (E) Such other matters as the Secretary 

22 considers appropriate. 

23 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON24 GRESS.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appropriate 

25 committees of Congress’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

2 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

3 Senate; and 

4 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

5 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

6 House of Representatives. 

7 SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING MENTAL 

8 HEALTH WELLNESS SERVICES TO VETERANS. 

9 (a) GRANTS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 

11 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add12 ing at the end the following new section: 

13 ‘‘§ 1720J. Financial assistance for mental health sup14 portive services for veterans seeking 

15 mental health treatment 

16 ‘‘(a) PLAN.—(1) The Secretary shall develop a plan 

17 to carry out the financial assistance described in sub18 section (b). 

19 ‘‘(2) Not later than one year after the date of the 

20 enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to 

21 the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep22 resentatives and the Senate the plan developed under sub23 section (a), including a description of any legislative ac24 tions the Secretary determines necessary to carry out the 

25 plan. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

2 (1) Not later than 90 days after the date by which the 

3 Secretary is required to submit the plan under subsection 

4 (a)(2), the Secretary shall provide financial assistance to 

5 eligible entities approved under this section to provide or 

6 coordinate the provision of mental health supportive serv7 ices described in subsection (c) for a veteran with a mental 

8 health condition who is seeking mental health treatment. 

9 ‘‘(2) Financial assistance under paragraph (1) shall 

10 consist of the award of a grant to an approved eligible 

11 entity for each veteran described in paragraph (1) for 

12 which the approved eligible entity is providing or coordi13 nating the provision of mental health supportive services. 

14 ‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary shall award grants under this 

15 section to each approved eligible entity that is providing 

16 or coordinating the provision of mental health supportive 

17 services under this section. 

18 ‘‘(B) The Secretary may establish intervals of pay19 ment for the administration of grants under this section 

20 and establish a maximum amount to be awarded, in ac21 cordance with the services being provided and the duration 

22 of such services. 

23 ‘‘(4) In providing financial assistance under para24 graph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to entities 

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1 tal health services for veterans with mental health condi2 tions who face barriers in accessing mental health care 

3 services from the Department. 

4 ‘‘(5) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent 

5 practicable, financial assistance under this subsection is 

6 equitably distributed across geographic regions, including 

7 rural communities and tribal lands. 

8 ‘‘(6) Each entity receiving financial assistance under 

9 this section to provide mental health supportive services 

10 to a veteran with a mental health condition shall notify 

11 that veteran that such services are being paid for, in whole 

12 or in part, by the Department. 

13 ‘‘(7) The Secretary shall require entities receiving fi14 nancial assistance under this section to submit a report 

15 to the Secretary that describes the services provided or 

16 coordinated with such financial assistance. 

17 ‘‘(c) MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.— 

18 The mental health supportive services described in this 

19 subsection are services provided by an eligible entity or 

20 a subcontractor of an eligible entity that address the needs 

21 of veterans with mental health conditions, including— 

22 ‘‘(1) outreach services; 

23 ‘‘(2) case management services; 

24 ‘‘(3) assistance in obtaining any benefits from 

25 the Department that the veteran may be eligible to 


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1 receive, including health care services, vocational and 

2 rehabilitation counseling, employment and training 

3 services, and educational assistance; and 

4 ‘‘(4) assistance in obtaining and coordinating 

5 the provision of other public benefits provided by 

6 any Federal, State, or local agency, or any other eli7 gible entity, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) health care services (including obtain9 ing health insurance); 

10 ‘‘(B) daily living services; 

11 ‘‘(C) personal financial planning services; 

12 ‘‘(D) transportation services; 

13 ‘‘(E) income support services; 

14 ‘‘(F) fiduciary and representative payee 

15 services; 

16 ‘‘(G) legal services to assist the veteran 

17 with issues that interfere with the ability of the 

18 veteran to find and retain meaningful employ19 ment, housing, or benefits to which the veteran 

20 may be entitled; 

21 ‘‘(H) child care services; 

22 ‘‘(I) housing counseling; and 

23 ‘‘(J) other services necessary for maintain24 ing independent living. 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

2 (1) An eligible entity seeking financial assistance under 

3 subsection (b) shall submit to the Secretary an application 

4 therefor in such form, in such manner, and containing 

5 such commitments and information as the Secretary deter6 mines to be necessary to carry out this section. 

7 ‘‘(2) Each application submitted by an eligible entity 

8 under paragraph (1) shall contain— 

9 ‘‘(A) a description of the mental health sup10 portive services described in subsection (c) proposed 

11 to be provided by the eligible entity under this sec12 tion and the identified needs for those services; 

13 ‘‘(B) a description of the demographic informa14 tion of the veterans proposed to be provided such 

15 services; 

16 ‘‘(C) an estimate of the number of veterans 

17 with a mental health condition proposed to be pro18 vided such services; 

19 ‘‘(D) evidence of the experience of the eligible 

20 entity in providing mental health supportive services 

21 to veterans with a mental health condition; and 

22 ‘‘(E) a description of the managerial capacity of 

23 the eligible entity— 

24 ‘‘(i) to coordinate the provision of mental 

25 health supportive services with the provision of 


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1 mental health services by the eligible entity or 

2 another organization; 

3 ‘‘(ii) to assess continually the needs of vet4 erans with a mental health condition for mental 

5 health supportive services; 

6 ‘‘(iii) to coordinate the provision of mental 

7 health supportive services with the services of 

8 the Department; and 

9 ‘‘(iv) to tailor supportive mental health 

10 services to the needs of veterans with a mental 

11 health condition. 

12 ‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary shall establish criteria for the 

13 selection of eligible entities to be provided financial assist14 ance under this section. 

15 ‘‘(B) Criteria established under subparagraph (A) 

16 with respect to an eligible entity shall include the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(i) Relevant accreditation as may be required 

19 by each State in which the eligible entity operates. 

20 ‘‘(ii) Experience coordinating care or providing 

21 treatment for veterans or members of the Armed 

22 Forces. 

23 ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) The Secretary 

24 shall provide training and technical assistance to eligible 

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1 garding the planning, development, and provision of men2 tal health supportive services under this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may provide the training de4 scribed in paragraph (1) directly or through grants or con5 tracts with appropriate public or nonprofit private entities, 

6 including through grants awarded under section 2064 of 

7 this title. 

8 ‘‘(f) COLLECTION OF INFORMATION.—To the extent 

9 practicable, the Secretary may collect information from an 

10 eligibility entity awarded a grant under this section relat11 ing to a mental health condition of a veteran for inclusion 

12 in the electronic health record of the Department for such 

13 veteran for the sole purpose of improving care provided 

14 to such veteran. 

15 ‘‘(g) FUNDING.—From amounts appropriated to the 

16 Department for medical services, there shall be available 

17 to carry out subsections (b), (c), and (d) the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

19 ‘‘(2) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 

20 ‘‘(3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2024. 

21 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 ‘‘(1) The term ‘eligible entity’ means any of the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(A) An incorporated private institution or 

25 foundation— 


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1 ‘‘(i) no part of the net earnings of 

2 which inures to the benefit of any member, 

3 founder, contributor, or individual; 

4 ‘‘(ii) that has a governing board that 

5 is responsible for the operation of the men6 tal health supportive services provided 

7 under this section; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) that is approved by the Sec9 retary with respect to financial responsi10 bility. 

11 ‘‘(B) A for-profit limited partnership, the 

12 sole general partner of which is an organization 

13 meeting the requirements of clauses (i), (ii), 

14 and (iii) of subparagraph (A). 

15 ‘‘(C) A corporation wholly owned and con16 trolled by an organization meeting the require17 ments of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subpara18 graph (A). 

19 ‘‘(D) A tribally designated housing entity 

20 (as defined in section 4 of the Native American 

21 Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 

22 of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)). 

23 ‘‘(2) The term ‘veteran with a mental health 

24 condition’ means a veteran who has been diagnosed 

25 with, or who is seeking treatment for, one or more 


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1 mental health conditions, as determined by the Sec2 retary.’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec4 tions at the beginning of chapter 17 is amended by 

5 inserting after the item relating to section 1720I the 

6 following new item: 

‘‘1720J. Financial assistance for mental health supportive services for veterans 

seeking mental health treatment.’’. 

7 (b) STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM.— 

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

9 Affairs shall conduct a study on the effectiveness of 

10 the program of financial assistance under section 

11 1720J of title 38, United States Code, as added by 

12 subsection (a), in meeting the needs of veterans with 

13 a mental health condition, as that term is defined in 

14 that section. 

15 (2) COMPARISON.—In conducting the study re16 quired by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall com17 pare the results of the program described in that 

18 paragraph with other programs of the Department 

19 of Veterans Affairs dedicated to the delivery of men20 tal health services to veterans. 

21 (3) CRITERIA.—In making the comparison re22 quired by paragraph (2), the Secretary shall examine 

23 the following: 


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1 (A) The satisfaction of veterans targeted 

2 by the programs described in paragraph (2). 

3 (B) The health status of such veterans. 

4 (C) The mental wellness of such veterans. 

5 (D) The degree to which such veterans are 

6 encouraged to engage in productive activity by 

7 such programs. 

8 (E) The number of veterans using such 

9 programs, disaggregated by— 

10 (i) veterans who have received care 

11 from the Department in the previous two 

12 years; and 

13 (ii) veterans who have not received 

14 care from the Department in the previous 

15 two years. 

16 (F) The number of women’s clinics that 

17 have peer support specialists who are women, 

18 including— 

19 (i) the location of such clinics; 

20 (ii) the availability of peer support 

21 specialist services at such clinics; 

22 (iii) the average number of veterans 

23 treated by such specialists; and 


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1 (iv) the average duration of the rela2 tionship between a veteran and such spe3 cialists. 

4 (G) The number of veterans who die by 

5 suicide while receiving services from an entity 

6 in receipt of a grant under the program of fi7 nancial assistance under section 1720J of title 

8 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 

9 (a), or who die by suicide during the 180-day 

10 period after receiving such services. 

11 (4) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 

12 2021, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 

13 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

14 Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

15 the House of Representatives a report on the results 

16 of the study required by paragraph (1). 

17 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The Secretary shall begin 

18 providing financial assistance under section 1720J of title 

19 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), not 

20 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 

21 Act. 


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1 SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

2 AFFAIRS READJUSTMENT COUNSELING 

3 SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 76 of title 38, United 

5 States Code, is amended by inserting after subchapter 

6 VIII the following new subchapter: 

7 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER IX—READJUSTMENT 

8 COUNSELING SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 

9 ‘‘§ 7698. Requirement for program 

10 ‘‘As part of the Educational Assistance Program, the 

11 Secretary shall carry out a scholarship program under this 

12 subchapter. The program shall be known as the Depart13 ment of Veterans Affairs Readjustment Counseling Serv14 ice Scholarship Program (in this subchapter referred to 

15 as the ‘Program’). 

16 ‘‘§ 7699. Eligibility; agreement 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An individual is eligible to par18 ticipate in the Program, as determined by the Readjust19 ment Counseling Service of the Department, if the indi20 vidual— 

21 ‘‘(1) is accepted for enrollment or enrolled (as 

22 described in section 7602 of this title) in, a program 

23 of study at an accredited educational institution, 

24 school, or training program leading to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral de2 gree in psychology, social work, or marriage 

3 and family therapy; or 

4 ‘‘(B) a master’s degree in mental health 

5 counseling; and 

6 ‘‘(2) enters into an agreement with the Sec7 retary under subsection (c). 

8 ‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In selecting individuals to partici9 pate in the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to 

10 the following individuals: 

11 ‘‘(1) An individual who agrees to be employed 

12 by a Vet Center located in a community that is— 

13 ‘‘(A) designated as a medically underserved 

14 population under section 330(b)(3) of the Pub15 lic Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)); 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(B) in a state with a per capita popu18 lation of veterans of more than five percent ac19 cording to the National Center for Veterans 

20 Analysis and Statistics and the Bureau of the 

21 Census. 

22 ‘‘(2) An individual who is a veteran. 

23 ‘‘(c) AGREEMENT.—An agreement between the Sec24 retary and a participant in the Program shall (in addition 


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1 to the requirements set forth in section 7604 of this title) 

2 include the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) An agreement by the Secretary to provide 

4 the participant with a scholarship under the Pro5 gram for a specified number of school years during 

6 which the participant pursues a program of study 

7 described in subsection (a)(1) that meets the re8 quirements set forth in section 7602(a) of this title. 

9 ‘‘(2) An agreement by the participant to serve 

10 as a full-time employee of the Department at a Vet 

11 Center for a three-year period during the six-year 

12 period following the completion by the participant of 

13 such program of study (in this subchapter referred 

14 to as the ‘period of obligated service’). 

15 ‘‘(d) VET CENTER DEFINED.—In this section, the 

16 term ‘Vet Center’ has the meaning given that term in sec17 tion 1712A(h) of this title. 

18 ‘‘§ 7699A. Obligated service 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each participant in the Program 

20 shall provide service as a full-time employee of the Depart21 ment at a Vet Center (as defined in section 7699(c) of 

22 this title) for the period of obligated service set forth in 

23 the agreement of the participant entered into under sec24 tion 7604 of this title. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DETERMINATION OF SERVICE COMMENCEMENT

2 DATE.—(1) Not later than 60 days before the service com3 mencement date of a participant, the Secretary shall no4 tify the participant of that service commencement date. 

5 ‘‘(2) The date specified in paragraph (1) with respect 

6 to a participant is the date for the beginning of the period 

7 of obligated service of the participant. 

8 ‘‘§ 7699B. Breach of agreement: liability 

9 ‘‘(a) LIQUIDATED DAMAGES.—(1) A participant in 

10 the Program (other than a participant described in sub11 section (b)) who fails to accept payment, or instructs the 

12 educational institution in which the participant is enrolled 

13 not to accept payment, in whole or in part, of a scholarship 

14 under the agreement entered into under section 7604 of 

15 this title shall be liable to the United States for liquidated 

16 damages in the amount of $1,500. 

17 ‘‘(2) Liability under paragraph (1) is in addition to 

18 any period of obligated service or other obligation or liabil19 ity under such agreement. 

20 ‘‘(b) LIABILITY DURING PROGRAM OF STUDY.—(1) 

21 Except as provided in subsection (d), a participant in the 

22 Program shall be liable to the United States for the 

23 amount which has been paid to or on behalf of the partici24 pant under the agreement if any of the following occurs: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The participant fails to maintain an ac2 ceptable level of academic standing in the edu3 cational institution in which the participant is en4 rolled (as determined by the educational institution 

5 under regulations prescribed by the Secretary). 

6 ‘‘(B) The participant is dismissed from such 

7 educational institution for disciplinary reasons. 

8 ‘‘(C) The participant voluntarily terminates the 

9 program of study in such educational institution be10 fore the completion of such program of study. 

11 ‘‘(2) Liability under this subsection is in lieu of any 

12 service obligation arising under the agreement. 

13 ‘‘(c) LIABILITY DURING PERIOD OF OBLIGATED

14 SERVICE.—(1) Except as provided in subsection (d), if a 

15 participant in the Program does not complete the period 

16 of obligated service of the participant, the United States 

17 shall be entitled to recover from the participant an amount 

18 determined in accordance with the following formula: A 

19 = 3Φ(t¥s/t). 

20 ‘‘(2) In the formula in paragraph (1): 

21 ‘‘(A) ‘A’ is the amount the United States is en22 titled to recover. 

23 ‘‘(B) ‘Φ’ is the sum of— 

24 ‘‘(i) the amounts paid under this sub25 chapter to or on behalf of the participant; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the interest on such amounts which 

2 would be payable if at the time the amounts 

3 were paid they were loans bearing interest at 

4 the maximum legal prevailing rate, as deter5 mined by the Treasurer of the United States. 

6 ‘‘(C) ‘t’ is the total number of months in the 

7 period of obligated service of the participant. 

8 ‘‘(D) ‘s’ is the number of months of such period 

9 served by the participant. 

10 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON LIABILITY FOR REDUCTIONS11 IN-FORCE.—Liability shall not arise under subsection (c) 

12 if the participant fails to maintain employment as a De13 partment employee due to a staffing adjustment. 

14 ‘‘(e) PERIOD FOR PAYMENT OF DAMAGES.—Any 

15 amount of damages that the United States is entitled to 

16 recover under this section shall be paid to the United 

17 States within the one-year period beginning on the date 

18 of the breach of the agreement.’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

20 (1) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

21 (A) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—Sec22 tion 7601(a) of such title is amended— 

23 (i) in paragraph (5), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (ii) in paragraph (6), by striking the 

2 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (iii) by adding at the end the fol4 lowing new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(7) the readjustment counseling service schol6 arship program provided for in subchapter IX of this 

7 chapter.’’. 

8 (B) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 7602 of such 

9 title is amended— 

10 (i) in subsection (a)(1)— 

11 (I) by striking ‘‘or VI’’ and in12 serting ‘‘VI, or IX’’; and 

13 (II) by striking ‘‘subchapter VI’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘subchapter VI or IX’’; 

15 and 

16 (ii) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘or 

17 VI’’ and inserting ‘‘VI, or IX’’. 

18 (C) APPLICATION.—Section 7603(a)(1) of 

19 such title is amended by striking ‘‘or VIII’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘VIII, or IX’’. 

21 (D) TERMS OF AGREEMENT.—Section 

22 7604 of such title is amended by striking ‘‘or 

23 VIII’’ each place it appears and inserting 

24 ‘‘VIII, or IX’’. 


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1 (E) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 7632 of 

2 such title is amended— 

3 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and 

4 the Specialty Education Loan Repayment 

5 Program’’ and inserting ‘‘the Specialty 

6 Education Loan Repayment Program, and 

7 the Readjustment Counseling Service 

8 Scholarship Program’’; and 

9 (ii) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and 

10 per participant in the Specialty Education 

11 Loan Repayment Program’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘per participant in the Specialty Education 

13 Loan Repayment Program, and per partic14 ipant in the Readjustment Counseling 

15 Service Scholarship Program’’. 

16 (2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 

17 at the beginning of chapter 76 of such title is 

18 amended by inserting after the items relating to sub19 chapter VIII the following: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER IX—READJUSTMENT COUNSELING SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP

PROGRAM

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘7698. Requirement for program. 

‘‘7699. Eligibility; agreement. 

‘‘7699A. Obligated service. 

‘‘7699B. Breach of agreement: liability.’’. 

20 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The Secretary of Veterans 

21 Affairs shall begin awarding scholarships under sub22 chapter IX of chapter 76 of title 38, United States Code, 


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1 as added by subsection (a), for programs of study begin2 ning not later than one year after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS