I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4028 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve services for veterans 
residing in rural areas. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2009 
Mr. WU (for himself, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 
CHILDERS, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, 
Mr. HILL, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. KAGEN, Mr. MINNICK, Mr. 
PETERSON, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. ROSS, Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. SCHRADER, 
Mr. WALZ, and Mr. WILSON 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 services 
for veterans residing in rural areas. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Veterans Serv-
ices Outreach and Training Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF OUTREACH. 
Section 101 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(34) The term ‘outreach’ means the act or 
process of reaching out in a systematic manner to 
proactively provide information, services, and bene-
fits counseling to veterans, and to the spouses, chil-
dren, and parents of veterans, who may be eligible 
to receive benefits under the laws administered by 
the Secretary, and to ensure that such individuals 
are fully informed about, and assisted in applying 
for, any benefits and programs under such laws.’’. 
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GRANT PRO-
GRAM FOR RURAL COUNTY VETERAN SERV-
ICE OFFICERS. 
(a) GRANTS.—Chapter 5 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after section 532 the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 533. Grants to assist certain rural counties in em-
ploying veteran service officers; profes-
sional qualifications 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to im-
prove outreach and assistance to veterans, and to the 
spouses, children, and parents of veterans, who may be 
eligible to receive veterans’ or veterans-related benefits 
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and who are residing in rural counties through the train-
ing of covered veteran service officers to serve in rural 
counties. 
‘‘(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a program to make competitive grants in accordance 
with this section to provide financial assistance to State 
departments of veterans affairs for the purpose stated in 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The amount of a grant 
under this section shall be determined by the Secretary, 
but may not exceed $2,000,000. 
‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A State department of vet-
erans affairs that receives a grant under this section may 
distribute any amount of the grant funds to qualified 
State, county, or local agencies and qualified non-profit 
veterans service organizations that provide casework serv-
ices to rural veterans. Grant funds distributed under this 
subsection shall be used for the purpose stated in sub-
section (a). 
‘‘(e) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this section, a 
State is eligible for a grant under this section if it can 
demonstrate any of the following: 
‘‘(1) That it has at least one county, in which 
veterans reside, that does not have a covered vet-
erans service officer. 
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‘‘(2) That it has at least one county, in which 
veterans reside, that has a covered veterans service 
officer who performs covered veterans service officer 
functions on less than a full-time basis and that 
county is able to demonstrate a need for additional 
services by a covered veterans service officer. 
‘‘(3) That it has at least one county, in which 
not fewer than 1,000 veterans reside, that currently 
has a full-time covered veterans service officer, but 
only if the county is able to demonstrate a need for 
additional services by a covered veterans service offi-
cer. 
‘‘(f) COMPETITION FOR GRANT.—An eligible State 
seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Sec-
retary an application for the grant. The application shall 
be in such form and shall contain such information as the 
Secretary may require, including information establishing 
that the State is an eligible State under this section. From 
the applications submitted the Secretary shall approve 
those applications that the Secretary determines to be the 
most promising in carrying out the purposes of the grant 
program. Each State whose application is selected by the 
Secretary to receive a grant under the grant program shall 
receive funds in an amount determined by the Secretary 
under subsection (c). In making such determination, the 
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Secretary shall take into consideration the amount of the 
total appropriation for the grant program, the relative size 
of the State’s veteran population, and the funding nec-
essary to improve training and outreach of covered veteran 
service officers in rural counties. Such funds shall go to 
the State department of veterans affairs. 
‘‘(g) REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE RECEIPT OF FED-
ERAL FUNDS.—Each State receiving a grant under this 
section shall— 
‘‘(1) provide to the Secretary information and 
assurances that the funds received under the grant 
program for the training of covered veteran service 
officers will go to assist counties described in para-
graph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (e); 
‘‘(2) provide an assurance that the State agency 
shall match the Federal funds provided under this 
section by providing at least 20 percent of the total 
cost of the grant program; and 
‘‘(3) use funds received under this section only 
to supplement the amount of funds that would, in 
the absence of such Federal funds, be made avail-
able from non-Federal sources for the purposes of 
this section, and not to supplant such funds. 
‘‘(h) GRANT FREQUENCY.—Grants under this section 
shall be made on an annual basis. 
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‘‘(i) COVERED VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘covered veteran service 
officer’ means a qualified employee (regardless of job 
title)— 
‘‘(1) who is an employee of a State, county, 
local government, or a veterans service organization 
recognized under section 5902 of this title; 
‘‘(2) whose duties include providing to veterans 
advice and casework services related to benefits pro-
vided under laws administered by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(3) who is accredited by the Department to 
file a claim with the Veterans Benefits Administra-
tion on behalf of a claimant who is a veteran or a 
veteran’s survivor. 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 
2013.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 531 the following new 
item: 
‘‘532. Grants to assist certain rural counties in employing veteran service offi-
cers; professional qualifications.’’. 
(c) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT.—The Comp-
troller General shall conduct a review of the grant pro-
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