116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2216 

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. 
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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 ‘‘Transparency and Ef5 fective Accountability Measures for Veteran Caregivers 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF ADMINISTRATION OF CARE8 GIVER PROGRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VET9 ERANS AFFAIRS. 

10 (a) FORMAL RECOGNITION OF CAREGIVERS.— 

11 (1) REPORT.— 

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

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

14 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

15 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Com16 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

17 Representatives a report regarding the feasi18 bility and advisability of formally recognizing all 

19 caregivers of veterans by identifying any care20 giver of a veteran in the electronic health record 

21 of the veteran. 

22 (B) CAREGIVERS RECOGNIZED.—The rec23 ognition of caregivers described in subpara24 graph (A) shall include recognition of — 
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1 (i) any family caregiver who is ap2 proved as a provider of personal care serv3 ices for an eligible veteran under the pro4 gram of comprehensive assistance for fam5 ily caregivers under subsection (a) of sec6 tion 1720G of title 38, United States 

7 Code; and 

8 (ii) any caregiver of a covered veteran 

9 participating in the program of general 

10 caregiver support services under subsection 

11 (b) of such section. 

12 (C) TIMELINE.—If the Secretary deter13 mines that formally recognizing all caregivers of 

14 veterans as described in subparagraph (A) is 

15 feasible and advisable, the report required by 

16 such subparagraph shall include a timeline for 

17 implementing such recognition. 

18 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—If the Secretary deter19 mines that formally recognizing all caregivers of vet20 erans as described in paragraph (1)(A) is feasible 

21 and advisable, the Secretary shall implement such 

22 recognition in accordance with the timeline included 

23 in the report required by such paragraph. 

24 (b) NOTIFICATIONS, EXTENSION OF BENEFITS, AND

25 DISCHARGE FROM FAMILY CAREGIVER PROGRAM.—Sec-
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1 tion 1720G(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 

2 by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: 

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

4 described in subparagraph (C) regarding decisions affect5 ing the furnishing of assistance under this subsection 

6 using standardized letters, as the Secretary determines 

7 such notifications and letters to be appropriate. 

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

9 shall include the elements required for notices of decisions 

10 under section 5104(b) of this title to the extent that those 

11 elements apply to such notification, unless, not later than 

12 60 days after the date of the enactment of the Trans13 parency and Effective Accountability Measures for Vet14 eran Caregivers Act, the Secretary determines that it 

15 would not be feasible to include such elements in such no16 tifications and submits to the Committee on Veterans’ Af17 fairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af18 fairs of the House of Representatives a report setting 

19 forth the reasons for such determination. 

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

21 shall include— 

22 ‘‘(i) an individual who submits an application 

23 for the program established under paragraph (1); 
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1 ‘‘(ii) an individual determined by the Secretary 

2 to be an eligible veteran pursuant to such an appli3 cation; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) a family caregiver of an eligible veteran 

5 who is— 

6 ‘‘(I) approved as a provider of personal 

7 care services under paragraph (6)(B); or 

8 ‘‘(II) designated as a primary provider of 

9 personal care services under paragraph (7)(A). 

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

11 receiving services under the program established under 

12 paragraph (1) is no longer eligible for such program solely 

13 because of improvement in the condition of the veteran— 

14 ‘‘(i) the effective date of discharge of the vet15 eran from the program shall be not earlier than the 

16 date that is 60 days after the date on which the Sec17 retary provides notice of such lack of eligibility 

18 under paragraph (12)(A) to the relevant individuals 

19 described in paragraph (12)(C); and 

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

21 the program established under paragraph (1) for a 

22 family caregiver of the veteran described in para23 graph (12)(C)(iii), including stipends under para24 graph (3)(A)(ii)(V), if such an extension is deter25 mined appropriate by the Secretary, for a 90-day pe-
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1 riod following discharge of the veteran from the pro2 gram. 

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

4 the authority of the Secretary— 

5 ‘‘(i) to prescribe regulations addressing other 

6 bases for— 

7 ‘‘(I) the discharge of a veteran from the 

8 program established under paragraph (1); or 

9 ‘‘(II) the revocation of the designation of a 

10 family caregiver of a veteran as a primary pro11 vider of personal care services under paragraph 

12 (7)(A); or 

13 ‘‘(ii) to provide advance notice and extended 

14 benefits under the program, as appropriate, if an15 other basis for discharge of a veteran described in 

16 subclause (I) of clause (i) or revocation of a designa17 tion described in subclause (II) of such clause ap18 plies.’’. 

Passed the Senate November 17, 2020. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2216 

AN ACT 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to forily caregiver program, and for other purposes. erans who are determined ineligible for the fam- gram, and temporarily extend benefits for vet- relating to eligibility for the family caregiver pro- erans and caregivers of clinical determinations mally recognize caregivers of veterans, notify vet-