Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act
Bill: H.R.5529 | Sponsor: Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette (R-IA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act
This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Justice Outreach Program, which is a program through which the VA identifies justice-involved veterans and provides them with access to VA services. Justice-involved veterans are those with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of a local criminal justice system.
Specifically, the bill requires the VA to conduct program outreach to justice-involved veterans, military and veterans service organizations, and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community (e.g., local law enforcement).
The VA must increase the number of program specialists responsible for supporting justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, or underserved areas.
Additionally, the VA must establish performance goals, measures, and implementation time lines for the program, specialists, and providing support for research regarding justice-involved veterans.
Program specialists must receive training, at least annually, on (1) veteran eligibility for the program, and (2) best practices for identifying and conducting outreach to justice-involved veterans and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make certain 
 improvements to the Veterans Justice Outreach 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 Justice Outreach 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO VETERANS JUSTICE OUTREACH PROGRAM.

    (a) Outreach Requirement.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
conduct outreach regarding the Veterans Justice Outreach Program to 
justice-involved veterans, military and veterans service organizations, 
and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community, including 
officials from local law enforcement, court, and jail systems and 
others as determined appropriate by the Secretary. Such outreach--
            (1) shall be designed--
                    (A) to spread awareness and understanding of the 
                Program;
                    (B) to spread awareness and understanding of 
                veteran eligibility for the Program, including the 
                eligibility of veterans who were discharged from 
                service in the Armed Forces under conditions other than 
                honorable; and
                    (C) to improve the identification of justice-
                involved veterans; and
            (2) may be conducted in person, virtually, or through other 
        means, including by the dissemination of informational 
        materials and contact information.
    (b) Increase in Number of VJO Specialists.--The Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall increase the number of Veterans Justice Outreach 
specialists responsible for supporting justice-involved veterans in 
rural, remote, or underserved areas, including areas with local 
criminal justice systems located far from Department of Veterans 
Affairs medical centers, as determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Performance Goals, Measures, and Implementation Timelines.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        establish performance goals, measures, and implementation 
        timelines for--
                    (A) the Veterans Justice Outreach Program;
                    (B) Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists; and
                    (C) providing support for research regarding 
                justice-involved veterans.
            (2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
        report on the performance goals, measures, and implementation 
        timelines established under paragraph (1).
    (d) Training Requirement.--The Secretary shall ensure that all 
Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists receive training not less 
frequently than annually on--
            (1) best practices for identifying and conducting outreach 
        to justice-involved veterans and relevant stakeholders in the 
        criminal justice community; and
            (2) veteran eligibility for the Veterans Justice Outreach 
        Program.
    (e) Report on Veterans Treatment Courts.--Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report on--
            (1) the availability and efficacy of veterans treatment 
        courts;
            (2) best practices for veterans treatment courts in meeting 
        the needs of both justice-involved veterans and local criminal 
        justice systems; and
            (3) the ability of justice-involved veterans to access 
        veterans treatment courts, including any barriers that exist to 
        increasing such access.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``justice-involved veteran'' means a veteran 
        with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of 
        a local criminal justice system.
            (2) The term ``Veterans Justice Outreach Program'' means 
        the program through which the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        identifies justice-involved veterans and provides such veterans 
        with access to Department services.
            (3) The term ``Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist'' means 
        an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who serves as 
        a liaison between the Department and the local criminal justice 
        system on behalf of a justice-involved veteran.
            (4) The term ``veterans treatment court'' means a State or 
        local court that is participating in the veterans treatment 
        court program (as defined in section 2991(i)(1) of the Omnibus 
        Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
        3797aa(i)(1))).
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