I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2819 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and expand the Solid 

Start program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2021 

Ms. SLOTKIN (for herself and Mr. JOYCE of Ohio) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and 

expand the Solid Start program of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 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 ‘‘Solid Start Act of 

5 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) In 2021, veterans continue to die by suicide 

9 at higher rates than civilians. Many of those vet10 erans have no ties to the Department of Veterans 


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1 Affairs, limiting the ability of the Department to 

2 help in times of crisis. 

3 (2) The first year after separating from the 

4 military is a critical time in the transition to civilian 

5 life for a member of the Armed Forces. Many 

6 changes occur during that transition, from career 

7 and location changes to shifts in financial cir8 cumstances and health care coverage. 

9 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

10 It is the sense of Congress that the United States 

11 must strive to better serve members of the Armed Forces 

12 and veterans who are transitioning to civilian life by— 

13 (1) providing up-to-date information and access 

14 to resources that such members of the Armed 

15 Forces and veterans may not be aware of; 

16 (2) supporting the critical time of transition by 

17 ensuring that mental health needs are met in a time18 ly manner; and 

19 (3) assisting members of the Armed Forces and 

20 veterans in accessing newly available services. 

21 SEC. 4. SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

22 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 38, United 

24 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing new subchapter: 


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1 ‘‘Subchapter II—Other Outreach Programs 

2 and Activities 

3 ‘‘§ 6320. Solid Start program 

4 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

5 ‘‘(1) to build the capacity of the Department to 

6 efficiently and effectively respond to the queries and 

7 needs of veterans who have recently separated from 

8 the Armed Forces; and 

9 ‘‘(2) to systemically integrate and coordinate ef10 forts to assist veterans, including efforts— 

11 ‘‘(A) to proactively reach out to newly sep12 arated veterans to inform them of their eligi13 bility for programs of and benefits provided by 

14 the Department; and 

15 ‘‘(B) to connect veterans in crisis to re16 sources that address their immediate needs. 

17 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES OF THE SOLID START PROGRAM.— 

18 (1) The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 

19 Defense, shall carry out the Solid Start program of the 

20 Department by— 

21 ‘‘(A) collecting up-to-date contact information 

22 during transition classes or separation counseling for 

23 all members of the Armed Forces who are sepa24 rating from the Armed Forces, while explaining the 

25 existence and purpose of the Solid Start program; 


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1 ‘‘(B) calling each veteran, regardless of separa2 tion type or characterization of service, three times 

3 within the first year after separation of the veteran 

4 from the Armed Forces; 

5 ‘‘(C) providing information about the Solid 

6 Start program on the website of the Department 

7 and in materials of the Department, especially tran8 sition booklets and other resources; 

9 ‘‘(D) ensuring calls are truly tailored to the 

10 needs of each veteran’s unique situation by con11 ducting quality assurance tests; 

12 ‘‘(E) prioritizing outreach to veterans who have 

13 accessed mental health resources prior to separation 

14 from the Armed Forces; 

15 ‘‘(F) providing women veterans with informa16 tion that is tailored to their specific health care and 

17 benefit needs; 

18 ‘‘(G) as feasible, providing information on ac19 cess to State and local resources, including Vet Cen20 ters and veterans service organizations; and 

21 ‘‘(H) gathering and analyzing data assessing 

22 the effectiveness of the Solid Start program. 

23 ‘‘(2) The Secretary, in coordination with the Sec24 retary of Defense, may carry out the Solid Start program 

25 by— 


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1 ‘‘(A) encouraging members of the Armed 

2 Forces who are transitioning to civilian life to au3 thorize alternate points of contact who can be 

4 reached should the member be unavailable during 

5 the first year following the separation of the member 

6 from the Armed Forces; 

7 ‘‘(B) following up missed phone calls with tai8 lored mailings to ensure the veteran still receives 

9 similar information; and 

10 ‘‘(C) striving to reach out to veterans who sepa11 rated prior to the initiation of the Solid Start pro12 gram to provide similar services to those veterans, as 

13 feasible. 

14 ‘‘(3) In this subsection: 

15 ‘‘(A) The term ‘Vet Center’ has the meaning 

16 given that term in section 1712A(h) of this title. 

17 ‘‘(B) The term ‘veterans service organization’ 

18 means an organization recognized by the Secretary 

19 for the representation of veterans under section 

20 5902 of this title. 

21 ‘‘(c) OBLIGATIONS OF AMOUNTS.—Subject to the 

22 availability of appropriations, the Secretary may not, in 

23 a fiscal year, obligate an amount to carry out the Solid 

24 Start program that is less than the total amount obligated 

25 in the previous fiscal year to carry out the program, unless 


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1 the Secretary determines that increased efficiencies of the 

2 program warrant the obligation of a lesser amount.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 63 of 

4 such title, as amended by subsection (a), is further amend5 ed— 

6 (1) by inserting before section 6301 the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘Subchapter I—Outreach Services Program’’; 

9 and 

10 (2) in sections 6301, 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306, 

11 and 6307, by striking ‘‘this chapter’’ each place it 

12 appears and inserting ‘‘this subchapter’’. 

13 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

14 at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended— 

15 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec16 tion 6301 the following new item: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—OUTREACH SERVICES PROGRAM’’; 

17 and 

18 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

19 items: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—OTHER OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

‘‘6320. Solid Start program.’’. 

Æ 


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