Title: Veteran Wellness Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veteran Wellness Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a two-year pilot program under which the VA makes grants to nonprofit veterans services organizations (VSOs), such as the American National Red Cross, the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, the United Spanish War Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, to: (1) upgrade their community facilities into health and wellness centers in at least 10 different geographic locations, and (2) promote and expand complementary and integrative wellness programs.
In selecting grant recipients, the VA shall give priority to recipients that will use grant amounts in locations in economically depressed areas that are not in close proximity to VA medical centers.
A VSO, as a condition of receiving a grant, must agree to carry out the operation and maintenance of a facility that is repaired or constructed using grant funds for three years after completion of the repair or construction.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1951

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot 
program to award grants to nonprofit veterans service organizations to 
        upgrade the community facilities of such organizations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 5, 2017

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot 
program to award grants to nonprofit veterans service organizations to 
        upgrade the community facilities of such organizations.

    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 ``Veteran Wellness Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON TRANSFORMATION OF VETERANS SERVICES 
              ORGANIZATIONS FACILITIES INTO VETERAN HEALTH AND WELLNESS 
              CENTERS.

    (a) Pilot Program Required.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary makes 
        grants to nonprofit veterans services organizations recognized 
        by the Secretary for the representation of veterans under 
        section 5902 of title 38, United States Code (in this section 
        referred to as ``VSOs''), to upgrade, through construction and 
        repair, community facilities of VSOs into health and wellness 
        centers and to promote and expand complementary and integrative 
        wellness programs.
            (2) Use of amounts.--The recipient of a grant under this 
        section shall use the grant amounts--
                    (A) to carry out the repair of a facility owned by 
                the recipient or to construct a facility on property 
                owned by the recipient; or
                    (B) to provide complementary and integrative 
                medicine or wellness programs, and to pay the costs of 
                childcare during such programs, to veterans and family 
                members, as such term is defined in section 1712A(h)(3) 
                of title 38, United States Code.
            (3) Limitation on use of amounts.--The recipient of a grant 
        under this section may not use the grant amounts to purchase 
        real estate or to carry out repair of facilities leased by the 
        recipient or to construct facilities on property leased by the 
        recipient.
            (4) Facility operation.--As a condition of the receipt of a 
        grant under this section, a VSO shall agree to carry out the 
        operation and maintenance of the facility that is repaired or 
        constructed using grant amounts for the three-year period 
        beginning on the date of the completion of the repair or 
        construction.
    (b) Duration of Pilot Program.--The pilot program shall be carried 
out during the two-year period beginning on the date of the 
commencement of the pilot program.
    (c) Locations.--
            (1) In general.--In selecting the recipients of grants 
        under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that the grant 
        recipients use grant amounts to construct or repair facilities 
        located in not fewer than ten different geographic locations.
            (2) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority in the 
        selection of locations under paragraph (1) to locations in 
        economically depressed areas that are not in close proximity to 
        medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (d) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, a VSO shall submit to the Secretary an application in such 
form and in such manner as the Secretary may require.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) Periodic reports.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days 
                thereafter for the duration of the pilot program, the 
                Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
                pilot program.
                    (B) Report elements.--Each report required by 
                subparagraph (A) shall include the following:
                            (i) The findings and conclusions of the 
                        Secretary with respect to the pilot program 
                        during the 180-day period covered by the 
                        report.
                            (ii) An assessment of the benefits of the 
                        pilot program to veterans and family members of 
                        veterans during the 180-day period covered by 
                        the report.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        conclusion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress a report detailing the recommendations of the 
        Secretary as to the advisability of continuing or expanding the 
        pilot program.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be necessary to carry 
out this section.
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