Title: Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into a contract with a state in order to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance health and wellness programs, comprehensive veteran suicide prevention programs, and outreach by the VA and the state.
The VA is authorized to award a grant to a state to (1) carry out, coordinate, improve or otherwise enhance health and wellness programs, comprehensive veteran suicide prevention programs, outreach activities, or activities to assist with benefits claims for veterans; or (2) hire additional county veterans service officers.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5516 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5516

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts with States or to award grants 
to States to promote health and wellness, prevent suicide, and improve 
             outreach to veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts with States or to award grants 
to States to promote health and wellness, prevent suicide, and improve 
             outreach to veterans, 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 ``Commitment to Veteran Support and 
Outreach Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO AWARD CONTRACTS 
              AND GRANTS TO STATES TO PROMOTE HEALTH AND WELLNESS, 
              PREVENT SUICIDE, AND IMPROVE OUTREACH TO VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 63 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 6307 and 6308 and sections 
        6308 and 6309, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 6306 the following new 
        section 6307:
``Sec. 6307. Contracts and grants to promote health and wellness, 
              prevent suicide, and improve outreach to veterans
    ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to provide for 
assistance by the Secretary to States to carry out programs that 
promote health and wellness, strengthen the coordination, 
implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive veteran suicide 
prevention programs, and offer a high probability of improving outreach 
and assistance to veterans and the spouses, children, and parents of 
veterans, to ensure that such individuals are fully informed about, and 
assisted in applying for, any veterans and veterans-related benefits 
and programs (including State veterans programs) for which they may be 
eligible.
    ``(b) Contracts.--(1) The Secretary may enter into a contract with 
a State in order to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise 
enhance health and wellness programs, comprehensive veteran suicide 
prevention programs, and outreach by the Department and the State 
(including outreach with respect to a State, county, or other local 
veterans program).
    ``(2) As a condition of entering into a contract with a State under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall require the State to submit to the 
Secretary a detailed plan for the use of any funds provided to the 
State pursuant to the contract and to meet the outcome measures 
developed by the Secretary under subsection (c)(4).
    ``(3) Each contract entered into with a State under this subsection 
to carry out an activity shall include a requirement that the State 
carry out the activity through--
            ``(A) the county veterans service officers of the State; or
            ``(B) if a county veterans service officer does not exist 
        in the State or exists only in portions of the State, an 
        appropriate State, local, or tribal entity as determined by the 
        Secretary.
    ``(c) Grants.--(1) The Secretary may award a grant to a State to be 
used--
            ``(A) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise 
        enhance--
                    ``(i) health and wellness programs;
                    ``(ii) comprehensive veteran suicide prevention 
                programs;
                    ``(iii) outreach activities; or
                    ``(iv) activities to assist in the development and 
                submittal of claims for veterans and veterans-related 
                benefits; or
            ``(B) to increase the number of county veterans service 
        officers serving in the State by hiring new, additional county 
        veterans service officers.
    ``(2) A State that receives a grant under this subsection to carry 
out an activity described in paragraph (1)(A) shall carry out the 
activity through--
            ``(A) a county veterans service officer of the State; or
            ``(B) if a county veterans service officer does not exist 
        in the State or exists only in portions of the State, an 
        appropriate State, local, or tribal entity as determined by the 
        Secretary.
    ``(3)(A) To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a State 
shall submit to the Secretary an application therefor at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require.
    ``(B) Each application submitted under subparagraph (A) shall 
include the following:
            ``(i) A detailed plan for the use of the grant.
            ``(ii) A description of the programs through which the 
        State will meet the outcome measures developed by the Secretary 
        under paragraph (4).
    ``(4)(A) The Secretary shall develop and provide to the recipient 
of a grant under this subsection written guidance on outcome measures, 
policies of the Department, and procedures for applying for grants 
under this section.
    ``(B) The Secretary shall review the performance of each State that 
receives a grant under this section and shall make information 
regarding such performance publicly available.
    ``(C) In the case of a State that is a recipient of a grant under 
this subsection that does not meet the outcome measures developed by 
the Secretary, the Secretary shall require the State to submit a 
remediation plan under which the State shall describe how and when it 
plans to meet such outcome measures. The Secretary must approve such 
plan before the Secretary may award a subsequent grant to that State 
under this subsection.
    ``(5) A grant under this subsection--
            ``(A) shall be used--
                    ``(i) to expand existing programs, activities, and 
                services;
                    ``(ii) to hire new, additional county veterans 
                service officers; or
                    ``(iii) for travel and transportation to facilitate 
                carrying out clause (i) or (ii); and
            ``(B) shall be used to supplement and not supplant State 
        and local funding that is otherwise available.
    ``(6) A grant under this subsection may be used to provide 
education and training, including on-the-job training, for State, 
county, local, and tribal government employees who provide (or when 
trained will provide) veterans outreach services in order for those 
employees to obtain accreditation in accordance with procedures 
approved by the Secretary and, for employees so accredited, for 
purposes of continuing education.
    ``(7) A grant awarded under paragraph (1)(A) may be used to carry 
out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance an activity carried out 
pursuant to a contract entered into under subsection (b).
    ``(d) County Veterans Service Officer Defined.--In this section, 
the term `county veterans service officer' includes--
            ``(1) a local equivalent veterans service officer; and
            ``(2) a tribal veterans service officer or tribal veteran 
        representative.
    ``(e) Funding.--(1) Amounts for the activities of the Department 
under this section shall be budgeted and appropriated through a 
separate appropriation account.
    ``(2) In the budget justification materials submitted to Congress 
in support of the Department budget for any fiscal year (as submitted 
with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31), 
the Secretary shall include a separate statement of the amount 
requested to be appropriated for that fiscal year for the account 
specified in paragraph (1).
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for each of fiscal years 2020 through 
2024, $50,000,000 to carry out this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 63 of such title is amended by striking the items relating to 
sections 6307 and 6308 and inserting the following new items:

``6307. Contracts and grants to promote health and wellness, prevent 
                            suicide, and improve outreach to veterans.
``6308. Outreach for eligible dependents.
``6309. Biennial report to Congress.''.
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