Violence Against Women Veterans Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3867 To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the provision of services and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs for vet- erans who experience domestic violence or sexual assault, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 19, 2019 Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. KILMER, Mrs. DINGELL, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. MENG, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. TONKO, Ms. MOORE, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. KIND, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. WEXTON, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DEMINGS, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. CASE, Ms. PIN- GREE, Mr. SIRES, and Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the provision of services and benefits from the Depart- ment of Veterans Affairs for veterans who experience domestic violence or sexual assault, and for other pur- poses. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3867 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Violence Against 2 Women Veterans Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 4 The purpose of this Act is to better integrate the 5 medical, housing, mental health, and other benefits pro- 6 vided by the Department of Veterans Affairs with existing 7 community-based domestic violence and sexual assault 8 services— 9 (1) to provide a more efficient and coordinated 10 network of support for veterans experiencing domes- 11 tic violence or sexual assault; and 12 (2) to better understand the impact of domestic 13 violence and sexual assault on veterans, particularly 14 female veterans. 15 SEC. 3. PROGRAM TO ASSIST VETERANS WHO EXPERIENCE 16 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEXUAL ASSAULT. 17 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet- 18 erans Affairs shall carry out a program to assist veterans 19 that have experienced or are experiencing domestic vio- 20 lence or sexual assault in accessing benefits from the De- 21 partment of Veterans Affairs, including coordinating ac- 22 cess to medical treatment centers, housing assistance, and 23 other benefits from the Department. 24 (b) PARTNERSHIP.—The Secretary shall carry out 25 the program under subsection (a) in partnership with— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3867 IH (1) domestic violence shelters and programs; 1 (2) rape crisis centers; 2 (3) State domestic violence and sexual assault 3 coalitions; and 4 (4) such other health care or other service pro- 5 viders that serve domestic violence or sexual assault 6 victims as determined by the Secretary, particularly 7 those providing emergency services or housing assist- 8 ance. 9 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 10 program under subsection (a), the Secretary may conduct 11 the following activities: 12 (1) Training for community-based domestic vio- 13 lence or sexual assault service providers on— 14 (A) identifying veterans who have been vic- 15 tims of domestic violence or sexual assault; 16 (B) coordinating with local service pro- 17 viders of the Department; and 18 (C) connecting veterans with appropriate 19 housing, mental health, medical, and other fi- 20 nancial assistance or benefits from the Depart- 21 ment. 22 (2) Assistance to service providers to ensure ac- 23 cess of veterans to domestic violence and sexual as- 24 sault emergency services, particularly in underserved 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3867 IH areas, including services for members of Indian 1 tribes. 2 (3) Such other outreach and assistance as the 3 Secretary determines necessary for the provision of 4 assistance under subsection (a). 5 (d) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT 6 OUTREACH COORDINATORS.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to effectively assist 8 veterans who have experienced domestic violence or 9 sexual assault, the Secretary may establish local co- 10 ordinators to provide outreach under the program 11 required by subsection (a). 12 (2) LOCAL COORDINATOR KNOWLEDGE.—The 13 Secretary shall ensure that each coordinator estab- 14 lished under paragraph (1) is knowledgeable about— 15 (A) the dynamics of domestic violence and 16 sexual assault, including safety concerns, legal 17 protections, and the need for the provision of 18 confidential services; 19 (B) the eligibility of veterans for services 20 and benefits from the Department that are rel- 21 evant to recovery from domestic violence and 22 sexual assault, particularly emergency housing 23 assistance, mental health care, other health 24 care, and disability benefits; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3867 IH (C) local community resources addressing 1 domestic violence and sexual assault. 2 (3) LOCAL COORDINATOR ASSISTANCE.—Each 3 coordinator established under paragraph (1) shall 4 assist domestic violence shelters and rape crisis cen- 5 ters in providing services to veterans. 6 SEC. 4. NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON VETERANS EXPERI- 7 ENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEXUAL AS- 8 SAULT. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af- 10 fairs, in consultation with the Attorney General and the 11 Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall establish 12 a national task force (in this section referred to as the 13 ‘‘Task Force’’) to develop a comprehensive national pro- 14 gram, including by integrating facilities, services, and ben- 15 efits of the Department of Veterans Affairs into existing 16 networks of community-based domestic violence and sex- 17 ual assault services, to address domestic violence and sex- 18 ual assault among veterans. 19 (b) CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS.—In car- 20 rying out this section, the Task Force shall consult with— 21 (1) representatives from not fewer than three 22 national organizations or State coalitions with dem- 23 onstrated expertise in domestic violence prevention, 24 response, or advocacy; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3867 IH (2) representatives from not fewer than three 1 national organizations or State coalitions, particu- 2 larly those representing underserved or ethnic mi- 3 nority communities, with demonstrated expertise in 4 sexual assault prevention, response, or advocacy. 5 (c) DUTIES.—The duties of the Task Force shall in- 6 clude the following: 7 (1) To review existing services and policies of 8 the Department and develop a comprehensive na- 9 tional program to address domestic violence and sex- 10 ual assault prevention, response, and treatment. 11 (2) To review the feasibility and advisability of 12 establishing an expedited process to secure emer- 13 gency, temporary benefits, including housing or 14 other benefits, for veterans who are experiencing do- 15 mestic violence or sexual assault. 16 (3) To review and make recommendations re- 17 garding the feasibility and advisability of estab- 18 lishing dedicated, temporary housing assistance for 19 veterans experiencing domestic violence or sexual as- 20 sault. 21 (4) To identify any requirements regarding do- 22 mestic violence assistance or sexual assault response 23 and services that are not being met by the Depart- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3867 IH ment and make recommendations on how the De- 1 partment can meet such requirements. 2 (5) To review and make recommendations re- 3 garding the feasibility and advisability of providing 4 direct services or contracting for community-based 5 services for veterans in response to a sexual assault, 6 including through the use of sexual assault nurse ex- 7 aminers, particularly in underserved or remote 8 areas, including services for members of Indian 9 tribes. 10 (6) To review the availability of counseling serv- 11 ices provided by the Department and through peer 12 network support, and to provide recommendations 13 for the enhancement of such services, to address— 14 (A) the perpetration of domestic violence 15 and sexual assault; and 16 (B) the recovery of veterans, particularly 17 female veterans, from domestic violence and 18 sexual assault. 19 (7) To review and make recommendations to 20 expand services available for veterans at risk of per- 21 petrating domestic violence. 22 (d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 23 of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than 24 annually thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3867 IH Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Congress a report on 1 the activities of the Task Force, including any rec- 2 ommendations for legislative or administrative action. 3 SEC. 5. NATIONAL BASELINE STUDY ON PROBLEM OF DO- 4 MESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT 5 AMONG VETERANS AND SPOUSES OF VET- 6 ERANS. 7 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation 8 with the Attorney General, shall conduct a national base- 9 line study to examine the scope of the problem of domestic 10 violence and sexual assault among veterans and spouses 11 of veterans. 12 SEC. 6. ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF INTIMATE PARTNER 13 VIOLENCE ON WOMEN VETERANS BY ADVI- 14 SORY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN VETERANS. 15 Section 542(c)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is 16 amended— 17 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 18 the end; 19 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub- 20 paragraph (D); and 21 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol- 22 lowing new subparagraph (C): 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3867 IH ‘‘(C) an assessment of the effects of inti- 1 mate partner violence on women veterans; and’’. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3867.IH H3867 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS