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outreach and assistance to veterans and the spouses, chil-
dren, and parents of veterans, to ensure that such individ-
uals are fully informed about, and assisted in applying for, 
any veterans and veterans-related benefits and programs 
(including veterans programs of a State or Indian Tribe) 
for which they may be eligible and facilitate opportunities 
for such individuals to receive competent, qualified serv-
ices in the preparation, presentation and prosecution of 
veterans benefits claims. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may award grants 
to States and Indian Tribes— 
‘‘(1) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or other-
wise enhance— 
‘‘(A) covered outreach activities; or 
‘‘(B) activities to assist in the development 
and submittal of claims for veterans and vet-
erans-related benefits; or 
‘‘(2) to increase the number of county or Tribal 
veterans service officers serving in the State by hir-
ing new, additional such 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 (j). 
‘‘(C) A description of how the State or Indian 
Tribe will distribute grant amounts equitably among 
counties or Tribal lands with varying levels of urban-
ization. 
‘‘(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to 
meet the unique needs of American Indian veterans, 
Alaska Native veterans, or Native Hawaiian vet-
erans, elderly veterans, and veterans from other un-
derserved 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) SET-ASIDE.—Of the amounts authorized to be 
appropriated or otherwise made available for grants under 
this section for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall ensure 
that not less than five percent is used to make grants to 
Indian Tribes. 
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‘‘(f) 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— 
‘‘(A) suicide among veterans; or 
‘‘(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line. 
‘‘(g) 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) shall carry out the activity through— 
‘‘(1) a county or Tribal veterans service officer 
of the State; 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. 
‘‘(h) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Any grant awarded 
under this section shall be used— 
‘‘(1) to expand existing programs, activities, 
and services; 
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‘‘(2) to hire new, additional county or Tribal 
veterans service officers; or 
‘‘(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate 
carrying out paragraph (1) or (2). 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—A grant under this 
section may be used to provide education and training, in-
cluding on-the-job training, for State, county, local, and 
Tribal government employees who provide (or when 
trained will provide) covered outreach services in order for 
those employees to obtain accreditation in accordance with 
procedures approved by the Secretary. 
‘‘(j) 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 
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Secretary for the representation of veterans under 
chapter 59 of this title. 
‘‘(k) TRACKING REQUIREMENTS.—(1) With respect 
to each grant awarded under this section, the Secretary 
shall track the use of veterans and veterans-related bene-
fits among the population served by the grant, including 
the average period of time between the date on which a 
veteran applies for such a benefit and the date on which 
the veteran receives the benefit, disaggregated by type of 
benefit. 
‘‘(2) Not less frequently than annually during the life 
of the grant program established under this section, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on— 
‘‘(A) the information tracked under paragraph 
(1); 
‘‘(B) how the grants awarded under this section 
serve the unique needs of American Indian veterans, 
Alaska Native veterans, or Native Hawaiian vet-
erans, elderly veterans, and veterans from other un-
derserved communities; and 
‘‘(C) other information provided by States and 
Indian Tribes pursuant to the grant reporting re-
quirements. 
‘‘(l) PERFORMANCE REVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 
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‘‘(1) review the performance of each State or 
Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this sec-
tion; and 
‘‘(2) make information regarding such perform-
ance publicly available. 
‘‘(m) REMEDIATION PLAN.—(1) In the case of a 
State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this sec-
tion and does not meet the outcome measures developed 
by the Secretary under subsection (j), the Secretary shall 
require the State or Indian Tribe to submit a remediation 
plan under which the State 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 or Indian Tribe. 
‘‘(n) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘county or Tribal veterans serv-
ice officer’ includes a local equivalent veterans serv-
ice officer. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘covered outreach’ means out-
reach with respect to— 
‘‘(A) benefits administered by the Under 
Secretary for Benefits; or 
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‘‘(B) similar benefits administered by a 
State or Indian Tribe. 
‘‘(3) 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). 
‘‘(4) 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. 
‘‘(5) 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) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027, 
$10,000,000 to carry out section 6307 of title 28, United 
States Code, as added by subsection (a). 
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SEC. 303. DEFINITION OF SURVIVING SPOUSE. 
Paragraph (3) of section 101 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(3) The term ‘surviving spouse’ means (except for 
purposes of chapter 19 of this title) a person who was 
the spouse of a veteran at the time of the veteran’s death, 
and who lived with the veteran continuously from the date 
of marriage to the date of the veteran’s death (except 
where there was a separation which was due to the mis-
conduct of, or procured by, the veteran without the fault 
of the spouse) and who has not remarried.’’. 
SEC. 304. ENSURING ONLY LICENSED HEALTH CARE PRO-
FESSIONALS PERFORM MEDICAL DISABILITY 
EXAMINATIONS UNDER CERTAIN DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) PROHIBITION
ON USE
OF CERTAIN HEALTH 
CARE PROFESSIONALS.—Section 504(c)(1) of the Vet-
erans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public Law 
104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended by inserting 
‘‘only’’ before ‘‘a health care professional’’. 
(b) REMEDIES.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall take such actions as the Secretary considers appro-
priate to ensure compliance with section 504(c) of the Vet-
erans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public Law 
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104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note), as amended by subsection 
(a). 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act and not less fre-
quently than once each year thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen-
ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 
of Representatives a report on— 
(1) the conduct of the pilot program established 
under section 504 of the Veterans’ Benefits Im-
provements Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 
U.S.C. 5101 note); and 
(2) the actions of the Secretary under sub-
section (b). 
(d) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 504 of the 
Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public 
Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended, in the 
section heading, by striking ‘‘PHYSICIANS’’ and inserting 
‘‘HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS’’. 
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SEC. 305. PROVISION OF INFORMATION REGARDING AN 
AGENT 
OR 
ATTORNEY 
TO 
A 
LICENSED 
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL WHO PER-
FORMS A MEDICAL DISABILITY EXAMINATION 
UNDER 
CERTAIN 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 504 of the Veterans’ Ben-
efits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 
U.S.C. 5101 note), as amended by section 304, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(f) CERTAIN INFORMATION PROVIDED TO HEALTH 
CARE PROFESSIONAL.—The Secretary shall provide to a 
health care professional who performs an examination 
under subsection (a), or a contractor performing a con-
tract under such subsection, the contact information of 
any agent or attorney recognized by the Secretary under 
chapter 59 of title 38, United States Code, with regards 
to a claim for benefits that gives rise to such examina-
tion.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by this 
section shall apply to an examination described in sub-
section (a) of such section that is performed on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 306. MODERNIZATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS 
DISABILITY 
BENEFIT 
QUESTION-
NAIRES. 
(a) REQUIREMENT FOR TRANSMISSION OF CERTAIN 
INFORMATION IN MACHINE-READABLE FORMAT.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall require all disability benefit ques-
tionnaire data collected in the course of medical dis-
ability examinations made by covered non-Depart-
ment providers to be transmitted to the Department 
in a machine-readable format. 
(2) ISSUANCE OF STANDARDS.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall issue standards for the trans-
mission of disability benefit questionnaire data in a 
machine-readable format as required under para-
graph (1). 
(3) UPDATES.—In making updates to disability 
benefit questionnaires after the date specified in 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) ensure that the updates are made in a 
manner that allows for the data collected under 
the questionnaires to be in a machine-readable 
format as of the date on which the update goes 
into effect; and 
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(B) not later than 30 days before an up-
date goes into effect, notify the covered non-De-
partment providers (or the contractor per-
forming a contract under section 504 of the 
Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 1996 
(Public Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note)) 
described in such paragraph of such updates. 
(b) PLAN FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM 
MODIFICATION.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 
House of Representatives a plan to modify the information 
technology systems and processes of the Department to 
enable a non-Department health care professional, as-
signed to or selected by a claimant, to transmit to the De-
partment, in a machine-readable format, disability benefit 
questionnaire data, including complete disability benefit 
questionnaires rather than partial questionnaires or ele-
ments of medical evidence. 
(c) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The 
Secretary shall make publicly available on the internet 
website of the Department referred to in section 5101(d) 
of title 38, United States Code— 
(1) a description of the standards issued under 
subsection (a)(2); and 
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(2) the plan required under subsection (b). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘claimant’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 5100 of title 38, United States 
Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered non-Department pro-
vider’’ means a health care provider who— 
(A) is not an employee of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs; and 
(B) pursuant to a contract under section 
504 of the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act 
of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 
note), as amended by sections 304 and 305, ex-
amines a claimant for a medical disability. 
SEC. 307. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AUTO-
MATIC PROCESSING OF CERTAIN CLAIMS 
FOR TEMPORARY DISABILITY RATINGS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall modify the information technology sys-
tems of the Department of Veterans Affairs to use auto-
mation technology for claims for temporary disability rat-
ings for veterans described in section 1156(a)(1)(C) of 
title 38, United States Code. 
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(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In providing for 
the automatic processing of claims as required under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall ensure that— 
(1) medical evidence is obtained from the cor-
porate data warehouse of the Department or other 
sources of data, the Secretary determines appro-
priate; 
(2) employees of the Department continue to 
determine whether a veteran is entitled to a tem-
porary disability rating under section 1156(a)(1)(C) 
of title 38, United States Code; and 
(3) claims may be processed manually if the 
evidence of record is not sufficient to decide the 
claim or if the medical evidence is provided in a for-
mat that is not compatible with the system devel-
oped under subsection (a). 
TITLE IV—HOMELESSNESS 
MATTERS 
SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Housing our Military 
Veterans Effectively Act of 2024’’ or the ‘‘HOME Act of 
2024’’. 
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SEC. 402. PER DIEM PAYMENTS PROVIDED BY THE SEC-
RETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR SERV-
ICES FURNISHED TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2012 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 
(i) in clause (i)(II)(aa)(BB), by strik-
ing ‘‘115 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘115 per-
cent (or, during the period beginning on 
the date of the enactment of the the Sen-
ator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans 
Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act 
and ending on September 30, 2027, 133 
percent)’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) For each of fiscal years 2025 through 2027, 
the Secretary may waive the maximum rate for per diem 
payments under clause (i)(II)(aa)(BB) or (ii) and, subject 
to the availability of appropriations, provide such pay-
ments at a rate that does not exceed 200 percent of the 
rate authorized for State homes for domiciliary care under 
subsection (a)(1)(A) of section 1741 of this title, as the 
Secretary may increase from time to time under sub-
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section (c) of that section, if the Secretary notifies Con-
gress of such waiver. 
‘‘(iv) The Secretary may not, pursuant to clause (iii), 
waive the maximum rate described in such clause for more 
than 50 percent of all grant recipients and eligible entities 
for a fiscal year.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) The Secretary may not provide more than 
12,000 per diem payments under this section for a fiscal 
year.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(f) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of the HOME Act of 2024, 
and not less frequently than twice each year thereafter, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives a report on the rate 
for per diem payments under this section that includes, 
for each Veterans Integrated Service Network of the De-
partment, the following data: 
‘‘(1) The average rate for such a payment. 
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