VA Caregiver Continuity Act
Bill: H.R.9661 | Sponsor: Rep. Kim, Andy (D-NJ)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Caregiver Continuity Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct outreach to veterans or their family caregivers who participate in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and may be subject to discharge, reassessment, or a reduction of benefits under the program. The VA must provide such individuals with information regarding continued eligibility for the program.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct certain outreach 
 to legacy participants in the program of comprehensive assistance for 
family caregivers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ``VA Caregiver Continuity Act''.

SEC. 2. OUTREACH TO LEGACY PARTICIPANTS IN PROGRAM OF COMPREHENSIVE 
              ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs should not discharge any legacy 
participant within the priority group specified in section 1705(a)(1) 
of title 38, United States Code, from the program of comprehensive 
assistance for family caregivers, or reduce the support received by any 
such legacy participant under such program, on the sole basis of the 
final rule of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to ``Program 
of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Improvements and 
Amendments Under the VA MISSION Act of 2018'' (85 Fed. Reg. 46226, as 
in effect on October 1, 2020), or any related successor rule.
    (b) Outreach Requirements.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall--
            (1) identify each legacy participant that has been sent a 
        notification from the Department of Veterans Affairs that the 
        individual may be subject to a discharge from, reassessment of 
        eligibility for, or reduction of benefits under, the program of 
        comprehensive assistance for family caregivers on the sole 
        basis of the final rule specified in subsection (a);
            (2) provide to each such legacy participant information 
        regarding continued eligibility for such program under the 
        interim final rule of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        relating to ``Extension of Program of Comprehensive Assistance 
        for Family Caregivers; Eligibility for Legacy Participants and 
        Legacy Applicants'' (issued on September 14, 2022), or any 
        related successor rule; and
            (3) take such other steps as may be necessary to ensure 
        that legacy participants receive the most up-to-date 
        information regarding eligibility for such program.
    (c) Prioritization of Priority Group One Veterans.--In carrying out 
the outreach requirements under subsection (c), the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall prioritize the provision of information to 
legacy participants within the priority group specified in section 
1705(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``family caregiver'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1720G(d) of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``legacy participant'' means, with respect to 
        the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers, 
        a veteran, or family caregiver thereof, who was a participant 
        in such program as of September 30, 2020.
            (3) The term ``program of comprehensive assistance for 
        family caregivers'' means the program of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs under section 1720G(a) of title 38, United 
        States Code.
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