VISIT Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 5083 To establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs a pay for results pilot program to assist veterans, members of the Armed Forces on active duty, and their family members at risk of social isolation and loneliness, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 21, 2020 Mr. YOUNG introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs a pay for results pilot program to assist veterans, members of the Armed Forces on active duty, and their family members at risk of social isolation and loneliness, 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 ‘‘Volunteers Improving 4 Social Isolation and loneliness Together Act of 2020’’ or 5 the ‘‘VISIT Act of 2020’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 5083 IS SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) ACTIVE DUTY.—The term ‘‘active duty’’ has 3 the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 4 38, United States Code. 5 (2) ARMED FORCES.—The term ‘‘Armed 6 Forces’’ has the meaning given that term in section 7 101 of title 38, United States Code. 8 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 9 ty’’ means an entity qualified to provide services 10 under this Act, as determined by the Secretary. 11 (4) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘eligible 12 individual’’ means— 13 (A) a veteran; 14 (B) a member of the Armed Forces on ac- 15 tive duty; 16 (C) a member of the National Guard; or 17 (D) a family member of an individual de- 18 scribed in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C). 19 (5) INTERVENTION.—The term ‘‘intervention’’ 20 means a specific service delivered to achieve an im- 21 pact through a VISIT pay for results project under 22 the pilot program. 23 (6) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘participant’’ 24 means a staff member or volunteer of an eligible en- 25 tity that receives assistance under the pilot program 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 5083 IS to carry out a VISIT pay for results project who 1 provides a service to eligible individuals under the 2 project. 3 (7) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro- 4 gram’’ means the pilot program under section 4. 5 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 6 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 7 (9) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 8 meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, 9 United States Code. 10 (10) VISIT PAY FOR RESULTS PROJECT.—The 11 term ‘‘VISIT pay for results project’’ means a 12 project under the pilot program that uses a Volun- 13 teers Improving Social Isolation and Loneliness To- 14 gether (VISIT) pay for results model. 15 (11) VOLUNTEERS IMPROVING SOCIAL ISOLA- 16 TION AND LONELINESS TOGETHER (VISIT) PAY FOR 17 RESULTS MODEL.—The term ‘‘Volunteers Improving 18 Social isolation and Loneliness Together (VISIT) 19 pay for results model’’ means a method of financing 20 national service programs in which— 21 (A) except as provided in section 5, Fed- 22 eral funds are awarded to an eligible entity only 23 if the eligible entity achieves certain outcomes 24 agreed to by the entity and the Secretary, in 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 5083 IS consultation with the Federal Interagency 1 Council on Social Impact Partnerships and the 2 Secretary of Defense; 3 (B) the eligible entity coordinates with the 4 Secretary and the Federal Interagency Council 5 on Social Impact Partnerships and the Sec- 6 retary of Defense to identify an intervention ex- 7 pected to produce the outcome or outcomes; and 8 (C) the eligible entity delivers the interven- 9 tion to the target population of the intervention. 10 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 11 The purposes of this Act are as follows: 12 (1) To mitigate the damage from the current 13 social recession upon veterans, members of the 14 Armed Forces, and their family members who are 15 vulnerable to isolation and loneliness that has been 16 found to impair physical and mental well-being, in- 17 cluding causing premature death. 18 (2) To renew the spirit of community to aid 19 veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and their 20 family members at risk of social isolation and loneli- 21 ness, particularly those without robust social connec- 22 tions. 23 (3) To facilitate the efforts of public-private 24 partnerships to assist veterans, members of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 5083 IS Armed Forces, and their family members at risk of 1 social isolation and loneliness. 2 SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM TO ASSIST VETERANS, MEMBERS 3 OF THE ARMED FORCES, AND THEIR FAMILY 4 MEMBERS WHO ARE AT RISK OF SOCIAL ISO- 5 LATION AND LONELINESS. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out, in 7 consultation with the Federal Interagency Council on So- 8 cial Impact Partnerships and the Secretary of Defense, 9 a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability 10 of assisting eligible individuals at risk of social isolation 11 and loneliness through the funding of VISIT pay for re- 12 sults projects. 13 (b) TIERS.—The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 14 program in two tiers (in this Act referred to as ‘‘Tier 1’’ 15 and ‘‘Tier 2’’). 16 (c) PARTICIPATION OF VETERANS SERVICE ORGANI- 17 ZATIONS.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall encour- 19 age the participation of veterans service organiza- 20 tions in the pilot program, including participation 21 that involves partnerships between veterans service 22 organizations and other organizations. 23 (2) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION DE- 24 FINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘‘veterans serv- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 5083 IS ice organization’’ means an organization recognized 1 by the Secretary for the representation of veterans 2 under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 3 (d) FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS.—An eligible entity 4 that seeks to participate in the pilot program may partner 5 with investors or philanthropic entities for purposes of 6 funding a VISIT pay for results project. 7 SEC. 5. TIER 1 OF PILOT PROGRAM. 8 (a) NOTICE.—Not later than 270 days after the date 9 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish 10 in the Federal Register a request for proposals from eligi- 11 ble entities to conduct VISIT pay for results projects 12 under Tier 1 of the pilot program. 13 (b) QUALIFICATION OF VISIT PAY FOR RESULTS 14 PROJECT.—To qualify as a VISIT pay for results project 15 under Tier 1 of the pilot program, a project must effec- 16 tively use participants to meet unmet social isolation or 17 loneliness needs of eligible individuals through interven- 18 tions described in the application and agreed upon by the 19 Secretary, in consultation with the Federal Interagency 20 Council on Social Impact Partnerships and the Secretary 21 of Defense, to improve one or more measurable perform- 22 ance indicators, including better mental or physical health 23 outcomes that lower risk of mortality for the target popu- 24 lation of the project. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 5083 IS (c) APPLICATION REQUIRED.—The notice published 1 under subsection (a) shall require an eligible entity seek- 2 ing to participate in Tier 1 of the pilot program to submit 3 to the Secretary, not later than 180 days after the date 4 of such publication, an application for a VISIT pay for 5 results project that addresses each of the following: 6 (1) A description of each proposed intervention 7 under the project and anticipated outcomes of the 8 intervention, including expected benefits to the tar- 9 get population of the intervention, the participants 10 working on the project, and other individuals who 11 may be affected by the invention. 12 (2) A summary of the unmet need in the area 13 where the intervention will be delivered or among the 14 target population of the intervention. 15 (3) The criteria used to determine the eligibility 16 of an individual to be served by the project, includ- 17 ing how selected populations will be identified and 18 referred to and enrolled in the project. 19 (4) The anticipated number of participants 20 needed to implement the project. 21 (5) The criteria used to determine the eligibility 22 of a participant for the project, including how the 23 potential participants will be identified, recruited for 24 the project, and trained for their roles in the project. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 5083 IS (6) A plan for implementing each intervention 1 through the use of participants. 2 (7) Rigorous evidence demonstrating that the 3 intervention can be expected to produce the desired 4 outcome or outcomes or, if the eligible entity lacks 5 such rigorous evidence but demonstrates promising 6 evidence that the intervention can be expected to 7 produce the desired outcome or outcomes, a plan de- 8 scribed in subsection (d)(4)(B). 9 (8) The target population that will be served by 10 the project. 11 (9) The projected cost to the eligible entity to 12 carry out the project, and any costs to the Federal, 13 State, or local government associated with the 14 project. 15 (10) Projected costs avoided by the Federal 16 Government and State and local governments if the 17 project is implemented and the outcomes are 18 achieved as a result of the intervention. 19 (11) A description of the expertise of the eligi- 20 ble entity, including a summary of the experience of 21 the eligible entity in delivering the proposed inter- 22 vention or a similar intervention, or demonstrating 23 the capacity of the eligible entity to deliver the inter- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 5083 IS vention to the number of eligible individuals the eli- 1 gible entity proposes to serve under the project. 2 (12) The proposed payment terms, the method- 3 ology used to calculate outcome payments, the pay- 4 ment schedule, and performance thresholds. 5 (13) The budget for the project. 6 (14) Subject to subsection (g), the timeline for 7 the project. 8 (15) The design for the evaluation required by 9 subsection (i), including the metrics that will be used 10 in the evaluation to determine whether the outcomes 11 have been achieved as a result of the intervention 12 and how the metrics will be measured. 13 (16) An explanation of how the metrics de- 14 scribed in paragraph (15) are independent, objective 15 indicators of impact and are not subject to manipu- 16 lation by the eligible entity or any investor. 17 (17) An explanation of the independence of the 18 evaluator who will conduct the evaluation required 19 by subsection (i) from the other entities involved in 20 the project and the experience of the evaluator in 21 conducting rigorous evaluations of program effective- 22 ness including, where available, well-implemented 23 randomized controlled trials on the intervention or 24 similar interventions. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 5083 IS (18) An explanation of how any potential pay- 1 ment disputes related to the outcomes of the evalua- 2 tion will be managed. 3 (d) AGREEMENTS ON PARTICIPATION IN PILOT PRO- 4 GRAM.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 6 the deadline for applications under subsection (c) 7 has expired, the Secretary, in consultation with the 8 Federal Interagency Council on Social Impact Part- 9 nerships and the Secretary of Defense, shall enter 10 into an agreement with not fewer than eight eligible 11 entities to participate in Tier 1 of the pilot program. 12 (2) FEWER APPLICANTS.— 13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para- 14 graph (1), if the Secretary determines that 15 fewer than eight eligible entities meet the re- 16 quirements for participation in Tier 1 of the 17 pilot program, the Secretary, in consultation 18 with the Federal Interagency Council on Social 19 Impact Partnerships and the Secretary of De- 20 fense, may enter into an agreement with fewer 21 than eight eligible entities to participate in Tier 22 1 of the pilot program. 23 (B) INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLI- 24 CANTS.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 5083 IS Secretary determines that an insufficient num- 1 ber of eligible entities meet the requirements for 2 participation in Tier 1 of the pilot program, the 3 Secretary may— 4 (i)(I) publish in the Federal Register 5 a second request for proposals from eligible 6 entities to conduct VISIT pay for results 7 projects under Tier 1 of the pilot program; 8 and 9 (II) include in such request applica- 10 tion requirements that are broader than 11 the requirements under subsection (c); or 12 (ii) carry out Tier 2 of the pilot pro- 13 gram, in accordance with section 6. 14 (3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining whether 15 to enter into an agreement with an eligible entity 16 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 17 (A) seek to ensure geographic diversity 18 among selected entities, including by selecting 19 not fewer than one eligible entity that plans to 20 serve a rural community and not fewer than 21 one eligible entity that plans to serve an urban 22 community; and 23 (B) consider— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5083.IS S5083 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 5083 IS (i) the anticipated use of participants, 1 and whether the eligible entity plans to use 2 participants who come from a high-risk 3 background; 4 (ii) the value to the Federal Govern- 5 ment of the outcomes expected to be 6 achieved by the eligible entity under the 7 pilot program, which the Secretary [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]