Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2023

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 733 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 733

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve mental health 
 care for veterans through the establishment of a minimum requirement 
                for the number of Vet Centers per State.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2023

  Ms. Sherrill (for herself, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, Mr. Sablan, Mr. 
      Fitzpatrick, Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Trone, Mr. 
Ruppersberger, Ms. Ross, Mr. Van Drew, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Ms. 
  Houlahan, and Mr. Casten) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve mental health 
 care for veterans through the establishment of a minimum requirement 
                for the number of Vet Centers per State.

    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 ``Veterans Census-Enabled National 
Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2023'' 
or the ``Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR NUMBER OF VET CENTERS PER STATE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure 
that, by not later than one year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the number of covered Vet Centers located in each State is at 
least the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with 
respect to that State.
    (b) Minimum Required Number.--The minimum required number described 
in this subsection is the following:
            (1) With respect to each State that is one of the several 
        States not located in the contiguous United States, the 
        District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any 
        other territory or possession of the United States that is not 
        one of the several States, the greater of the following:
                    (A) One covered Vet Center per State.
                    (B) The total number of covered Vet Centers that 
                were located in the State on January 1, 2020.
            (2) With respect to each of the several States located in 
        the contiguous United States and not referred to in paragraph 
        (1), the greater of the following:
                    (A) One covered Vet Center per every 30,000 square 
                miles of land area in the State.
                    (B) One covered Vet Center per every 55,000 
                veterans located in the State (calculated by using the 
                number of veterans in the State as determined by the 
                Director of the United States Census Bureau for the 
                most recent census).
    (c) Establishment of Additional Vet Centers.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
        Secretary shall establish such additional covered Vet Centers 
        in each State as may be necessary to meet the minimum required 
        number described in subsection (b) with respect to the State.
            (2) Existing facilities.--In establishing additional 
        covered Vet Centers pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        may establish such covered Vet Centers at facilities made 
        available to the Secretary by the head of a State, local 
        government, or federally recognized Indian tribe to carry out 
        this section, regardless of whether such facility is made 
        available at a cost to the Secretary.
            (3) Vet center outstations.--If the establishment of more 
        than one additional covered Vet Center in a State is necessary 
        to meet the minimum required number described in subsection (b) 
        with respect to the State, the Secretary--
                    (A) shall establish at least one additional covered 
                Vet Center to meet such number; and
                    (B) for each remaining covered Vet Center necessary 
                to meet such number, may establish a covered Vet Center 
                outstation in lieu of a covered Vet Center.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) The term ``covered Vet Center'' means a Vet Center, as 
        such term is defined in section 1712A of title 38, United 
        States Code, that is scheduled to be open for the provision of 
        services under such section for a minimum of eight hours per 
        day during five days of the week, except that the Vet Center 
        may be open for less than such minimum on a temporary basis as 
        a result of a Federal holiday, weather concern, safety concern, 
        pandemic, or for such other reasons as may be determined 
        appropriate by the Secretary.
            (2) The term ``covered Vet Center outstation'' means a Vet 
        Center outstation that--
                    (A) provides similar child care services as the 
                child care services provided at a Vet Center; and
                    (B) is scheduled to be open in accordance with the 
                minimum hours and days specified in paragraph (1).
            (3) The term ``State'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
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