What This Bill Does
This bill allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to give grants to states and Native American tribes to improve how they reach out to veterans and their families. The grants help states and tribes inform veterans about benefits they can get and help veterans file claims for those benefits.
Who It Affects
Veterans and their spouses, children and parents. County and tribal veterans service officers (government workers who help veterans). State and tribal governments. The Department of Veterans Affairs.
Key Provisions
• States and tribes can use grants to improve outreach activities, hire new county or tribal veterans service officers, or expand existing programs that help veterans file benefits claims (Sec. 2(b)).
• Applications for grants must include a detailed plan for using the money, a description of how the state or tribe will reach underserved communities like American Indian veterans, elderly veterans and women veterans, and how they will share money fairly among counties with different levels of urbanization (Sec. 2(c)).
• The Secretary must prioritize grants for areas with shortages of veterans service officers and areas with high suicide rates among veterans or high numbers of calls to the Veterans Crisis Line (Sec. 2(e)).
• Grant money must be used to expand programs, hire new veterans service officers, or pay for travel needed to carry out these activities (Sec. 2(g)).
• The Secretary must track how many veterans use benefits in areas served by the grants and report to Congress at least once a year about how the grants are working and how they help underserved communities (Sec. 2(j)).
What Changes
A new grant program gets created that did not exist before. States and tribes that previously could not apply for federal money to improve veterans outreach can now apply. The Department of Veterans Affairs must develop outcome measures (goals to measure success) and publicly report on how well each state and tribe is doing with their grants.
Important Definitions
• County or tribal veterans service officer: includes a local equivalent veterans service officer.
• Indian Tribe: has the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.
• State: includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and any other U.S. territory.
• Veterans Crisis Line: the toll-free hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of title 38.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 984
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Mrs. RODGERS of Washington, Mr. PAPPAS, and Mr.
FINSTAD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commitment to Vet-
4
eran Support and Outreach Act’’.
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SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF-
1
FAIRS TO AWARD GRANTS TO STATES AND IN-
2
DIAN TRIBES TO IMPROVE OUTREACH TO
3
VETERANS.
4
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 38, United
5
States Code, is amended—
6
(1) by redesignating sections 6307 and 6308
7
and sections 6308 and 6309, respectively; and
8
(2) by inserting after section 6306 the following
9
new section 6307:
10
‘‘§ 6307. Grants to States and Indian Tribes to im-
11
prove outreach to veterans
12
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to
13
provide for assistance by the Secretary to States and In-
14
dian Tribes to carry out programs that—
15
‘‘(1) improve outreach and assistance to vet-
16
erans and the spouses, children, and parents of vet-
17
erans, to ensure that such individuals are fully in-
18
formed about any veterans and veterans-related ben-
19
efits and programs (including veterans programs of
20
a State or Indian Tribe) for which they may be eligi-
21
ble; and
22
‘‘(2) facilitate opportunities for such individuals
23
to receive competent, qualified services in the prepa-
24
ration, presentation, and prosecution of veterans
25
benefits claims.
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‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may award grants
1
under this section to States and Indian Tribes—
2
‘‘(1) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or other-
3
wise enhance outreach activities;
4
‘‘(2) to increase the number of county or Tribal
5
veterans service officers serving in the State or In-
6
dian Tribe by hiring new, additional such officers; or
7
‘‘(3) to expand, carry out, coordinate, improve,
8
or otherwise enhance existing programs, activities,
9
and services of the existing organization of the State
10
or Indian Tribe that has been recognized by the De-
11
partment of Veterans Affairs pursuant to section
12
5902, in the preparation, presentation, and prosecu-
13
tion of claims for veterans benefits through rep-
14
resentatives who hold positions as county or Tribal
15
veterans service officers.
16
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—(1) To be eligible for a grant
17
under this section, a State or Indian Tribe shall submit
18
to the Secretary an application therefor at such time, in
19
such manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
20
retary may require.
21
‘‘(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1)
22
shall include the following:
23
‘‘(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant.
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‘‘(B) A description of the programs through
1
which the State or Indian Tribe will meet the out-
2
come measures developed by the Secretary under
3
subsection (i).
4
‘‘(C) A description of how the State or Indian
5
Tribe will distribute grant amounts equitably among
6
counties (or Tribal lands, as the case may be) with
7
varying levels of urbanization.
8
‘‘(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to
9
meet the unique needs of American Indian or Alaska
10
Native veterans, elderly veterans, women veterans,
11
and veterans from other underserved communities.
12
‘‘(d) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall seek to en-
13
sure that grants awarded under this section are equitably
14
distributed among States and Indian Tribes with varying
15
levels of urbanization.
16
‘‘(e) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall prioritize
17
awarding grants under this section that will serve the fol-
18
lowing areas:
19
‘‘(1) Areas with a critical shortage of county or
20
Tribal veterans service officers.
21
‘‘(2) Areas with high rates of—
22
‘‘(A) suicide among veterans; or
23
‘‘(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.
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‘‘(f) USE OF COUNTY OR TRIBAL VETERANS SERV-
1
ICE OFFICERS.—A State or Indian Tribe that receives a
2
grant under this section to carry out an activity described
3
in subsection (b)(1) may only carry out the activity
4
through—
5
‘‘(1) a county or Tribal veterans service officer
6
of the State or Indian Tribe; or
7
‘‘(2) if the State or Indian Tribe does not have
8
a county or Tribal veterans service officer, or if the
9
county or Tribal veterans service officers of the
10
State or Indian Tribe cover only a portion of that
11
State or Indian Tribe, an appropriate entity of a
12
State, local, or Tribal government, as determined by
13
the Secretary.
14
‘‘(g) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Any grant awarded
15
under this section shall be used—
16
‘‘(1) to expand existing programs, activities,
17
and services;
18
‘‘(2) to hire and maintain new, additional coun-
19
ty or Tribal veterans service officers; or
20
‘‘(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate
21
carrying out paragraph (1) or (2).
22
‘‘(h) OTHER PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A grant
23
under this section may be used to provide education and
24
training, including on-the-job training, for State, county,
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•HR 984 IH
local, and Tribal government employees who provide (or
1
when trained will provide) veterans outreach services in
2
order for those employees to obtain and maintain accredi-
3
tation in accordance with procedures approved by the Sec-
4
retary.
5
‘‘(i) OUTCOME MEASURES.—(1) The Secretary shall
6
develop and provide to each State or Indian Tribe that
7
receives a grant under this section written guidance on
8
the following:
9
‘‘(A) Outcome measures.
10
‘‘(B) Policies of the Department.
11
‘‘(2) In developing outcome measures under para-
12
graph (1), the Secretary shall consider the following goals:
13
‘‘(A) Increasing the use of veterans and vet-
14
erans-related benefits, particularly among vulnerable
15
populations.
16
‘‘(B) Increasing the number of county and
17
Tribal veterans service officers recognized by the
18
Secretary for the representation of veterans under
19
chapter 59 of this title.
20
‘‘(j) TRACKING REQUIREMENTS.—(1) With respect
21
to each grant awarded under this section, the Secretary
22
shall track the use of veterans benefits among the popu-
23
lation served by the grant, including the average period
24
of time between the date on which a veteran or other eligi-
25
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•HR 984 IH
ble claimant applies for such a benefit and the date on
1
which the veteran or other eligible claimant receives the
2
benefit, disaggregated by type of benefit.
3
‘‘(2) Not less frequently than annually during the life
4
of the grant program established under this section, the
5
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on—
6
‘‘(A) the information tracked under paragraph
7
(1);
8
‘‘(B) how the grants awarded under this section
9
serve the unique needs of American Indian or Alaska
10
Native veterans, elderly veterans, women veterans,
11
and veterans from other underserved communities;
12
and
13
‘‘(C) other information provided by States and
14
Indian Tribes pursuant to the grant reporting re-
15
quirements.
16
‘‘(k) PERFORMANCE REVIEW.—(1) The Secretary
17
shall—
18
‘‘(A) review the performance of each State or
19
Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this sec-
20
tion; and
21
‘‘(B) make information regarding such perform-
22
ance publicly available.
23
‘‘(l) REMEDIATION PLAN.—(1) In the case of a State
24
or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this section
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•HR 984 IH
and does not meet the outcome measures developed by the
1
Secretary under subsection (i), the Secretary shall require
2
the State or Indian Tribe to submit a remediation plan
3
under which the State or Indian Tribe shall describe how
4
and when it plans to meet such outcome measures.
5
‘‘(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent
6
grant under this section to a State or Indian Tribe de-
7
scribed in paragraph (1) unless the Secretary approves the
8
remediation plan submitted by the State of Indian Tribe.
9
‘‘(m) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant
10
awarded under this section may not exceed 10 percent of
11
amounts made available for grants under this section for
12
the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded.
13
‘‘(n) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Any grant
14
awarded under this section shall be used to supplement
15
and not supplant State and local funding that is otherwise
16
available.
17
‘‘(o) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
18
‘‘(1) The term ‘county or Tribal veterans serv-
19
ice officer’ includes a local equivalent veterans serv-
20
ice officer.
21
‘‘(2) The term ‘Indian Tribe’ has the meaning
22
given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-De-
23
termination and Education Assistance Act (25
24
U.S.C. 5304).
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•HR 984 IH
‘‘(3) The term ‘State’ includes the District of
1
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
2
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
3
and any territory or possession of the United States.
4
‘‘(4) The term ‘Veterans Crisis Line’ means the
5
toll-free hotline for veterans established under sec-
6
tion 1720F(h) of this title.’’.
7
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
8
at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended
9
by striking the items relating to sections 6307 and 6308
10
and inserting the following new items:
11
‘‘6307. Grants to States and Indian Tribes to improve outreach to veterans.
‘‘6308. Outreach for eligible dependents.
‘‘6309. Biennial report to Congress.’’.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
12
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans
13
Affairs for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028,
14
$50,000,000 to carry out section 6307 of title 38, United
15
States Code, as added by subsection (a).
16
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME
17
EQUIVALENT
EMPLOYEE.—During fiscal years 2024
18
through 2028, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may hire
19
two or more additional full-time equivalent employees in
20
the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of
21
Veterans Affairs, as compared to the number of full-time
22
equivalent employees that would otherwise be authorized
23
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•HR 984 IH
for such office, to carry out duties under the accreditation,
1
discipline, and fees program.
2
Æ
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