I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3575 

To improve Vet Centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 28, 2021 

Mr. CICILLINE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve Vet Centers 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 ‘‘Vet Center Improve5 ment Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) VET CENTER.—The term ‘‘Vet Center’’ has 

9 the meaning given that term in section 1712A(h) of 

10 title 38, United States Code. 


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1 (2) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ means an orga3 nization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Af4 fairs for the representation of veterans under section 

5 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 

6 SEC. 3. PRODUCTIVITY EXPECTATIONS FOR READJUST7 MENT COUNSELORS OF VET CENTERS. 

8 (a) EVALUATION OF PRODUCTIVITY EXPECTA9 TIONS.—Not later than one year after the date of the en10 actment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

11 shall evaluate productivity expectations for readjustment 

12 counselors of Vet Centers, including by obtaining system13 atic feedback from counselors on such expectations, in14 cluding with respect to following: 

15 (1) Any potential effects of productivity expec16 tations, whether positive or negative, on client care. 

17 (2) Distances readjustment counselors may 

18 travel to appointments, especially with respect to 

19 serving rural veterans. 

20 (3) The possibility that some veterans may not 

21 want to use nor benefit from telehealth or group 

22 counseling. 

23 (4) Availability and access of veteran popu24 lations to broadband and telehealth. 


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1 (5) Any effect of productivity expectations on 

2 readjustment counselors, including with respect to 

3 recruitment, retention, and welfare. 

4 (6) Whether productivity expectations provide 

5 incentives or pressure to inaccurately report client 

6 visits. 

7 (7) Whether directors and readjustment coun8 selors of Vet Centers need additional training or 

9 guidance on how productivity expectations are cal10 culated. 

11 (8) Such other criteria as the Secretary con12 siders appropriate. 

13 (b) SYSTEMATIC FEEDBACK.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

15 (A) make every effort to ensure that all re16 adjustment counselors of Vet Centers are given 

17 the opportunity to fully provide feedback, posi18 tive or negative, on all items under subsection 

19 (a); 

20 (B) collect and safely store the feedback 

21 obtained under subsection (a)— 

22 (i) in an electronic database that can23 not be altered by any party; 


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1 (ii) in an anonymized manner, in 

2 order to protect the privacy of each re3 spondent; and 

4 (iii) in a manner that allows for eval5 uation by third parties of the feedback, 

6 such as audit of the feedback by the Gov7 ernment Accountability Office; and 

8 (C) provide the feedback obtained under 

9 subsection (a) in an anonymized manner to the 

10 working group established under section 5. 

11 (2) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

12 AUDIT.—Not less frequently than once each year 

13 during the five-year period beginning on the date of 

14 the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

15 of the United States shall audit the feedback ob16 tained from readjustment counselors of Vet Centers 

17 under subsection (a). 

18 (c) IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES.—Not later than 

19 90 days after the date of the completion of the evaluation 

20 required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall implement 

21 any needed changes to the productivity expectations de22 scribed in such subsection in order to ensure— 

23 (1) quality of care and access to care for vet24 erans; and 

25 (2) the welfare of readjustment counselors. 


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1 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the completion of the evaluation required 

3 by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress 

4 a report on— 

5 (1) the findings of the evaluation; and 

6 (2) any planned or implemented changes de7 scribed in subsection (c). 

8 (e) PLAN FOR REASSESSMENT AND IMPLEMENTA9 TION.— 

10 (1) PLAN.—Not later than one year after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

12 shall develop and implement a plan for— 

13 (A) reassessing productivity expectations 

14 for readjustment counselors of Vet Centers, in 

15 consultation with such counselors; and 

16 (B) implementing any needed changes to 

17 such expectations, as the Secretary determines 

18 appropriate. 

19 (2) REASSESSMENTS.—Under the plan required 

20 by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall conduct a re21 assessment described in such paragraph not less fre22 quently than once each year. 

23 SEC. 4. STAFFING MODEL FOR VET CENTERS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of VetVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:36 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3575.IH H3575

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1 erans Affairs shall develop and implement a staffing model 

2 for Vet Centers that incorporates key practices in the de3 sign of such staffing model. 

4 (b) ELEMENTS.—In developing the staffing model 

5 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

6 (1) involve key stakeholders, including readjust7 ment counselors, outreach specialists, and directors 

8 of Vet Centers; 

9 (2) incorporate key work activities and the fre10 quency and time required to conduct such activities; 

11 (3) ensure the data used in the model is high 

12 quality to provide assurance that staffing estimates 

13 are reliable; and 

14 (4) incorporate— 

15 (A) risk factors, including case complexity; 

16 (B) geography; 

17 (C) availability, advisability, and willing18 ness of veterans to use telehealth or group 

19 counseling; and 

20 (D) such other factors as the Secretary 

21 considers appropriate. 

22 (c) PLAN FOR ASSESSMENTS AND UPDATES.—Not 

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

24 Act, the Secretary shall develop a plan for— 


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1 (1) assessing and updating the staffing model 

2 developed and implemented under subsection (a) not 

3 less frequently than once every four years; and 

4 (2) implementing any needed changes to such 

5 model, as the Secretary determines appropriate. 

6 SEC. 5. WORKING GROUP OF READJUSTMENT COUN7 SELORS, OUTREACH SPECIALISTS, AND DI8 RECTORS OF VET CENTERS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—In conducting the evaluation of 

10 productivity expectations under section 3(a) and devel11 oping the staffing model for Vet Centers under section 

12 4(a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a 

13 working group to assess— 

14 (1) the efficacy, impact, and composition of per15 formance metrics for such expectations with respect 

16 to— 

17 (A) quality of care and access to care for 

18 veterans; and 

19 (B) the welfare of readjustment counselors 

20 and other employees of Vet Centers; and 

21 (2) key considerations for the development of 

22 such staffing model, including with respect to— 

23 (A) quality of care and access to care for 

24 veterans and other individuals eligible for care 

25 through Vet Centers; and 


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1 (B) recruitment, retention, and welfare of 

2 employees of Vet Centers. 

3 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The working group established 

4 under subsection (a) shall be composed of readjustment 

5 counselors, outreach specialists, and directors of Vet Cen6 ters. 

7 (c) FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—The 

8 working group established under subsection (a) shall pro9 vide to the Secretary— 

10 (1) feedback from readjustment counselors, out11 reach specialists, and directors of Vet Centers; and 

12 (2) recommendations on how to improve— 

13 (A) quality of care and access to care for 

14 veterans; and 

15 (B) the welfare of readjustment counselors 

16 and other employees of Vet Centers. 

17 SEC. 6. IMPROVEMENTS OF HIRING PRACTICES AT VET 

18 CENTERS. 

19 (a) STANDARDIZATION OF POSITION DESCRIP20 TIONS.— 

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

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary of Veterans Affairs shall standardize descrip24 tions of position responsibilities at Vet Centers. 


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1 (2) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—In each of the 

2 first two annual reports submitted under section 

3 7309(e) of title 38, United States Code, after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

5 shall include a description of the actions taken by 

6 the Secretary to carry out paragraph (1). 

7 (b) EXPANSION OF REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ON

8 READJUSTMENT COUNSELING TO INCLUDE ACTIONS TO

9 REDUCE STAFFING VACANCIES AND TIME TO HIRE.— 

10 Section 7309(e)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is 

11 amended by adding at the end the following new subpara12 graph: 

13 ‘‘(D) A description of actions taken by the Sec14 retary to reduce— 

15 ‘‘(i) vacancies in counselor positions in the 

16 Readjustment Counseling Service; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) the time it takes to hire such coun18 selors.’’. 

19 SEC. 7. REPORT BY GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OF20 FICE ON VET CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE AND 

21 FUTURE INVESTMENTS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

24 of the United States shall submit to Congress a report 


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1 on physical infrastructure and future investments with re2 spect to Vet Centers. 

3 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 

4 (a) shall include the following: 

5 (1) An assessment of— 

6 (A) the condition of the physical infra7 structure of all assets of Vet Centers, whether 

8 owned or leased by the Department of Veterans 

9 Affairs; and 

10 (B) the short-, medium-, and long-term 

11 plans of the Department to maintain and up12 grade the physical infrastructure of Vet Centers 

13 to address the operational needs of Vet Centers 

14 as of the date of the submittal of the report and 

15 future needs. 

16 (2) An assessment of management and stra17 tegic planning for the physical infrastructure of Vet 

18 Centers, including whether the Department should 

19 buy or lease existing or additional locations in areas 

20 with stable or growing populations of veterans. 

21 (3) An assessment of whether, as of the date of 

22 the submittal of the report, Vet Center buildings, 

23 mobile Vet Centers, community access points, and 

24 similar infrastructure are sufficient to care for vet25 erans or if such infrastructure is negatively affecting 


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1 care due to limited space for veterans and Vet Cen2 ter personnel or other factors. 

3 (4) An assessment of the areas with the great4 est need for investments in— 

5 (A) improved physical infrastructure, in6 cluding upgraded Vet Centers; or 

7 (B) additional physical infrastructure for 

8 Vet Centers, including new Vet Centers owned 

9 or leased by the Department. 

10 (5) A description of the authorities and re11 sources that may be required for the Secretary to 

12 make such investments. 

13 (6) A review of all annual reports submitted 

14 under 7309(e) of title 38, United States Code, be15 fore the date of the submittal of the report under 

16 subsection (a). 

17 SEC. 8. PILOT PROGRAM TO COMBAT FOOD INSECURITY 

18 AMONG VETERANS AND FAMILY MEMBERS 

19 OF VETERANS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet22 erans Affairs shall establish a pilot program to award 

23 grants to eligible entities to support partnerships that ad24 dress food insecurity among veterans and family members 

25 of veterans who receive services through Vet Centers or 


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1 other facilities of the Department as determined by the 

2 Secretary. 

3 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of the pilot 

4 program, an eligible entity is— 

5 (1) a nonprofit organization; 

6 (2) a veterans service organization; 

7 (3) a public agency; 

8 (4) a community-based organization; or 

9 (5) an institution of higher education. 

10 (c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a grant 

11 under the pilot program shall submit to the Secretary an 

12 application therefor at such time, in such manner, and 

13 containing such information as the Secretary may require. 

14 (d) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select eligible 

15 entities that submit applications under subsection (c) for 

16 the award of grants under the pilot program using a com17 petitive process that takes into account the following: 

18 (1) Capacity of the applicant entity to serve 

19 veterans and family members of veterans. 

20 (2) Demonstrated need of the population the 

21 applicant entity would serve. 

22 (3) Demonstrated need of the applicant entity 

23 for assistance from the grant. 

24 (4) Such other criteria as the Secretary con25 siders appropriate. 


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1 (e) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall ensure, to 

2 the extent practicable, an equitable geographic distribu3 tion of grants awarded under this section. 

4 (f) MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—Any grant 

5 awarded under this section shall be used— 

6 (1) to carry out a collaboration between one or 

7 more eligible entities and one or more Vet Centers 

8 or other facilities of the Department for five years; 

9 (2) to increase participation in nutrition coun10 seling programs and provide educational materials 

11 and counseling to veterans and family members of 

12 veterans to address food insecurity and healthy diets 

13 among those individuals; 

14 (3) to increase access to and enrollment in Fed15 eral assistance programs, including the supplemental 

16 nutrition assistance program under the Food and 

17 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the 

18 special supplemental nutrition program for women, 

19 infants, and children established by section 17 of the 

20 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), the 

21 low-income home energy assistance program estab22 lished under the Low-Income Home Energy Assist23 ance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), and any 

24 other assistance program that the Secretary con25 siders advisable; and 


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1 (4) to fulfill such other criteria as the Secretary 

2 considers appropriate to further the purpose of the 

3 grant and serve veterans. 

4 (g) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—Each entity that 

5 receives a grant under this section shall provide to the Sec6 retary, at least once each year during the duration of the 

7 grant term, data on— 

8 (1) the number of veterans and family members 

9 of veterans screened for, and enrolled in, programs 

10 described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection 

11 (f); 

12 (2) other services provided by the entity to vet13 erans and family members of veterans using funds 

14 from the grant; and 

15 (3) such other data as the Secretary may re16 quire. 

17 (h) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

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

19 to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the 

20 status of the implementation of this section. 

21 (i) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE22 PORT.— 

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

24 after the date on which the pilot program termi25 nates, the Comptroller General of the United States 


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1 shall submit to Congress a report evaluating the ef2 fectiveness of the activities carried out under this 

3 section in reducing food insecurity among veterans 

4 and family members of veterans. 

5 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para6 graph (1) shall include the following: 

7 (A) A summary of the activities carried out 

8 under this section. 

9 (B) An assessment of the effectiveness of 

10 the grants awarded under this section, includ11 ing with respect to eligibility screening contacts, 

12 application assistance consultations, and 

13 changes in food insecurity among the popu14 lation served by the grant. 

15 (C) Best practices regarding the use of 

16 partnerships to improve the effectiveness of 

17 public benefit programs to address food insecu18 rity among veterans and family members of vet19 erans. 

20 (D) An assessment of the feasibility and 

21 advisability of extending the term of the pilot 

22 program. 

23 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

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1 lished under subsection (a) $50,000,000 for each fis2 cal year in which the program is carried out, begin3 ning with the fiscal year in which the program is es4 tablished. 

5 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the 

6 amounts authorized to be appropriated under para7 graph (1), not more than 5 percent may be used for 

8 administrative expenses of the Department of Vet9 erans Affairs associated with administering grants 

10 under this section. 

11 (k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON13 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con14 gress’’ means— 

15 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

16 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

17 Senate; and 

18 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

19 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

20 House of Representatives. 

21 (2) FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.—The 

22 term ‘‘facilities of the Department’’ has the meaning 

23 given that term in section 1701(3) of title 38, 

24 United States Code. 


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1 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

3 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High4 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

5 (4) PUBLIC AGENCY.—The term ‘‘public agen6 cy’’ means a department, agency, other unit, or in7 strumentality of Federal, State, Tribal, or local gov8 ernment. 

9 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 

10 State and Territory of the United States, the Dis11 trict of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 

12 Rico. 

13 (6) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ means an 

14 individual who served in the Armed Forces, includ15 ing an individual who served in a reserve component 

16 of the Armed Forces, and who was discharged or re17 leased therefrom, regardless of the conditions of 

18 such discharge or release. 

Æ 


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