Improving Housing Outcomes for Veterans Act of 2021
Bill: S.612 | Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob (R-OH)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Improving Housing Outcomes for Veterans Act of 2021
This bill requires the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to provide medical center staff and homelessness service providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with information related to best practices for the collaboration on centralized or coordinated assessment systems established and operated by Continuums of Care. The VA must also ensure that the information and related resources are accessible to VA medical center staff and homelessness service providers.
Additionally, the bill requires the VHA to communicate with VA employees who have responsibilities related to homelessness assistance programs regarding (1) the measurement of performance by the VA's Homeless Program Office, and (2) how to obtain and provide feedback about the performance measures.

To require the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans 
  Affairs to provide certain information to medical center staff and 
    homelessness service providers of the Department regarding the 
coordinated entry processes for housing and services operated under the 
   Continuum of Care Program of the Department of Housing and Urban 
                  Development, 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 ``Improving Housing Outcomes for 
Veterans Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SHARING OF INFORMATION RELATING 
              TO COORDINATED ENTRY PROCESSES FOR HOUSING AND SERVICES 
              OPERATED UNDER DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN 
              DEVELOPMENT CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary for Health of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs shall--
            (1) provide to staff of medical centers of the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs and homelessness service providers of the 
        Department the information described in subsection (b); and
            (2) ensure that such information, and other resources the 
        Under Secretary determines are appropriate, are accessible to 
        such staff and providers.
    (b) Information Described.--The information described in this 
subsection is information related to best practices with respect to the 
collaboration between medical centers of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, homelessness service providers of the Department, and local 
partners (including local offices of the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development or public housing agencies, and private and public 
local community organizations) on the centralized or coordinated 
assessment systems established and operated by Continuums of Care under 
section 578.7(a)(8) of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, including 
making referrals and sharing data, as the Under Secretary determines 
appropriate.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMUNICATION WITH EMPLOYEES 
              RESPONSIBLE FOR HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

    The Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs shall clearly communicate with employees of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs whose responsibilities are related to homelessness 
assistance programs regarding--
            (1) the measurement of performance of such programs by the 
        Homeless Programs Office of the Department; and
            (2) how to obtain and provide feedback about performance 
        measures.
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