II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3255 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of Vet 

Centers in certain States based on population metrics, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 

Mr. BOOKER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the 

number of Vet Centers in certain States based on population metrics, 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 Census-En5 abled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement 

6 for Mental Health Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘Vet CENTERS 

7 for Mental Health Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN NUMBER OF VET CENTERS IN CER2 TAIN STATES BASED ON POPULATION 

3 METRICS. 

4 (a) INCREASE IN NUMBER.—If the Secretary of Vet5 erans Affairs determines that a State meets each require6 ment described in subsection (c), (d), or (e), the Secretary 

7 shall ensure that the number of covered Vet Centers lo8 cated in the State is increased from the number of covered 

9 Vet Centers that were located in the State on December 

10 31, 2020, through the establishment of not less than one 

11 additional covered Vet Center within the State, as applica12 ble. 

13 (b) EXISTING FACILITIES.—In establishing an addi14 tional covered Vet Center pursuant to a determination 

15 under subsection (a), the Secretary may establish the cov16 ered Vet Center at a facility made available to the Sec17 retary by the head of a State, local government, or feder18 ally recognized Indian tribe to carry out this section, re19 gardless of whether such facility is made available at a 

20 cost to the Secretary. 

21 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements described in 

22 this subsection are, with respect to the 2020 calendar 

23 year, as follows: 

24 (1) The total population of the State exceeded 

25 6,000,000, as determined by the Bureau of the Cen26 sus. 


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1 (2) The average population density of the State 

2 exceeded 200 individuals per square mile, as deter3 mined by the Bureau of the Census. 

4 (3) The total veteran population in the State 

5 was greater than 250,000 veterans, as determined 

6 by the Secretary. 

7 (4) The ratio of veteran population in the State 

8 to covered Vet Centers located in the State exceeded 

9 50,000 veterans per one covered Vet Center, as de10 termined by the Secretary (regardless of the number 

11 of veterans who received services at covered Vet 

12 Centers located in the State during such year). 

13 (d) ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS.—The require14 ments described in this subsection are as follows: 

15 (1) The State does not share a land border with 

16 another State. 

17 (2) The State is located not less than 2,000 

18 miles from the contiguous United States. 

19 (3) There is no covered Vet Center located in 

20 the State. 

21 (e) ADDITIONAL ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS.— 

22 The requirements described in this subsection are as fol23 lows: 

24 (1) There are fewer than five covered Vet Cen25 ters located in the State. 


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1 (2) The land area of the State exceeds 75,000 

2 square miles. 

3 (3) During the 2020 calendar year, the total 

4 population of the State exceeded 5,000,000 individ5 uals, as determined by the Bureau of the Census. 

6 (4) During the 2020 calendar year, the ratio of 

7 veteran population in the State to covered Vet Cen8 ters located in the State exceeded 75,000 veterans 

9 per one covered Vet Center, as determined by the 

10 Secretary (regardless of the number of veterans who 

11 received services at covered Vet Centers located in 

12 the State during such year). 

13 (f) COMMUNITY-BASED OUTPATIENT CLINICS.—The 

14 Secretary shall establish a covered community-based out15 patient clinic in each State that the Secretary determines 

16 meets the following requirements: 

17 (1) The State does not share a land border with 

18 another State. 

19 (2) The State is located not less than 2,000 

20 miles from the contiguous United States. 

21 (3) There is no covered community-based out22 patient clinic located in the State. 

23 (g) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall establish such 

24 additional covered Vet Centers as may be required pursu25 ant to a determination under subsection (a), and such covVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:06 Nov 22, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3255.IS S3255

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1 ered community-based outpatient clinics as may be re2 quired pursuant to a determination under subsection (f), 

3 by not later than two years after the date of the enactment 

4 of this Act. 

5 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) COVERED COMMUNITY-BASED OUTPATIENT

7 CLINIC.—The term ‘‘covered community-based out8 patient clinic’’ means a community-based outpatient 

9 clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs that is 

10 scheduled to be open for the provision of community11 based outpatient services for a minimum of eight 

12 hours per day during five days of the week, except 

13 that the community-based outpatient clinic may be 

14 open for less than such minimum period on a tem15 porary basis as a result of a Federal holiday, weath16 er concern, safety concern, pandemic, or for such 

17 other reasons as may be determined appropriate by 

18 the Secretary. 

19 (2) COVERED VET CENTER.—The term ‘‘cov20 ered Vet Center’’— 

21 (A) means a Vet Center, as such term is 

22 defined in section 1712A of title 38, United 

23 States Code, that is scheduled to be open for 

24 the provision of services under such section for 

25 a minimum of eight hours per day during five 


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1 days of the week, except that the Vet Center 

2 may be open for less than such minimum period 

3 on a temporary basis as a result of a Federal 

4 holiday, weather concern, safety concern, pan5 demic, or for such other reasons as may be de6 termined appropriate by the Secretary; and 

7 (B) does not include a Vet Center 

8 outstation. 

9 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean10 ing given such term in section 101 of title 38, 

11 United States Code. 

Æ 


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