What This Bill Does
This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (the federal official who runs the Department of Veterans Affairs) to ensure that every state has a minimum number of Vet Centers, which are facilities that provide mental health services to veterans. The Secretary must meet these minimum requirements within one year after the bill becomes law.
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Who It Affects
Veterans in all states, U.S. territories and possessions, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be affected. The Department of Veterans Affairs and its Secretary must implement the requirements. State, local government, and federally recognized Indian tribe leaders may also be involved by providing facilities.
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Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must ensure each state has at least the minimum number of Vet Centers required by the bill within one year of enactment (Sec. 2(a)).
- States not in the contiguous United States (such as Alaska and Hawaii), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories must have at least one Vet Center or the number that existed on January 1, 2020, whichever is greater (Sec. 2(b)(1)).
- Contiguous U.S. states must have at least one Vet Center for every 30,000 square miles of land area, or one Vet Center for every 55,000 veterans living in the state, whichever number is greater (Sec. 2(b)(2)).
- The Secretary may establish Vet Centers at facilities offered by state, local government, or federally recognized Indian tribe leaders, whether offered free or at a cost (Sec. 2(c)(2)).
- If a state needs multiple new Vet Centers, at least one must be a full Vet Center, and the remaining ones can be Vet Center outstations (smaller facilities providing similar services) (Sec. 2(c)(3)).
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the Department of Veterans Affairs must add new Vet Centers or Vet Center outstations in states that currently have fewer facilities than the bill requires. Every state will be guaranteed a minimum level of mental health service access for veterans based on either land area or veteran population. Veterans in underserved areas will have increased access to mental health care services.
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Important Definitions
- **Covered Vet Center**: A Vet Center that is open at least eight hours per day for five days per week (with temporary closures allowed for federal holidays, weather, safety, pandemics, or reasons the Secretary deems appropriate) (Sec. 2(d)(1)).
- **Covered Vet Center outstation**: A smaller facility that provides similar child care services as a full Vet Center and maintains the same minimum hours and days of operation (Sec. 2(d)(2)).
- **State**: Not specified in bill text (the bill refers to another federal law for this definition).
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Effective Date
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must meet the minimum Vet Center requirements by not later than one year after the bill becomes law (Sec. 2(a)). The exact date depends on when Congress passes and the President signs the bill.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 733
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve mental health care
for veterans through the establishment of a minimum requirement for
the number of Vet Centers per State.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
Ms. SHERRILL (for herself, Mr. KEAN of New Jersey, Mr. SABLAN, Mr.
FITZPATRICK, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. TRONE, Mr.
RUPPERSBERGER, Ms. ROSS, Mr. VAN DREW, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of
Florida, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Mr. CASTEN) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve men-
tal health care for veterans through the establishment
of a minimum requirement for the number of Vet Cen-
ters per State.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Census-En-
4
abled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement
5
for Mental Health Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘Vet CENTERS
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for Mental Health Act of 2023’’.
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•HR 733 IH
SEC. 2. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR NUMBER OF VET
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CENTERS PER STATE.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
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shall ensure that, by not later than one year after the date
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of enactment of this Act, the number of covered Vet Cen-
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ters located in each State is at least the minimum required
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number described in subsection (b) with respect to that
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State.
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(b) MINIMUM REQUIRED NUMBER.—The minimum
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required number described in this subsection is the fol-
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lowing:
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(1) With respect to each State that is one of
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the several States not located in the contiguous
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United States, the District of Columbia, the Com-
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monwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or
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possession of the United States that is not one of
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the several States, the greater of the following:
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(A) One covered Vet Center per State.
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(B) The total number of covered Vet Cen-
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ters that were located in the State on January
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1, 2020.
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(2) With respect to each of the several States
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located in the contiguous United States and not re-
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ferred to in paragraph (1), the greater of the fol-
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lowing:
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•HR 733 IH
(A) One covered Vet Center per every
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30,000 square miles of land area in the State.
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(B) One covered Vet Center per every
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55,000 veterans located in the State (calculated
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by using the number of veterans in the State as
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determined by the Director of the United States
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Census Bureau for the most recent census).
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(c) ESTABLISHMENT
OF ADDITIONAL VET CEN-
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TERS.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection
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(a), the Secretary shall establish such additional cov-
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ered Vet Centers in each State as may be necessary
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to meet the minimum required number described in
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subsection (b) with respect to the State.
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(2) EXISTING FACILITIES.—In establishing ad-
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ditional covered Vet Centers pursuant to paragraph
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(1), the Secretary may establish such covered Vet
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Centers at facilities made available to the Secretary
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by the head of a State, local government, or feder-
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ally recognized Indian tribe to carry out this section,
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regardless of whether such facility is made available
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at a cost to the Secretary.
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(3) VET CENTER OUTSTATIONS.—If the estab-
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lishment of more than one additional covered Vet
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Center in a State is necessary to meet the minimum
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•HR 733 IH
required number described in subsection (b) with re-
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spect to the State, the Secretary—
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(A) shall establish at least one additional
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covered Vet Center to meet such number; and
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(B) for each remaining covered Vet Center
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necessary to meet such number, may establish
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a covered Vet Center outstation in lieu of a cov-
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ered Vet Center.
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(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act:
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(1) The term ‘‘covered Vet Center’’ means a
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Vet Center, as such term is defined in section 1712A
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of title 38, United States Code, that is scheduled to
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be open for the provision of services under such sec-
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tion for a minimum of eight hours per day during
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five days of the week, except that the Vet Center
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may be open for less than such minimum on a tem-
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porary basis as a result of a Federal holiday, weath-
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er concern, safety concern, pandemic, or for such
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other reasons as may be determined appropriate by
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the Secretary.
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(2) The term ‘‘covered Vet Center outstation’’
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means a Vet Center outstation that—
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(A) provides similar child care services as
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the child care services provided at a Vet Center;
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and
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•HR 733 IH
(B) is scheduled to be open in accordance
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with the minimum hours and days specified in
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paragraph (1).
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(3) The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given
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such term in section 101 of title 38, United States
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Code.
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Æ
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