Veterans Medical Legal Partnerships Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3950 | Sponsor: Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay (D-PA)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Veterans Medical Legal Partnerships Act of 2021
This bill establishes a grant program to support the establishment of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) that provide legal expertise and services to veterans, with a particular focus on veterans whose medical needs put them at risk of recidivism, reoffending, or becoming victim to a crime. The bill also permits (1) the Department of Justice to give preference, when awarding grants for veteran treatment courts, to applicants that plan to work with MLPs; and (2) the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish MLPs in its facilities.

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
 authorize a State veterans assistance program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Medical Legal Partnerships 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Medical-Legal Partnerships (hereinafter referred to as 
        MLPs) are holistic care models that integrate legal expertise 
        and services into health care settings or delivery systems to 
        address underpinning social and legal needs that negatively 
        affect the health outcomes of veterans and their families.
            (2) MLPs build upon the traditional legal clinic model by 
        leveraging the unique, historical collaborations between legal 
        services organizations and medical providers.
            (3) Among other things, MLPs screen for, and then aim to 
        resolve legal issues veterans present, that may include income 
        security issues, unsafe housing, impending evictions, family 
        law matters, benefit concerns, elder abuse, and guardianship 
        issues. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, these needs 
        were also shown to have direct implication on population health 
        and the stability of our economy.
            (4) In addition to providing direct legal services, MLPs 
        help to improve quality and increase value in health care 
        delivery systems by engaging in activities such as trainings 
        for clinical teams and helping health care providers optimize 
        their services.
            (5) MLPs have experienced steady growth and reach since 
        they were first developed in the mid-1990s. In 2020 alone, some 
        450 MLPs in 49 States helped more than 75,000 individuals 
        resolve health-harming legal needs. In recent years, MLPs have 
        flourished as effective models of care for veterans.
            (6) Veterans are disproportionately at higher risk for 
        health problems, many of which are exacerbated by unmet social 
        and legal needs. The percentage of veterans who have at least 
        one disability is double that of non-veterans, and 41 percent 
        of veterans have mental health conditions such as depression, 
        traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 
        and substance use disorder.
            (7) Veterans are also at higher risk of having legal 
        issues, with one recent study finding an average of 1.5 legal 
        issues per veteran. The most common civil legal needs included 
        lack of access to VA benefits, custodial issues, and housing 
        issues like eviction. Unmet legal needs are particularly 
        harmful to the more than 1.7 million veterans with family 
        incomes below 125 percent of Federal poverty level. In fact, a 
        2017 analysis found that civil legal problems related to 
        veterans' issues affected 13 percent of low-income households 
        with veterans or other military personnel. For these 
        households, the most common legal problems were in the areas of 
        health or health care, consumer finance issues, and employment.
            (8) MLPs have proven to be a successful model of addressing 
        issues related to veteran care. One study found that Veterans 
        who received treatment at MLPs showed significant mental health 
        improvement and even improvements in their housing and income. 
        Additionally, MLPs have been found to decrease readmission 
        rates, length of inpatient hospital stays, and visits to the 
        emergency room.
            (9) In Indiana, a 2018 grant from Indiana Department of 
        Veterans Affairs made possible an MLP between Veteran Health 
        Indiana and Indiana Legal Services, Inc. and enabled veterans 
        to access critical civil legal services they may not otherwise 
        have received.
            (10) A study assessed 4 MLPs in Connecticut and New York 
        and found that 75 percent of veterans reached their legal goal 
        in the one-year study period, and in the first three months, 
        those who received full legal representation showed significant 
        reductions in symptoms of hostility, paranoia, psychosis, 
        generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress 
        disorder.
            (11) In 2017, a study designed to evaluate an MLP at UMass 
        Memorial Hospital found that patients referred by healthcare 
        workers to Legal Aid commonly had other legal problems which 
        the attorneys could also help them address and 86 percent of 
        clients said they would use the program again.
            (12) Currently, the overwhelming majority of MLPs operate 
        in Federal veteran's facilities. States operate hundreds of 
        veteran's homes, treatment facilities, and support programs 
        that do not have MLPs or access to civil legal providers.

SEC. 3. STATE VETERANS PILOT GRANT PROGRAM.

    Subpart 2 of part E of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10171) is amended by inserting before chapter B 
the following new chapter:

         ``CHAPTER A--STATE VETERANS JUSTICE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

``SEC. 511. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This chapter may be cited as the `State Veterans Rehabilitation 
Program Act of 2021' or the `SVets Act of 2021'.

``SEC. 512. STATE VETERANS JUSTICE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Attorney General shall make grants to 
eligible entities that have established or have plans to create medical 
legal partnerships that aim to reduce recidivism, promote 
rehabilitation and prevent victimization or partner with a State and 
unit of local government veteran facilities, including nursing homes, 
assisted living facilities, long-term care facilities, healthcare 
facilities, and mental health clinics. The partnership shall focus on 
veterans whose medical needs put them at risk of recidivism or 
reoffending or becoming victim to a crime.
    ``(b) Prioritization.--The partnership shall prioritize veterans 
who, because of an associated health concern, are--
            ``(1) facing homelessness;
            ``(2) unemployment; or
            ``(3) or at risk of fraud, abuse, or other victimization.
    ``(c) Grant Period.--A grant awarded under this chapter shall be 
for a period of not more than 5 years.
    ``(d) Eligible Entity.--An entity is eligible for a grant under 
this chapter if the entity is--
            ``(1) a unit of local government in partnership with a 
        nonprofit organization; or
            ``(2) a State in partnership with a nonprofit organization;
that operates or demonstrates a plan to operate a medical legal 
partnership.
    ``(e) Application.--To receive a grant under this chapter, an 
eligible entity shall submit an application to the Attorney General at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Attorney General may require, including a detailed description of the 
need for the grant and an account of the number of individuals the 
eligible entity expects to benefit from the grant.
    ``(f) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 5 percent of a grant 
awarded under this chapter may be used for costs incurred by the 
eligible entity to pay for administrative costs.
    ``(g) Construction Costs.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
this Act, no funds provided under this chapter may be used, directly or 
indirectly, for construction projects, other than new construction to 
accommodate a medical legal partnership and may not constitute more 
than 5 percent of a eligible entity's grant award.
    ``(h) Medical Legal Partnership Defined.--The term `medical legal 
partnership' means any State or unit of local government and nonprofit 
that screens and addresses legal issues for veterans, including legal 
issues related to income security, housing, evictions, family law, 
public benefits, elder abuse, post-conviction relief, and guardianship.

``SEC. 513. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There is authorized to be appropriated $6,500,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2022 through 2027 to carry out this chapter.''.

SEC. 4. STATE VETERANS PILOT JUSTICE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 3 of the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019 
(34 U.S.C. 10651a) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively;
            (2) by inserting the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Preference.--In awarding grants, the Attorney General may 
provide a grant selection preference to jurisdictions that provide a 
plan to work with Federal or State medical legal partnerships to reduce 
recidivism and promote rehabilitation.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Medical Legal Partnership Defined.--The term `medical legal 
partnership' has the meaning given such term in section 512 of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.''.

SEC. 5. VA MEDICAL LEGAL PARTNERSHIPS.

    Section 6304(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read 
as follows:
    ``(b) Medical Legal Partnerships.--The Secretary may establish and 
maintain medical legal partnerships to screen veterans for civil legal 
matters associated with the provision of health care or other benefits 
provided by the Department and facilitate the provision of no-cost 
legal services at Department facilities.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Medical legal partnership.--The term `medical legal 
        partnership' means has the meaning given such term in section 
        512 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
            ``(2) Civil legal matters.--The term `civil legal matters' 
        means non-criminal legal matters, including issues related to 
        health care, housing, government benefits, employment, 
        educational services, family law, post-conviction relief, and 
        trusts and estates.''.
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