IIB 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4601 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
DECEMBER 5, 2022 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
AN ACT 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award grants to States 
to improve outreach to veterans, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commitment to Vet-
eran Support and Outreach Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS TO AWARD GRANTS TO STATES AND IN-
DIAN TRIBES TO IMPROVE OUTREACH TO 
VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating sections 6307 and 6308 
and sections 6308 and 6309, respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after section 6306 the following 
new section 6307: 
‘‘§ 6307. Grants to States and Indian Tribes to im-
prove outreach to veterans 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 
provide for assistance by the Secretary to States and In-
dian Tribes to carry out programs that— 
‘‘(1) improve outreach and assistance to vet-
erans and the spouses, children, and parents of vet-
erans, to ensure that such individuals are fully in-
formed about any veterans and veterans-related ben-
efits and programs (including veterans programs of 
a State or Indian Tribe) for which they may be eligi-
ble; and 
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‘‘(2) facilitate opportunities for such individuals 
to receive competent, qualified services in the prepa-
ration, presentation, and prosecution of veterans 
benefits claims. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may award grants 
under this section to States and Indian Tribes— 
‘‘(1) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or other-
wise enhance outreach activities; 
‘‘(2) to increase the number of county or Tribal 
veterans service officers serving in the State or In-
dian Tribe by hiring new, additional such officers; or 
‘‘(3) to expand, carry out, coordinate, improve, 
or otherwise enhance existing programs, activities, 
and services of the existing organization of the State 
or Indian Tribe that has been recognized by the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs pursuant to section 
5902, in the preparation, presentation, and prosecu-
tion of claims for veterans benefits through rep-
resentatives who hold positions as county or Tribal 
veterans service officers. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—(1) To be eligible for a grant 
under this section, a State or Indian Tribe shall submit 
to the Secretary an application therefor at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
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‘‘(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1) 
shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant. 
‘‘(B) A description of the programs through 
which the State or Indian Tribe will meet the out-
come measures developed by the Secretary under 
subsection (i). 
‘‘(C) A description of how the State or Indian 
Tribe will distribute grant amounts equitably among 
counties (or Tribal lands, as the case may be) with 
varying levels of urbanization. 
‘‘(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to 
meet the unique needs of American Indian or Alaska 
Native veterans, elderly veterans, women veterans, 
and veterans from other underserved communities. 
‘‘(d) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall seek to en-
sure that grants awarded under this section are equitably 
distributed among States and Indian Tribes with varying 
levels of urbanization. 
‘‘(e) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall prioritize 
awarding grants under this section that will serve the fol-
lowing areas: 
‘‘(1) Areas with a critical shortage of county or 
Tribal veterans service officers. 
‘‘(2) Areas with high rates of— 
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‘‘(A) suicide among veterans; or 
‘‘(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line. 
‘‘(f) USE OF COUNTY OR TRIBAL VETERANS SERV-
ICE OFFICERS.—A State or Indian Tribe that receives a 
grant under this section to carry out an activity described 
in subsection (b)(1) may only carry out the activity 
through— 
‘‘(1) a county or Tribal veterans service officer 
of the State or Indian Tribe; or 
‘‘(2) if the State or Indian Tribe does not have 
a county or Tribal veterans service officer, or if the 
county or Tribal veterans service officers of the 
State or Indian Tribe cover only a portion of that 
State or Indian Tribe, an appropriate entity of a 
State, local, or Tribal government, as determined by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(g) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Any grant awarded 
under this section shall be used— 
‘‘(1) to expand existing programs, activities, 
and services; 
‘‘(2) to hire and maintain new, additional coun-
ty or Tribal veterans service officers; or 
‘‘(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate 
carrying out paragraph (1) or (2). 
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‘‘(h) OTHER PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A grant 
under this section may be used to provide education and 
training, including on-the-job training, for State, county, 
local, and Tribal government employees who provide (or 
when trained will provide) veterans outreach services in 
order for those employees to obtain and maintain accredi-
tation in accordance with procedures approved by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(i) OUTCOME MEASURES.—(1) The Secretary shall 
develop and provide to each State or Indian Tribe that 
receives a grant under this section written guidance on 
the following: 
‘‘(A) Outcome measures. 
‘‘(B) Policies of the Department. 
‘‘(2) In developing outcome measures under para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall consider the following goals: 
‘‘(A) Increasing the use of veterans and vet-
erans-related benefits, particularly among vulnerable 
populations. 
‘‘(B) Increasing the number of county and 
Tribal veterans service officers recognized by the 
Secretary for the representation of veterans under 
chapter 59 of this title. 
‘‘(j) TRACKING REQUIREMENTS.—(1) With respect 
to each grant awarded under this section, the Secretary 
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‘‘(B) make information regarding such perform-
ance publicly available. 
‘‘(l) REMEDIATION PLAN.—(1) In the case of a State 
or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this section 
and does not meet the outcome measures developed by the 
Secretary under subsection (i), the Secretary shall require 
the State or Indian Tribe to submit a remediation plan 
under which the State or Indian Tribe shall describe how 
and when it plans to meet such outcome measures. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent 
grant under this section to a State or Indian Tribe de-
scribed in paragraph (1) unless the Secretary approves the 
remediation plan submitted by the State of Indian Tribe. 
‘‘(m) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 
awarded under this section may not exceed 10 percent of 
amounts made available for grants under this section for 
the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded. 
‘‘(n) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Any grant 
awarded under this section shall be used to supplement 
and not supplant State and local funding that is otherwise 
available. 
‘‘(o) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘county or Tribal veterans serv-
ice officer’ includes a local equivalent veterans serv-
ice officer. 
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‘‘(2) The term ‘Indian Tribe’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-De-
termination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304). 
‘‘(3) The term ‘State’ includes the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
and any territory or possession of the United States. 
‘‘(4) The term ‘Veterans Crisis Line’ means the 
toll-free hotline for veterans established under sec-
tion 1720F(h) of this title.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended 
by striking the items relating to sections 6307 and 6308 
and inserting the following new items: 
‘‘6307. Grants to States and Indian Tribes to improve outreach to veterans. 
‘‘6308. Outreach for eligible dependents. 
‘‘6309. Biennial report to Congress.’’. 
(c) MODIFICATION
OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN 
FEE.—The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘January 14, 
2031’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘February 10, 
2031’’. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME 
EQUIVALENT
EMPLOYEE.—During fiscal years 2024 
through 2028, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may hire 
two or more additional full-time equivalent employees in 
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the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, as compared to the number of full-time 
equivalent employees that would otherwise be authorized 
for such office, to carry out duties under the accreditation, 
discipline, and fees program. 
SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives December 1, 
2022. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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