Title: Supporting Veteran Families Act of 2018
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Supporting Veteran Families Act of 2018
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a pilot program with community partners to assess the feasibility of providing intensive community care coordination and supportive services to veteran families who lack adequate access to VA services or to services provided by federal, state, or local government.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2336 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2336

   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
    program on providing intensive community care coordination and 
  supportive services to veteran families who lack adequate access to 
                   services, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 24, 2018

  Mr. Tester introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
    program on providing intensive community care coordination and 
  supportive services to veteran families who lack adequate access to 
                   services, 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 ``Supporting Veteran Families Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON COMMUNITY CARE COORDINATION AND SUPPORTIVE 
              SERVICES FOR VETERAN FAMILIES WHO LACK ACCESS TO 
              SERVICES.

    (a) Pilot Program Required.--Commencing not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall carry out a pilot program with community partners to 
assess the feasibility and advisability of providing intensive 
community care coordination and supportive services to veteran families 
who lack adequate access to services furnished by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs or other entities of Federal, State, and local 
governments.
    (b) Community Care Coordination and Supportive Services 
Described.--For purposes of the pilot program, intensive community care 
coordination and supportive services are services provided by a 
community partner to improve the well-being and address the needs of 
veteran families who live in rural or underserved areas or who 
otherwise lack access to adequate services furnished by the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Government, or State and local 
governments. Intensive community care coordination and supportive 
services may include the following:
            (1) Care coordination and case management services.
            (2) Outreach services.
            (3) Assistance in obtaining any benefits from the 
        Department which the veteran may be eligible to receive, 
        including the following:
                    (A) Vocational and rehabilitation counseling.
                    (B) Employment and training services.
                    (C) Educational assistance.
                    (D) Health care services.
            (4) Assistance in obtaining and coordinating the provision 
        of other public benefits or available services provided by the 
        Federal Government, State or local governments, or other 
        community partners, including the following:
                    (A) Marriage counseling.
                    (B) Services for children.
                    (C) Suicide prevention.
                    (D) Substance abuse awareness and treatment.
                    (E) Mental health awareness and treatment.
                    (F) Financial counseling.
                    (G) Employment assistance.
                    (H) Transportation services.
                    (I) Child care.
                    (J) Housing counseling.
                    (K) Preparing and updating family care plans.
                    (L) Development of strategies for living with a 
                veteran with post traumatic stress disorder or 
                traumatic brain injury.
                    (M) Accessing emergency financial assistance 
                through philanthropic efforts.
                    (N) Such other services as may be appropriate to 
                improve the well-being and address the unique needs of 
                veteran families who live in rural or underserved areas 
                or otherwise lack access to adequate services furnished 
                by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal 
                Government, or State and local governments.
            (5) Providing direct services, described in paragraph (4), 
        that are necessary to address the needs of the veteran families 
        but are otherwise unavailable through existing public or 
        private programs.
    (c) Agreements and Grants.--
            (1) Agreements.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
        program by entering into partnership agreements with community 
        partners to provide intensive community care coordination and 
        supportive services.
            (2) Grants.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall, using a 
                competitive and merit-based process, award grants to 
                community partners with whom the Secretary has entered 
                into agreements under paragraph (1).
                    (B) Use of funds.--The amounts of grants awarded 
                under subparagraph (A) shall be used to provide 
                intensive community care coordination and supportive 
                services under the pilot program and to assess service 
                delivery efficiencies.
                    (C) Locations.--The Secretary may award grants 
                under subparagraph (A) on an individual location basis 
                and may award grants for the provision of certain 
                services at locations that also provide other services.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out the 
pilot program $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020.
    (e) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 340 days before the 
        completion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit to 
        the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives 
        a report on the results of the pilot program.
            (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) The number of veteran families served under the 
                pilot program.
                    (B) The number of veteran families who received 
                service linkages or referrals under the pilot program.
                    (C) A description and assessment of the 
                effectiveness and achievements of the pilot program 
                with respect to services and treatments and mitigation 
                of risks, including risks relating to homelessness, 
                unemployment, and suicide.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Community partner.--The term ``community partner'' 
        means a private nonprofit organization.
            (2) Veteran family.--The term ``veteran family'' means a 
        family with respect to which the head of the household or the 
        spouse of the head of the household is a veteran. A family that 
        consists of a single individual who is a veteran shall be 
        considered a veteran family.
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