Solid Start Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8819 To improve and expand the Solid Start program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 24, 2020 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 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 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) In 2020, 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 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8819 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 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. PURPOSES. 21 The purposes of this Act are— 22 (1) to build the capacity of the Department of 23 Veterans Affairs to efficiently and effectively re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8819 IH spond to the queries and needs of veterans who have 1 recently separated from the Armed Forces; and 2 (2) to systemically integrate and coordinate ef- 3 forts to assist veterans, including efforts— 4 (A) to proactively reach out to newly sepa- 5 rated veterans to— 6 (i) inform them of their eligibility for 7 programs of and benefits provided by the 8 Department; and 9 (ii) provide them information relating 10 to the programs of, and benefits provided 11 by, an appropriate veterans agency of a 12 State; and 13 (B) to connect veterans in crisis to re- 14 sources that address their immediate needs. 15 SEC. 5. ACTIVITIES OF THE SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE 16 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 17 (a) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary of Vet- 18 erans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of De- 19 fense, shall carry out the Solid Start program of the De- 20 partment of Veterans Affairs by— 21 (1) collecting up-to-date contact information 22 during transition classes or separation counseling for 23 all members of the Armed Forces who are sepa- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8819 IH rating from the Armed Forces, while explaining the 1 existence and purpose of the Solid Start program; 2 (2) calling each veteran, regardless of separa- 3 tion type or characterization of service, not less than 4 twice within the first year after separation from the 5 Armed Forces; 6 (3) providing information about the Solid Start 7 program on the website of the Department and in 8 materials of the Department, especially transition 9 booklets and other resources; 10 (4) providing information described in section 11 4(2) and ensuring calls are truly tailored to the 12 needs of each veteran’s unique situation by con- 13 ducting quality assurance tests; and 14 (5) prioritizing outreach to veterans who have 15 accessed mental health resources prior to separation 16 from the Armed Forces. 17 (b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary of 18 Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of De- 19 fense, may carry out the Solid Start program by— 20 (1) encouraging members of the Armed Forces 21 who are transitioning to civilian life to authorize al- 22 ternate points of contact who can be reached should 23 the member be unavailable during the first year fol- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8819 IH lowing the separation of the member from the 1 Armed Forces; 2 (2) following up missed phone calls with tai- 3 lored mailings to ensure the veteran still receives 4 similar information; and 5 (3) striving to reach out to veterans who sepa- 6 rated prior to the initiation of the Solid Start pro- 7 gram to provide similar services to those veterans, 8 when feasible. 9 SEC. 6. ASSESSMENT BY GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY 10 OFFICE OF SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE 11 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 12 (a) ASSESSMENT.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that 14 is one year after the date of the enactment of this 15 Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 16 shall carry out an assessment of the Solid Start pro- 17 gram of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 18 (2) ELEMENTS.—The assessment required by 19 paragraph (1) shall analyze the following: 20 (A) How many veterans have been con- 21 tacted through the Solid Start program since 22 the establishment of the program as compared 23 to how many veterans have not been reached. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 8819 IH (B) Whether feedback on the Solid Start 1 program indicates that the program is working. 2 (C) Whether the Solid Start program is 3 meeting the purposes described in section 4. 4 (D) Improvements that could be made to 5 the Solid Start program. 6 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 7 described in subsection (a)(1), the Comptroller General 8 shall— 9 (1) complete the assessment required by such 10 subsection; and 11 (2) submit a report on the findings of the as- 12 sessment to— 13 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 14 and the Committee on Armed Services of the 15 Senate; and 16 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 17 and the Committee on Armed Services of the 18 House of Representatives. 19 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 20 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 21 this Act the greater of— 22 (1) such sums as may be necessary for each fis- 23 cal year to carry out this Act; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 8819 IH (2) the amount expended by the Department of 1 Veterans Affairs during fiscal year 2020 to carry 2 out activities of the Solid Start program. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:31 Dec 02, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8819.IH H8819 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS