S. 2216 

One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty 

An Act 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize caregivers of 

veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to 

eligibility for the family caregiver program, and temporarily extend benefits for 

veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, and 

for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transparency and Effective 

Accountability Measures for Veteran Caregivers Act’’ or the ‘‘TEAM 

Veteran Caregivers Act’’. 

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF ADMINISTRATION OF CAREGIVER PROGRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

(a) FORMAL RECOGNITION OF CAREGIVERS.— 

(1) REPORT.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 

and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

Representatives a report regarding the feasibility and 

advisability of formally recognizing all caregivers of veterans by identifying any caregiver of a veteran in the 

electronic health record of the veteran. 

(B) CAREGIVERS RECOGNIZED.—The recognition of caregivers described in subparagraph (A) shall include recognition of — 

(i) any family caregiver who is approved as a provider of personal care services for an eligible veteran 

under the program of comprehensive assistance for 

family caregivers under subsection (a) of section 1720G 

of title 38, United States Code; and 

(ii) any caregiver of a covered veteran participating 

in the program of general caregiver support services 

under subsection (b) of such section. 

(C) TIMELINE.—If the Secretary determines that formally recognizing all caregivers of veterans as described 

in subparagraph (A) is feasible and advisable, the report 

required by such subparagraph shall include a timeline 

for implementing such recognition. 

(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—If the Secretary determines that formally recognizing all caregivers of veterans as described in 

paragraph (1)(A) is feasible and advisable, the Secretary shall 
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implement such recognition in accordance with the timeline 

included in the report required by such paragraph. 

(b) NOTIFICATIONS, EXTENSION OF BENEFITS, AND DISCHARGE

FROM FAMILY CAREGIVER PROGRAM.—Section 1720G(a) of title 38, 

United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 

new paragraphs: 

‘‘(12)(A) The Secretary shall notify the individuals described 

in subparagraph (C) regarding decisions affecting the furnishing 

of assistance under this subsection using standardized letters, as 

the Secretary determines such notifications and letters to be appropriate. 

‘‘(B) A notification provided under subparagraph (A) shall 

include the elements required for notices of decisions under section 

5104(b) of this title to the extent that those elements apply to 

such notification, unless, not later than 60 days after the date 

of the enactment of the Transparency and Effective Accountability 

Measures for Veteran Caregivers Act, the Secretary determines 

that it would not be feasible to include such elements in such 

notifications and submits to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

of Representatives a report setting forth the reasons for such determination. 

‘‘(C) The individuals described in this subparagraph shall 

include— 

‘‘(i) an individual who submits an application for the program established under paragraph (1); 

‘‘(ii) an individual determined by the Secretary to be an 

eligible veteran pursuant to such an application; and 

‘‘(iii) a family caregiver of an eligible veteran who is— 

‘‘(I) approved as a provider of personal care services 

under paragraph (6)(B); or 

‘‘(II) designated as a primary provider of personal care 

services under paragraph (7)(A). 

‘‘(13)(A) If the Secretary determines that a veteran receiving 

services under the program established under paragraph (1) is 

no longer eligible for such program solely because of improvement 

in the condition of the veteran— 

‘‘(i) the effective date of discharge of the veteran from 

the program shall be not earlier than the date that is 60 

days after the date on which the Secretary provides notice 

of such lack of eligibility under paragraph (12)(A) to the relevant individuals described in paragraph (12)(C); and 

‘‘(ii) the Secretary shall extend benefits under the program 

established under paragraph (1) for a family caregiver of the 

veteran described in paragraph (12)(C)(iii), including stipends 

under paragraph (3)(A)(ii)(V), if such an extension is determined 

appropriate by the Secretary, for a 90-day period following 

discharge of the veteran from the program. 

‘‘(B) This paragraph shall not be construed to limit the authority 

of the Secretary— 

‘‘(i) to prescribe regulations addressing other bases for— 

‘‘(I) the discharge of a veteran from the program established under paragraph (1); or 

‘‘(II) the revocation of the designation of a family caregiver of a veteran as a primary provider of personal care 

services under paragraph (7)(A); or 
S. 2216—3 

‘‘(ii) to provide advance notice and extended benefits under 

the program, as appropriate, if another basis for discharge 

of a veteran described in subclause (I) of clause (i) or revocation 

of a designation described in subclause (II) of such clause 

applies.’’. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.