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109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3694 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to provide grants to rural counties to ensure they are able 
to offer a sufficient level of advice and casework services to help veterans 
learn about and obtain the benefits they have earned, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 7, 2005 
Mr. WU introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide grants to rural 
counties to ensure they are able to offer a sufficient 
level of advice and casework services to help veterans 
learn about and obtain the benefits they have earned, 
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 ‘‘Rural Veterans Serv-
ices Outreach Act’’.
SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GRANT PRO-
GRAM FOR RURAL COUNTY VETERAN SERV-
ICE OFFICERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) GRANTS.—Chapter 5 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
531 the following new section: 
‘‘§ 532. Grants to assist certain rural counties in em-
ploying county veteran service officers; 
professional qualifications 
‘‘(a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a program to make grants in accordance with this sec-
tion to provide financial assistance to eligible counties to 
assist in the employment of county veteran service officers. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The amount of a grant 
under this section to any county for any 12-month period 
shall be $12,000. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE COUNTY.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, an eligible county is a county— 
‘‘(1) in which not less than 1,000 veterans re-
side; 
‘‘(2) in which no more than one veterans service 
organization provides advice and casework services 
for benefits provided under laws administered by the 
Secretary; and
‘‘(3) which, in accordance with standards and 
classification of the Census Bureau, consists entirely 
of territory, population, and housing units outside of 
territory classified by the Census Bureau as an 
‘urban area’. 
‘‘(d) COUNTY VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER.—For 
purposes of this section, a county veteran service officer 
is an employee of a county (regardless of job title) whose 
duties include providing to veterans residing in the county 
advice and casework services related to benefits provided 
under laws administered by the Secretary. 
‘‘(e) GRANT APPLICATION.—An eligible county seek-
ing 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 county is an eligible county under this section. 
‘‘(f) GRANT CRITERIA.—Subject to the availability of 
appropriations for that purpose, the Secretary shall make 
a grant under this section to any eligible county that— 
‘‘(1) does not have a county veterans service of-
ficer; 
‘‘(2) has a county veterans service officer who 
performs county veterans service officer functions on 
less than a full-time basis, if the county is able to
demonstrate a need for additional services by a 
county veterans service officer; or 
‘‘(3) has a full-time county veterans service offi-
cer, but only if— 
‘‘(A) the county is a county in which not 
less than 5,000 veterans reside; and 
‘‘(B) the county is able to demonstrate a 
need for additional services by a county vet-
erans service officer. 
‘‘(g) GRANT FREQUENCY.—Grants under this section 
shall be made on an annual basis. 
‘‘(h) PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS.—It is the 
sense of Congress that the appropriate officials in counties 
with one or more county veterans service officers should 
take such steps as are available to them to encourage and 
facilitate any such county veterans service officer in that 
county in obtaining certification (either from the Depart-
ment or from appropriate State authorities) with respect 
to professional qualifications to perform the functions of 
a county veterans service officer.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions 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 county veteran serv-
ice officers; professional qualifications.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 532 of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take 
effect on October 1, 2005. 
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