[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2405 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2405
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to award grants to States to improve outreach to
veterans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 21, 2021
Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to award grants to States to improve outreach to
veterans, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Commitment to Veteran Support and
Outreach Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO AWARD GRANTS TO
STATES TO IMPROVE OUTREACH TO VETERANS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 63 of title 38, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) by redesignating sections 6307 and 6308 and sections
6308 and 6309, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 6306 the following new
section 6307:
``Sec. 6307. Grants to States to improve outreach to veterans
``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to provide for
assistance by the Secretary to States to carry out programs that
improve outreach and assistance to veterans and the spouses, children,
and parents of veterans, to ensure that such individuals are fully
informed about, and assisted in applying for, any veterans and
veterans-related benefits and programs (including State veterans
programs) for which they may be eligible.
``(b) Authority.--The Secretary may award grants to States--
``(1) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise
enhance--
``(A) outreach activities; or
``(B) activities to assist in the development and
submittal of claims for veterans and veterans-related
benefits; or
``(2) to increase the number of county or tribal veterans
service officers serving in the State by hiring new, additional
such officers.
``(c) Application.--(1) To be eligible for a grant under this
section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application therefor
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
``(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1) shall include
the following:
``(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant.
``(B) A description of the programs through which the State
will meet the outcome measures developed by the Secretary under
subsection (i).
``(C) A description of how the State will distribute grant
amounts equitably among counties with varying levels of
urbanization.
``(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to meet the
unique needs of American Indian or Alaska Native veterans,
elderly veterans, women veterans, and veterans from other
underserved communities.
``(d) Distribution.--The Secretary shall seek to ensure that grants
awarded under this section are equitably distributed among States with
varying levels of urbanization.
``(e) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize awarding grants
under this section that will serve the following areas:
``(1) Areas with a critical shortage of county or tribal
veterans service officers.
``(2) Areas with high rates of--
``(A) suicide among veterans; or
``(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.
``(f) Use of County or Tribal Veterans Service Officers.--A State
that receives a grant under this section to carry out an activity
described in subsection (b)(1) shall carry out the activity through--
``(1) a county or tribal veterans service officer of the
State; or
``(2) if the State does not have a county or tribal
veterans service officer, or if the county or tribal veterans
service officers of the State cover only a portion of that
State, an appropriate entity of a State, local, or tribal
government, or another publicly funded entity, as determined by
the Secretary.
``(g) Required Activities.--Any grant awarded under this section
shall be used--
``(1) to expand existing programs, activities, and
services;
``(2) to hire new, additional county or tribal veterans
service officers; or
``(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate carrying
out paragraph (1) or (2).
``(h) Authorized Activities.--A grant under this section may be
used to provide education and training, including on-the-job training,
for State, county, local, and tribal government employees who provide
(or when trained will provide) veterans outreach services in order for
those employees to obtain accreditation in accordance with procedures
approved by the Secretary.
``(i) Outcome Measures.--(1) The Secretary shall develop and
provide to each State that receives a grant under this section written
guidance on the following:
``(A) Outcome measures.
``(B) Policies of the Department.
``(2) In developing outcome measures under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall consider the following goals:
``(A) Increasing the use of veterans and veterans-related
benefits, particularly among vulnerable populations.
``(B) Increasing the number of county and tribal veterans
service officers recognized by the Secretary for the
representation of veterans under chapter 59 of this title.
``(j) Tracking Requirements.--(1) With respect to each grant
awarded under this section, the Secretary shall track the use of
veterans and veterans-related benefits among the population served by
the grant, including the average period of time between the date on
which a veteran applies for such a benefit and the date on which the
veteran receives the benefit, disaggregated by type of benefit.
``(2) Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary shall submit
to Congress a report on the information tracked under paragraph (1).
``(k) Performance Review.--(1) The Secretary shall--
``(A) review the performance of each State that receives a
grant under this section; and
``(B) make information regarding such performance publicly
available.
``(l) Remediation Plan.--(1) In the case of a State that receives a
grant under this section and does not meet the outcome measures
developed by the Secretary under subsection (i), the Secretary shall
require the State to submit a remediation plan under which the State
shall describe how and when it plans to meet such outcome measures.
``(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent grant under this
section to a State described in paragraph (1) unless the Secretary
approves the remediation plan submitted by the State.
``(m) Maximum Amount.--The amount of a grant awarded under this
section may not exceed 10 percent of amounts made available for grants
under this section for the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded.
``(n) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Any grant awarded under this
section shall be used to supplement and not supplant State and local
funding that is otherwise available.
``(o) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `county or tribal veterans service officer'
includes a local equivalent veterans service officer.
``(2) The term `Veterans Crisis Line' means the toll-free
hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of this
title.
``(p) Funding.--(1) Amounts for the activities of the Department
under this section shall be budgeted and appropriated through a
separate appropriation account.
``(2) In the budget justification materials submitted to Congress
in support of the Department budget for any fiscal year (as submitted
with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31),
the Secretary shall include a separate statement of the amount
requested to be appropriated for that fiscal year for the account
specified in paragraph (1).
``(q) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary for each of fiscal years 2022 through
2026, $50,000,000 to carry out this section.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 63 of such title is amended by striking the items relating to
sections 6307 and 6308 and inserting the following new items:
``6307. Grants to States to improve outreach to veterans.
``6308. Outreach for eligible dependents.
``6309. Biennial report to Congress.''.
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