Deborah Sampson Act

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the benefits and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, and for other purposes. 1. Short title; table of contents (a) Short title This Act may be cited as the Deborah Sampson Act (b) Table of contents The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. TITLE I—Peer-to-peer assistance Sec. 101. Pilot program on peer-to-peer assistance for women veterans. Sec. 102. Expansion of capabilities of Women Veterans Call Center to include text messaging. Sec. 103. Provision of reintegration and readjustment services to veterans and family members in group retreat settings. TITLE II—Legal and supportive services Sec. 201. Department of Veterans Affairs public-private partnership on legal services for women veterans. Sec. 202. Additional amount for Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant program to support organizations that have a focus on providing assistance to women veterans and their families. TITLE III—Newborn care Sec. 301. Extension of period of eligibility for care for newborn children from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sec. 302. Source of amounts for medically necessary travel paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with care for newborn children. TITLE IV—Eliminating barriers to access Sec. 401. Women Veterans Retrofit Initiative. Sec. 402. Staffing of women's health primary care providers at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sec. 403. Staffing of Women Veteran Program Manager program at medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sec. 404. Additional funding for primary care and emergency care clinicians in Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program. TITLE V—Data collection and reporting Sec. 501. Requirement for collection and analysis of data on Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services and disaggregation of such data by sex and minority status. Sec. 502. Report on availability of prosthetics for women veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sec. 503. Requirement for Department of Veterans Affairs Internet website to provide information on services available to women veterans. Sec. 504. Sense of Congress on changing motto of Department of Veterans Affairs to be more inclusive. I Peer-to-peer assistance 101. Pilot program on peer-to-peer assistance for women veterans (a) Pilot program required Commencing not later than January 1, 2018, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of facilitating peer-to-peer assistance for women veterans, including those who are separating or newly separated from service in the Armed Forces. (b) Peer-to-Peer assistance Peer-to-peer assistance under the pilot program shall consist of the following: (1) Provision of information about services and benefits provided under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (2) Employment mentoring. (c) Duration The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program during the three-year period beginning on the date of the commencement of the pilot program. (d) Emphasis In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall emphasize facilitating peer-to-peer assistance for women described in subsection (a) who suffered sexual trauma while serving in the Armed Forces, have post-traumatic stress disorder or suffer from another mental health condition, or are otherwise at risk of becoming homeless. (e) Outreach As part of the pilot program, the Secretary shall conduct a program of outreach to inform women veterans about the pilot program and the assistance available under the pilot program. (f) Training As part of the pilot program, the Secretary may conduct training for peer counselors and develop training materials for peer counselors. (g) Coordination (1) With government and community organizations Under the pilot program, the Secretary shall facilitate engagement and coordination with such community organizations, State and local governments, institutions of higher education, chambers of commerce, local business organizations, organizations that provide legal assistance, and other organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate to facilitate the transition of women described in subsection (a) into their communities. (2) With Transition Assistance Program To the degree practicable, the Secretary shall coordinate facilitation of assistance under the pilot program with the program carried out under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code. (h) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such funds as may be necessary to carry out the pilot program. 102. Expansion of capabilities of Women Veterans Call Center to include text messaging The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall expand the capabilities of the Women Veterans Call Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include a text messaging capability. 103. Provision of reintegration and readjustment services to veterans and family members in group retreat settings (a) In general Section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B)— (A) in clause (ii), by redesignating subclauses (I) and (II) as items (aa) and (bb); (B) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II); (C) in the matter preceding subclause (I), as redesignated by subparagraph (B), by striking Counseling (i) Counseling (D) by adding at the end the following new clause: (ii) (I) Except as provided in subclause (IV), counseling furnished to an individual under subparagraph (A) may include reintegration and readjustment services described in subclause (II) furnished in group retreat settings. (II) Reintegration and readjustment services described in this subclause are the following: (aa) Information on reintegration of the individual into family, employment, and community. (bb) Financial counseling. (cc) Occupational counseling. (dd) Information and counseling on stress reduction. (ee) Information and counseling on conflict resolution. (ff) Such other information and counseling as the Secretary considers appropriate to assist the individual in reintegration into family, employment, and community. (III) In furnishing reintegration and readjustment services under subclause (I), the Secretary shall offer women the opportunity to receive such services in group retreat settings in which the only participants are women. (IV) An individual referred to in subparagraph (C)(v) may receive reintegration and readjustment services under subclause (I) only if the individual receives such services with a family member described in subclause (I) or (II) of such subparagraph. . (b) Request for services Subsection (a)(2) of such section is amended— (1) by striking Upon (A) Upon (2) by striking paragraph (1)(B) paragraph (1)(B)(i) (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (B) Upon the request of an individual described in paragraph (1)(C), the Secretary shall furnish the individual reintegration and readjustment services in group retreat settings under paragraph (1)(B)(ii). . II Legal and supportive services 201. Department of Veterans Affairs public-private partnership on legal services for women veterans (a) Partnership required The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a partnership with at least one nongovernmental organization to provide legal services to women veterans. (b) Focus The focus of the partnership established under subsection (a) shall be on the 10 highest unmet needs of women veterans as set forth in the most recently completed Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups for Veterans (CHALENG for Veterans) survey. 202. Additional amount for Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant program to support organizations that have a focus on providing assistance to women veterans and their families Section 2044(e) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 2017 2016 (B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (F) $340,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 and 2018. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (4) Not less than $20,000,000 shall be available under paragraph (1)(F) for the provision of financial assistance under subsection (a) to organizations that have a focus on providing assistance to women veterans and their families. . III Newborn care 301. Extension of period of eligibility for care for newborn children from the Department of Veterans Affairs Section 1786(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking seven days 14 days 302. Source of amounts for medically necessary travel paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with care for newborn children Section 1786 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Source of amounts for travel Amounts paid by the Department for medically necessary travel in connection with health care services furnished under this section shall be derived from the Medical Services appropriations account of the Department. . IV Eliminating barriers to access 401. Women Veterans Retrofit Initiative (a) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall retrofit existing medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs with fixtures, materials, and other outfitting measures to support the provision of care to women veterans at such facilities. (b) Plan Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a plan to address deficiencies in environment of care for women veterans at medical facilities of the Department. (c) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $20,000,000 to carry out subsection (a) in addition to amounts otherwise made available to the Secretary for the purposes set forth in such subsection. 402. Staffing of women's health primary care providers at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that each medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs has not fewer than one full-time or part-time women's health primary care provider whose duties include, to the extent possible, providing training to other health care providers of the Department on the needs of women veterans. 403. Staffing of Women Veteran Program Manager program at medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the Women Veteran Program Manager program of the Department of Veterans Affairs is supported at each medical center of the Department with a Women Veteran Program Manager and a Women Veteran Program Ombudsman. (b) Training The Secretary shall ensure that the staff required under subsection (a) receive the proper training to carry out their duties. 404. Additional funding for primary care and emergency care clinicians in Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program (a) In general There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $1,000,000 for each fiscal year for the Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide opportunities for participation in such program for primary care and emergency care clinicians. (b) Treatment of amounts The amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection (a) shall be in addition to amounts otherwise made available to the Secretary for the purposes set forth in such subsection. V Data collection and reporting 501. Requirement for collection and analysis of data on Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services and disaggregation of such data by sex and minority status The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— (1) collect and analyze data on each program of the Department of Veterans Affairs that provides a service or benefit to a veteran, including the program carried out under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code; (2) disaggregate such data by sex and minority status, when the data lends itself to such disaggregation; and (3) publish the data collected and analyzed under paragraph (1), except for such cases in which the Secretary determines that some portions of the data would undermine the anonymity of a veteran. 502. Report on availability of prosthetics for women veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the availability from the Department of Veterans Affairs of prosthetics made for women veterans, including an assessment of the availability of such prosthetics at each medical facility of the Department. 503. Requirement for Department of Veterans Affairs Internet website to provide information on services available to women veterans (a) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall survey the Internet websites and information resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act and publish an Internet website that serves as a centralized source for the provision to women veterans of information about the benefits and services available to them under laws administered by the Secretary. (b) Elements The Internet website published under subsection (a) shall provide to women veterans information regarding all of the services available in the district in which that the veteran is seeking such services, including, with respect to each medical center and community-based outpatient clinic in the applicable Veterans Integrated Service Network— (1) the name and contact information of each women's health coordinator; (2) a list of appropriate staff for other benefits available from the Veterans Benefits Administration, the National Cemetery Administration, and such other entities as the Secretary considers appropriate; and (3) such other information as the Secretary considers appropriate. (c) Updated information The Secretary shall ensure that the information described in subsection (b) that is published on the Internet website required by subsection (a) is updated not less frequently than once every 90 days. (d) Outreach In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that the outreach conducted under section 1720F(i) of title 38, United States Code, includes information regarding the Internet website required by subsection (a). (e) Derivation of funds Amounts used by the Secretary to carry out this section shall be derived from amounts made available to the Secretary to publish Internet websites of the Department. 504. Sense of Congress on changing motto of Department of Veterans Affairs to be more inclusive In is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should change the motto of the Department of Veterans Affairs to be more inclusive.

Summary: Deborah Sampson Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a three-year pilot program to assess the feasibility of peer-to-peer assistance for women veterans (including those who are separating or newly separated from the Armed Forces), with emphasis placed on women who suffered service-related sexual trauma or who are at risk of becoming homeless. Additionally, the VA shall: expand the women veterans call center to include a text messaging capability; establish a partnership with at least one nongovernmental organization to provide legal services to women veterans based upon their 10 highest unmet needs; retrofit VA medical facilities with fixtures, materials, and other outfitting measures to support the care of women veterans; ensure that each VA medical facility has at least one full-time or part-time women's health primary care provider; expand to 14 days VA post-delivery care services for women veterans who are receiving maternity care in a VA or VA-contracted facility; ensure that the women veteran manager program is supported at each VA medical center with a program manager and an ombudsman; collect, analyze, and publish data on each VA service or benefit program and disaggregate such data by sex and minority status; and publish an Internet website that serves as a centralized information source for women veterans' benefits and services. The bill makes funds available for: (1) primary care and emergency care clinicians' participation in the women veterans health care mini-residency program, and (2) organizations that focus on providing assistance to women veterans and their families. The bill: (1) provides for reintegration and readjustment services to veterans and family members in group retreat settings, and (2) expresses the sense of Congress that the VA's motto should be more inclusive.