I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9924 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish standard practices for 
a grant or pilot program administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs through the Veterans Health Administration, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 4, 2024 
Mr. LANDSMAN (for himself, Mr. LUTTRELL, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. VAN ORDEN, 
Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. BROWNLEY, and Mr. KENNEDY) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish standard 
practices for a grant or pilot program administered by 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs through the Veterans 
Health Administration, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘What Works for Pre-
venting Veteran Suicide Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARD PRACTICES FOR A 
GRANT OR PILOT PROGRAM ADMINISTERED 
BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
THROUGH THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINIS-
TRATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 527 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before 
‘‘The Secretary,’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section (b): 
‘‘(b) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations that 
establish standard practices that, unless otherwise prohib-
ited by law, shall apply to a grant program or pilot pro-
gram relating to suicide prevention or mental health car-
ried out through the Veterans Health Administration. 
Such practices shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) The establishment of clear and measurable 
objectives. 
‘‘(2) The development of a methodology and 
plan to— 
‘‘(A) determine information necessary to 
evaluate the program; 
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‘‘(B) identify sources, methods, timing, 
and frequency for collecting of such informa-
tion; 
‘‘(C) determine how such information will 
be analyzed to evaluate the program’s imple-
mentation and performance and to identify les-
sons learned; and 
‘‘(D) identify criteria or standards for in-
forming decisions about whether the program 
should be expanded, extended, or made perma-
nent. 
‘‘(3) The communication of program objectives, 
assessment methodology, and evaluation plan with 
entities determined relevant to the program by the 
Secretary— 
‘‘(A) during the development of the pro-
gram; 
‘‘(B) at least 30 days prior to the begin-
ning of the program; and 
‘‘(C) throughout the term of the program. 
‘‘(4) At the conclusion of the program, the per-
formance of an evaluation of the program— 
‘‘(A) to validate lessons learned; and 
‘‘(B) to assess the generalizability of the 
program. 
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‘‘(5) The sharing of program results and best 
practices with entities determined relevant to the 
program by the Secretary.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall prescribe regulations under section 
527(b) of such title, as amended by subsection (a). 
(c) APPLICABILITY.—The standard practices pre-
scribed in such regulations shall apply to a grant or pilot 
program without regard to when such program was estab-
lished. 
Æ 
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