Solid Start Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2819 To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and expand the Solid Start program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 22, 2021 Ms. SLOTKIN (for herself and Mr. JOYCE of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and expand the Solid Start program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ‘‘Solid Start Act of 4 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) In 2021, veterans continue to die by suicide 8 at higher rates than civilians. Many of those vet- 9 erans have no ties to the Department of Veterans 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2819.IH H2819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2819 IH Affairs, limiting the ability of the Department to 1 help in times of crisis. 2 (2) The first year after separating from the 3 military is a critical time in the transition to civilian 4 life for a member of the Armed Forces. Many 5 changes occur during that transition, from career 6 and location changes to shifts in financial cir- 7 cumstances and health care coverage. 8 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 9 It is the sense of Congress that the United States 10 must strive to better serve members of the Armed Forces 11 and veterans who are transitioning to civilian life by— 12 (1) providing up-to-date information and access 13 to resources that such members of the Armed 14 Forces and veterans may not be aware of; 15 (2) supporting the critical time of transition by 16 ensuring that mental health needs are met in a time- 17 ly manner; and 18 (3) assisting members of the Armed Forces and 19 veterans in accessing newly available services. 20 SEC. 4. SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 21 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 38, United 23 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 24 lowing new subchapter: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2819.IH H2819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2819 IH ‘‘Subchapter II—Other Outreach Programs 1 and Activities 2 ‘‘§ 6320. Solid Start program 3 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 4 ‘‘(1) to build the capacity of the Department to 5 efficiently and effectively respond to the queries and 6 needs of veterans who have recently separated from 7 the Armed Forces; and 8 ‘‘(2) to systemically integrate and coordinate ef- 9 forts to assist veterans, including efforts— 10 ‘‘(A) to proactively reach out to newly sep- 11 arated veterans to inform them of their eligi- 12 bility for programs of and benefits provided by 13 the Department; and 14 ‘‘(B) to connect veterans in crisis to re- 15 sources that address their immediate needs. 16 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES OF THE SOLID START PROGRAM.— 17 (1) The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 18 Defense, shall carry out the Solid Start program of the 19 Department by— 20 ‘‘(A) collecting up-to-date contact information 21 during transition classes or separation counseling for 22 all members of the Armed Forces who are sepa- 23 rating from the Armed Forces, while explaining the 24 existence and purpose of the Solid Start program; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2819.IH H2819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2819 IH ‘‘(B) calling each veteran, regardless of separa- 1 tion type or characterization of service, three times 2 within the first year after separation of the veteran 3 from the Armed Forces; 4 ‘‘(C) providing information about the Solid 5 Start program on the website of the Department 6 and in materials of the Department, especially tran- 7 sition booklets and other resources; 8 ‘‘(D) ensuring calls are truly tailored to the 9 needs of each veteran’s unique situation by con- 10 ducting quality assurance tests; 11 ‘‘(E) prioritizing outreach to veterans who have 12 accessed mental health resources prior to separation 13 from the Armed Forces; 14 ‘‘(F) providing women veterans with informa- 15 tion that is tailored to their specific health care and 16 benefit needs; 17 ‘‘(G) as feasible, providing information on ac- 18 cess to State and local resources, including Vet Cen- 19 ters and veterans service organizations; and 20 ‘‘(H) gathering and analyzing data assessing 21 the effectiveness of the Solid Start program. 22 ‘‘(2) The Secretary, in coordination with the Sec- 23 retary of Defense, may carry out the Solid Start program 24 by— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2819.IH H2819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2819 IH ‘‘(A) encouraging members of the Armed 1 Forces who are transitioning to civilian life to au- 2 thorize alternate points of contact who can be 3 reached should the member be unavailable during 4 the first year following the separation of the member 5 from the Armed Forces; 6 ‘‘(B) following up missed phone calls with tai- 7 lored mailings to ensure the veteran still receives 8 similar information; and 9 ‘‘(C) striving to reach out to veterans who sepa- 10 rated prior to the initiation of the Solid Start pro- 11 gram to provide similar services to those veterans, as 12 feasible. 13 ‘‘(3) In this subsection: 14 ‘‘(A) The term ‘Vet Center’ has the meaning 15 given that term in section 1712A(h) of this title. 16 ‘‘(B) The term ‘veterans service organization’ 17 means an organization recognized by the Secretary 18 for the representation of veterans under section 19 5902 of this title. 20 ‘‘(c) OBLIGATIONS OF AMOUNTS.—Subject to the 21 availability of appropriations, the Secretary may not, in 22 a fiscal year, obligate an amount to carry out the Solid 23 Start program that is less than the total amount obligated 24 in the previous fiscal year to carry out the program, unless 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2819.IH H2819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2819 IH the Secretary determines that increased efficiencies of the 1 program warrant the obligation of a lesser amount.’’. 2 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 63 of 3 such title, as amended by subsection (a), is further amend- 4 ed— 5 (1) by inserting before section 6301 the fol- 6 lowing: 7 ‘‘Subchapter I—Outreach Services Program’’; 8 and 9 (2) in sections 6301, 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306, 10 and 6307, by striking ‘‘this chapter’’ each place it 11 appears and inserting ‘‘this subchapter’’. 12 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 13 at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended— 14 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec- 15 tion 6301 the following new item: 16 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—OUTREACH SERVICES PROGRAM’’; and 17 (2) by adding at the end the following new 18 items: 19 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—OTHER OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES ‘‘6320. Solid Start program.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2819.IH H2819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS