Title: Caregiver Program Information Improvement Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Caregiver Program Information Improvement Act of 2017
This bill requires pre-separation counseling for members of the Armed Forces to include a description of Department of Veterans Affairs family caregiver assistance and support services, including information about covered veterans, eligible caregivers, and program assistance and support.
Each military department shall take actions: (1) to determine whether each member of the Armed Forces who is undergoing pre-separation counseling and may require caregiver services has identified a caregiver; and (2) at the member's election, to permit such caregiver to participate in pre-separation counseling sessions in order to be informed of assistance and support services available to caregivers and the manner in which the member's transition to civilian life may affect the caregiver.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1378 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1378

    To amend title 10, United States Code, to require an element in 
preseparation counseling for members of the Armed Forces on assistance 
  and support services for caregivers of certain veterans through the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 19, 2017

  Mr. Rounds introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 10, United States Code, to require an element in 
preseparation counseling for members of the Armed Forces on assistance 
  and support services for caregivers of certain veterans through 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 ``Caregiver Program Information 
Improvement Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ELEMENT IN PRESEPARATION COUNSELING FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
              FORCES ON ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CAREGIVERS 
              OF CERTAIN VETERANS THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1142(b) of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(18) A description, developed in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs, of the assistance and support 
        services for family caregivers of eligible veterans under the 
        program conducted by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs pursuant 
        to section 1720G of title 38, including the veterans covered by 
        the program, the caregivers eligible for assistance and support 
        through the program, and the assistance and support available 
        through the program.''.
    (b) Participation of Potential Caregivers in Appropriate 
Preseparation Counseling.--
            (1) In general.--In accordance with procedures established 
        by the Secretary of Defense, each Secretary of a military 
        department shall take appropriate actions to achieve the 
        following:
                    (A) To determine whether each member of the Armed 
                Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary who is 
                undergoing preseparation counseling pursuant to section 
                1142 of title 10, United States Code (as amended by 
                subsection (a)), and who may require caregiver services 
                after separation from the Armed Forces has identified 
                an individual to provide such services after the 
                member's separation.
                    (B) In the case of a member described in 
                subparagraph (A) who has identified an individual to 
                provide caregiver services after the member's 
                separation, at the election of the member, to permit 
                such individual to participate in appropriate sessions 
                of the member's preseparation counseling in order to 
                inform such individual of--
                            (i) the assistance and support services 
                        available to caregivers of members after 
                        separation from the Armed Forces; and
                            (ii) the manner in which the member's 
                        transition to civilian life after separation 
                        may likely affect such individual as a 
                        caregiver.
            (2) Caregivers.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        individuals who provide caregiver services refers to 
        individuals (including a spouse, partner, parent, sibling, 
        adult child, other relative, or friend) who provide physical or 
        emotional assistance to former members of the Armed Forces 
        during and after their transition from military life to 
        civilian life following separation from the Armed Forces.
            (3) Deadline for commencement.--Each Secretary of a miliary 
        department shall commence the actions required pursuant to this 
        subsection by not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
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