Title: Veterans Caregiver Improvement and Expansion Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Caregiver Improvement and Expansion Act
This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an audit of two specified caregiver programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Such audit shall include: (1) a review of the budget formulations, execution, allocation, and use of funds; and (2) recommendations for streamlining and consolidation.
Within three months of the completion of such audit, VA must submit a report to Congress on:
Within 24 months of submitting such report, VA shall:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3308 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3308

    To require an audit and review of the caregiver programs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 19, 2017

   Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require an audit and review of the caregiver programs 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 ``Veterans Caregiver Improvement and 
Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. AUDIT AND REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CAREGIVER 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) GAO Audit.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct an audit of the caregiver programs of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. Such audit shall include--
            (1) a review of the budget formulations, execution, 
        allocation, and use of funds for each program; and
            (2) the recommendations of the Comptroller General for 
        streamlining and consolidating the two programs.
    (b) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Review.--Not later than three 
months after the completion of the audit required under subsection (a), 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on 
the audit that includes the identification of--
            (1) any changes recommended by the Comptroller General that 
        the Secretary is able to implement without legislative changes;
            (2) any recommendation of the Comptroller General for 
        legislative changes;
            (3) any recommendation of the Comptroller General that the 
        Secretary determines is problematic, overly expensive, or 
        impractical; and
            (4) in the case of any recommendation identified under 
        paragraph (3), a recommendation for an alternative approach to 
        addressing the problem identified by the Comptroller General in 
        making such recommendation.
    (c) Implementation.--Not later than 24 months after the submittal 
of the report under subsection (b), the Secretary shall--
            (1) implement the changes described in paragraph (1) of 
        such subsection;
            (2) establish national policies based on best practices for 
        administering the caregiver programs designed to streamline and 
        consolidate the caregiver programs; and
            (3) establish a database designed to monitor all Department 
        programs that provide assistance to caregivers and all 
        caregivers receiving assistance under a caregiver program.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``caregiver'' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 1720G(d)(1) of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``caregiver programs'' means the following 
        programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs:
                    (A) The program for assistance and support services 
                for caregivers under section 1720G of title 38, United 
                States Code.
                    (B) The program to provide counseling, training, 
                and mental health services for immediate family members 
                and caregivers under section 1782 of such title.
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