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 provide grants to states to implement programs that improve outreach and assistance to veterans and their families to ensure that such individuals are fully informed about veterans' benefits and programs.
Specifically, the VA may provide grants to states to (1) implement or enhance outreach activities or activities to assist in the development and submittal of claims for veterans, or (2) increase the number of county or tribal veterans service officers in the state.
The VA must prioritize awarding grants in areas with a critical shortage of county or tribal veterans service officers, areas with high rates of suicide among veterans, and areas with high rates of referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2405 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2405

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to award grants to States to improve outreach to 
                   veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 21, 2021

  Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to award grants to States to 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 GRANTS TO 
              STATES TO 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. Grants to States to 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 
improve 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) Authority.--The Secretary may award grants to States--
            ``(1) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise 
        enhance--
                    ``(A) outreach activities; or
                    ``(B) activities to assist in the development and 
                submittal of claims for veterans and veterans-related 
                benefits; or
            ``(2) to increase the number of county or tribal veterans 
        service officers serving in the State by hiring new, additional 
        such officers.
    ``(c) Application.--(1) To be eligible for a grant under this 
section, 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.
    ``(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1) shall include 
the following:
            ``(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant.
            ``(B) A description of the programs through which the State 
        will meet the outcome measures developed by the Secretary under 
        subsection (i).
            ``(C) A description of how the State will distribute grant 
        amounts equitably among counties with varying levels of 
        urbanization.
            ``(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to meet the 
        unique needs of American Indian or Alaska Native veterans, 
        elderly veterans, women veterans, and veterans from other 
        underserved communities.
    ``(d) Distribution.--The Secretary shall seek to ensure that grants 
awarded under this section are equitably distributed among States with 
varying levels of urbanization.
    ``(e) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize awarding grants 
under this section that will serve the following areas:
            ``(1) Areas with a critical shortage of county or tribal 
        veterans service officers.
            ``(2) Areas with high rates of--
                    ``(A) suicide among veterans; or
                    ``(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.
    ``(f) Use of County or Tribal Veterans Service Officers.--A State 
that receives a grant under this section to carry out an activity 
described in subsection (b)(1) shall carry out the activity through--
            ``(1) a county or tribal veterans service officer of the 
        State; or
            ``(2) if the State does not have a county or tribal 
        veterans service officer, or if the county or tribal veterans 
        service officers of the State cover only a portion of that 
        State, an appropriate entity of a State, local, or tribal 
        government, or another publicly funded entity, as determined by 
        the Secretary.
    ``(g) Required Activities.--Any grant awarded under this section 
shall be used--
            ``(1) to expand existing programs, activities, and 
        services;
            ``(2) to hire new, additional county or tribal veterans 
        service officers; or
            ``(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate carrying 
        out paragraph (1) or (2).
    ``(h) Authorized Activities.--A grant under this section 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.
    ``(i) Outcome Measures.--(1) The Secretary shall develop and 
provide to each State that receives a grant under this section written 
guidance on the following:
            ``(A) Outcome measures.
            ``(B) Policies of the Department.
    ``(2) In developing outcome measures under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall consider the following goals:
            ``(A) Increasing the use of veterans and veterans-related 
        benefits, particularly among vulnerable populations.
            ``(B) Increasing the number of county and tribal veterans 
        service officers recognized by the Secretary for the 
        representation of veterans under chapter 59 of this title.
    ``(j) Tracking Requirements.--(1) With respect to each grant 
awarded under this section, the Secretary shall track the use of 
veterans and veterans-related benefits among the population served by 
the grant, including the average period of time between the date on 
which a veteran applies for such a benefit and the date on which the 
veteran receives the benefit, disaggregated by type of benefit.
    ``(2) Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report on the information tracked under paragraph (1).
    ``(k) Performance Review.--(1) The Secretary shall--
            ``(A) review the performance of each State that receives a 
        grant under this section; and
            ``(B) make information regarding such performance publicly 
        available.
    ``(l) Remediation Plan.--(1) In the case of a State that receives a 
grant under this section and does not meet the outcome measures 
developed by the Secretary under subsection (i), 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.
    ``(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent grant under this 
section to a State described in paragraph (1) unless the Secretary 
approves the remediation plan submitted by the State.
    ``(m) Maximum Amount.--The amount of a grant awarded under this 
section may not exceed 10 percent of amounts made available for grants 
under this section for the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded.
    ``(n) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Any grant awarded under this 
section shall be used to supplement and not supplant State and local 
funding that is otherwise available.
    ``(o) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `county or tribal veterans service officer' 
        includes a local equivalent veterans service officer.
            ``(2) The term `Veterans Crisis Line' means the toll-free 
        hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of this 
        title.
    ``(p) 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).
    ``(q) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
2026, $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. Grants to States to improve outreach to veterans.
``6308. Outreach for eligible dependents.
``6309. Biennial report to Congress.''.
                                 <all>