[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1969 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1969
To amend and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide
Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 10, 2025
Mrs. Miller-Meeks introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide
Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 ``No Wrong Door for Veterans Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO AND REAUTHORIZATION OF THE STAFF SERGEANT PARKER
GORDON FOX SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Reorganization.--Subsection (b) of section 201 of the Commander
John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019
(Public Law 116-171; 38 U.S.C. 1720F note) is amended, in the second
sentence, by striking ``Office of Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention'' and inserting ``the Assistant Under Secretary for Health
for Clinical Services''.
(b) Grant Money: Amount; Use.--Such section is further amended, in
subsection (c)(2)(A), by striking ``$750,000 per grantee per fiscal
year'' and inserting ``$500,000 per fiscal year (not more than 5
percent of which may be spent on food and non-alcoholic beverages),
plus $10,000 per eligible individual who receives suicide prevention
services provided or coordinated by such grantee''.
(c) Preference in Distribution of Grants.--Such section is further
amended, in subsection (d)(2), by adding at the end the following:
``The Secretary shall not give preference to an eligible entity solely
because the eligible entity previously received, or applied for, a
grant under this section''.
(d) Reapplication by a Previous Grantee.--Such section is further
amended, in subsection (f), by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(3) Reapplication by previous grantee.--An application
submitted by an eligible entity that previously received grant
funds under this section shall include in such application
evidence that the eligible entity used such grant funds to
serve a significant number of veterans.''.
(e) Briefing for Local VAMCs.--Such section is further amended, in
subsection (h), by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(5) Briefing for local vamcs.--Not less than once per
calendar quarter, the Secretary shall provide, to the
appropriate personnel of each medical center of the Department
located not more than 100 miles from the primary location of a
grantee, a briefing about the grant program under this section
in order to improve coordination between a grantee and such
personnel. The Secretary may permit a representative of a
grantee to attend such a briefing.''.
(f) Duration.--Such section is further amended, in subsection (j),
by striking ``the date that is three years after the date on which the
first grant is awarded under this section'' and inserting ``September
30, 2028''.
(g) Emergent Suicide Care.--Such section is further amended, in
subsection (n)--
(1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``When''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) A grantee shall notify--
``(A) an eligible individual receiving suicide prevention
services provided or coordinated by such grantee that such
eligible individual may receive emergent suicide care under
section 1720J of title 38, United States Code; and
``(B) the Secretary if such eligible individual requests
such emergent suicide care.''.
(h) Reauthorization.--Such section is further amended, in
subsection (p)--
(1) by striking ``a total of $174,000,000 for fiscal years
2021 through 2025'' and inserting an em dash; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(1) for fiscal years 2021 through 2025, a total of
$174,000,000; and
``(2) for fiscal years 2026 through 2028, a total of
$157,500,000.''.
(i) Clarification of Eligible Entities.--Such section is further
amended, in subsection (q)(3)--
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting
``an entity that has continuously provided mental health care
or support services in the United States during the two-year
period before the date on which the entity applies for a grant
under this section, and that is'' after ``means''; and
(2) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, or a health care
provider'' after ``foundation''.
(j) Technical Correction to Definitions.--Such section is further
amended, in subsection (q)(5), by striking ``Medical services'' and
inserting ``The term `emergency treatment' means medical services''.
(k) Required Use of Screening Protocol Selected by the Secretary.--
(1) In general.--Such section is further amended, in
subsection (q)(11)(A)(ii), by striking ``screening for risk''
and inserting ``screening for risk, using a protocol selected
by the Secretary''.
(2) Rules of construction.--In addition to the protocol
selected pursuant to the amendment made by paragraph (1)--
(A) the Secretary may furnish another protocol to a
grantee; and
(B) a grantee may use another protocol to screen
for risk.
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