Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB3581 Compare Versions

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Old	New		Differences
	1	+	IB
	2	+	Union Calendar No. 201
1	3		118THCONGRESS
2	4		1
3	5		STSESSION H. R. 3581
4		-	AN ACT
	6	+	[Report No. 118–251]
	7	+	To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the family caregiver
	8	+	program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include services related
	9	+	to mental health and neurological disorders, and for other purposes.
	10	+	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
	11	+	MAY22, 2023
	12	+	Mrs. K
	13	+	IGGANSof Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to
	14	+	the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
	15	+	O
	16	+	CTOBER25, 2023
	17	+	Additional sponsors: Ms. H
	18	+	OULAHAN, Ms. MACE, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr.
	19	+	M
	20	+	OULTON, and Mr. LAWLER
	21	+	O
	22	+	CTOBER25, 2023
	23	+	Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
	24	+	House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
	25	+	[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
	26	+	[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 22, 2023]
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	29	+	•HR 3581 RH
	30	+	A BILL
5	31		To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the family
6	32		caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs
7	33		to include services related to mental health and neuro-
8	34		logical disorders, and for other purposes.
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9	38		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
10		-	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 2
11		-	•HR 3581 EH
12		-	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1
13		-	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caregiver Outreach 2
14		-	and Program Enhancement Act’’ or the ‘‘COPE Act’’. 3
15		-	SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF-4
16		-	FAIRS TO AWARD GRANTS TO ENTITIES TO 5
17		-	IMPROVE PROVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH 6
18		-	SUPPORT TO FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF VET-7
19		-	ERANS. 8
	39	+	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
	40	+	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
	41	+	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caregiver Outreach and 4
	42	+	Program Enhancement Act’’ or the ‘‘COPE Act’’. 5
	43	+	SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF-6
	44	+	FAIRS TO AWARD GRANTS TO ENTITIES TO 7
	45	+	IMPROVE PROVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH 8
	46	+	SUPPORT TO FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF VET-9
	47	+	ERANS. 10
20	48		(a) I
21		-	NGENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 9
22		-	~~title~~ 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 10
23		-	~~end~~ the following new section: 11
24		-	‘‘§ 1720K. Grants to provide mental health support to 12
25		-	family caregivers of veterans 13
	49	+	NGENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of title 11
	50	+	38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 12
	51	+	the following new section: 13
	52	+	‘‘§ 1720K. Grants to provide mental health support to 14
	53	+	family caregivers of veterans 15
26	54		‘‘(a) A
27		-	UTHORITY.—The Secretary may award grants 14
28		-	to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance 15
29		-	mental health counseling, treatment, or support to the 16
30		-	~~family~~ caregivers of veterans participating in the family 17
31		-	~~caregiver~~ program. 18
	55	+	UTHORITY.—The Secretary may award grants 16
	56	+	to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance 17
	57	+	mental health counseling, treatment, or support to the fam-18
	58	+	ily caregivers of veterans participating in the family care-19
	59	+	giver program. 20
32	60		‘‘(b) A
33		-	PPLICATION.—(1) To be eligible for a grant 19
34		-	under this section, an entity shall submit to the Secretary 20
35		-	an application therefor at such time, in such manner, and 21
36		-	containing such information as the Secretary may require. 22
37		-	‘‘(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1) 23
38		-	shall include the following: 24
39		-	‘‘(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant. 25 3
40		-	•HR 3581 EH
41		-	‘‘(B) A description of the programs or efforts 1
42		-	through which the entity will meet the outcome 2
43		-	measures developed by the Secretary under sub-3
44		-	section (g). 4
45		-	‘‘(C) A description of how the entity will dis-5
46		-	tribute grant amounts equitably among areas with 6
47		-	varying levels of urbanization. 7
48		-	‘‘(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to 8
49		-	meet the unique needs of veterans residing in rural 9
50		-	areas, American Indian or Alaska Native veterans, 10
51		-	elderly veterans, women veterans, and veterans from 11
52		-	other underserved communities. 12
	61	+	PPLICATION.—(1) To be eligible for a grant 21
	62	+	under this section, an entity shall submit to the Secretary 22
	63	+	an application therefor at such time, in such manner, and 23
	64	+	containing such information as the Secretary may require. 24
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	68	+	‘‘(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1) 1
	69	+	shall include the following: 2
	70	+	‘‘(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant. 3
	71	+	‘‘(B) A description of the programs or efforts 4
	72	+	through which the entity will meet the outcome meas-5
	73	+	ures developed by the Secretary under subsection (g). 6
	74	+	‘‘(C) A description of how the entity will dis-7
	75	+	tribute grant amounts equitably among areas with 8
	76	+	varying levels of urbanization. 9
	77	+	‘‘(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to 10
	78	+	meet the unique needs of veterans residing in rural 11
	79	+	areas, American Indian or Alaska Native veterans, el-12
	80	+	derly veterans, women veterans, and veterans from 13
	81	+	other underserved communities. 14
53	82		‘‘(c) D
54		-	ISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall seek to en-13
55		-	sure that grants awarded under this section are equitably 14
56		-	distributed among entities located in States with varying 15
57		-	levels of urbanization. 16
	83	+	ISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall seek to en-15
	84	+	sure that grants awarded under this section are equitably 16
	85	+	distributed among entities located in States with varying 17
	86	+	levels of urbanization. 18
58	87		‘‘(d) P
59		-	RIORITY.—The Secretary shall prioritize 17
60		-	awarding grants under this section that will serve the fol-18
61		-	lowing areas: 19
62		-	‘‘(1) Areas with high rates of veterans enrolled 20
63		-	in the family caregiver program. 21
64		-	‘‘(2) Areas with high rates of— 22
65		-	‘‘(A) suicide among veterans; or 23
66		-	‘‘(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line. 24 4
67		-	•HR 3581 EH
68		-	‘‘(e) REQUIREDACTIVITIES.—Any grant awarded 1
69		-	under this section shall be used— 2
70		-	‘‘(1) to expand existing programs, activities, 3
71		-	and services; 4
72		-	‘‘(2) to establish new or additional programs, 5
73		-	activities, and services; or 6
74		-	‘‘(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate 7
75		-	carrying out paragraph (1) or (2). 8
	88	+	RIORITY.—The Secretary shall prioritize award-19
	89	+	ing grants under this section that will serve the following 20
	90	+	areas: 21
	91	+	‘‘(1) Areas with high rates of veterans enrolled in 22
	92	+	the family caregiver program. 23
	93	+	‘‘(2) Areas with high rates of— 24
	94	+	‘‘(A) suicide among veterans; or 25
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	98	+	‘‘(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line. 1
	99	+	‘‘(e) R
	100	+	EQUIREDACTIVITIES.—Any grant awarded 2
	101	+	under this section shall be used— 3
	102	+	‘‘(1) to expand existing programs, activities, and 4
	103	+	services; 5
	104	+	‘‘(2) to establish new or additional programs, ac-6
	105	+	tivities, and services; or 7
	106	+	‘‘(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate 8
	107	+	carrying out paragraph (1) or (2). 9
76	108		‘‘(f) O
77		-	UTCOMEMEASURES.—(1) The Secretary shall 9
78		-	develop and provide to each entity that receives a grant 10
79		-	under this section written guidance on the following: 11
80		-	‘‘(A) Outcome measures. 12
81		-	‘‘(B) Policies of the Department. 13
82		-	‘‘(2) In developing outcome measures under ~~para-14~~
83		-	~~graph~~ (1), the Secretary shall consider the following goals: 15
84		-	‘‘(A) Increasing the utilization of mental health 16
85		-	services among family caregivers of veterans partici-17
86		-	pating in the family caregiver program. 18
87		-	‘‘(B) Reducing barriers to mental health ~~serv-19~~
88		-	~~ices~~ among family caregivers of veterans ~~partici-20~~
89		-	~~pating in~~ such program. 21
	109	+	UTCOMEMEASURES.—(1) The Secretary shall 10
	110	+	develop and provide to each entity that receives a grant 11
	111	+	under this section written guidance on the following: 12
	112	+	‘‘(A) Outcome measures. 13
	113	+	‘‘(B) Policies of the Department. 14
	114	+	‘‘(2) In developing outcome measures under paragraph 15
	115	+	(1), the Secretary shall consider the following goals: 16
	116	+	‘‘(A) Increasing the utilization of mental health 17
	117	+	services among family caregivers of veterans partici-18
	118	+	pating in the family caregiver program. 19
	119	+	‘‘(B) Reducing barriers to mental health services 20
	120	+	among family caregivers of veterans participating in 21
	121	+	such program. 22
90	122		‘‘(g) T
91		-	RACKINGREQUIREMENTS.—(1) The Secretary 22
92		-	shall establish appropriate tracking requirements with re-23
93		-	spect to the entities receiving a grant under this section. 24 5
94		-	•HR 3581 EH
	123	+	RACKINGREQUIREMENTS.—(1) The Secretary 23
	124	+	shall establish appropriate tracking requirements with re-24
	125	+	spect to the entities receiving a grant under this section. 25
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95	129		‘‘(2) Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary 1
96		-	shall submit to Congress a report on such tracking re-2
97		-	~~quirements~~. 3
	130	+	shall submit to Congress a report on such tracking require-2
	131	+	ments. 3
98	132		‘‘(h) P
99		-	ERFORMANCE REVIEW.—The Secretary 4
100		-	shall— 5
101		-	‘‘(1) review the performance of each entity that 6
102		-	receives a grant under this section; and 7
103		-	‘‘(2) make information regarding such perform-8
104		-	ance publicly available. 9
	133	+	ERFORMANCEREVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 4
	134	+	‘‘(1) review the performance of each entity that 5
	135	+	receives a grant under this section; and 6
	136	+	‘‘(2) make information regarding such perform-7
	137	+	ance publicly available. 8
105	138		‘‘(i) R
106		-	EMEDIATIONPLAN.—(1) In the case of an ~~enti-10~~
107		-	ty that receives a grant under this section and does not 11
108		-	~~meet~~ the outcome measures developed by the Secretary 12
109		-	~~under subsection~~ (g), the Secretary shall require the entity 13
110		-	~~to submit~~ to the Secretary a remediation plan under which 14
111		-	~~the entity~~ shall describe how and when it plans to meet 15
112		-	~~such outcome~~ measures. 16
113		-	‘‘(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent 17
114		-	~~grant~~ under this section to an entity described in ~~para-18~~
115		-	~~graph (1)~~ unless the Secretary approves the remediation 19
116		-	~~plan submitted~~ by the entity under such paragraph. 20
	139	+	EMEDIATIONPLAN.—(1) In the case of an entity 9
	140	+	that receives a grant under this section and does not meet 10
	141	+	the outcome measures developed by the Secretary under sub-11
	142	+	section (g), the Secretary shall require the entity to submit 12
	143	+	to the Secretary a remediation plan under which the entity 13
	144	+	shall describe how and when it plans to meet such outcome 14
	145	+	measures. 15
	146	+	‘‘(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent grant 16
	147	+	under this section to an entity described in paragraph (1) 17
	148	+	unless the Secretary approves the remediation plan sub-18
	149	+	mitted by the entity under such paragraph. 19
117	150		‘‘(j) M
118		-	AXIMUMAMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 21
119		-	awarded under this section may not exceed 10 percent of 22
120		-	amounts made available for grants under this section for 23
121		-	the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded. 24 6
122		-	•HR 3581 EH
123		-	‘‘(k) SUPPLEMENT, NOTSUPPLANT.—Any grant 1
124		-	awarded under this section shall be used to supplement 2
125		-	and not supplant funding that is otherwise available 3
126		-	through the Department to provide mental health support 4
127		-	among family caregivers of veterans participating in the 5
128		-	family caregiver program. 6
	151	+	AXIMUMAMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 20
	152	+	awarded under this section may not exceed 10 percent of 21
	153	+	amounts made available for grants under this section for 22
	154	+	the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded. 23
	155	+	‘‘(k) S
	156	+	UPPLEMENT, NOTSUPPLANT.—Any grant 24
	157	+	awarded under this section shall be used to supplement and 25
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	161	+	not supplant funding that is otherwise available through 1
	162	+	the Department to provide mental health support among 2
	163	+	family caregivers of veterans participating in the family 3
	164	+	caregiver program. 4
129	165		‘‘(l) O
130		-	UTREACH TOFAMILYCAREGIVERS.—The Sec-7
131		-	retary shall include, in the outreach materials regularly 8
132		-	mailed to a family caregiver who participates in the family 9
133		-	caregiver program, notice of mental health support pro-10
134		-	vided by recipients of grants under this section that are 11
135		-	located in the relevant Veterans Integrated Service Net-12
136		-	work. 13
	166	+	UTREACH TOFAMILYCAREGIVERS.—The Sec-5
	167	+	retary shall include, in the outreach materials regularly 6
	168	+	mailed to a family caregiver who participates in the family 7
	169	+	caregiver program, notice of mental health support provided 8
	170	+	by recipients of grants under this section that are located 9
	171	+	in the relevant Veterans Integrated Service Network. 10
137	172		‘‘(m) F
138		-	UNDING.—(1) Amounts for the activities of 14
139		-	~~the~~ Department under this section shall be budgeted and 15
140		-	~~appropriated~~ through a separate appropriation account. 16
141		-	‘‘(2) In the budget justification materials submitted 17
142		-	to Congress in support of the budget of the Department 18
143		-	~~for~~ any fiscal year (as submitted with the budget of the 19
144		-	~~President~~ under section 1105(a) of title 31), the Secretary 20
145		-	~~shall~~ include a separate statement of the amount ~~re-21~~
146		-	~~quested to be~~ appropriated for that fiscal year for the ~~ac-22~~
147		-	~~count specified~~ in paragraph (1). 23
	173	+	UNDING.—(1) Amounts for the activities of the 11
	174	+	Department under this section shall be budgeted and appro-12
	175	+	priated through a separate appropriation account. 13
	176	+	‘‘(2) In the budget justification materials submitted to 14
	177	+	Congress in support of the budget of the Department for 15
	178	+	any fiscal year (as submitted with the budget of the Presi-16
	179	+	dent under section 1105(a) of title 31), the Secretary shall 17
	180	+	include a separate statement of the amount requested to be 18
	181	+	appropriated for that fiscal year for the account specified 19
	182	+	in paragraph (1). 20
148	183		‘‘(n) A
149		-	UTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 24
150		-	is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary, for each 25 7
151		-	•HR 3581 EH
152		-	of fiscal years 2024 through 2026, $50,000,000 to carry 1
153		-	out this section. 2
	184	+	UTHORIZATION OFAPPROPRIATIONS.—There is 21
	185	+	authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary, for each of 22
	186	+	fiscal years 2024 through 2026, $50,000,000 to carry out 23
	187	+	this section. 24
154	188		‘‘(o) D
155		-	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 3
156		-	‘‘(1) The terms ‘caregiver’ and ‘family care-4
157		-	giver’ have the meanings given those terms in sec-5
158		-	tion 1720G of this title. 6
159		-	‘‘(2) The term ‘family caregiver program’ 7
160		-	means the program of comprehensive assistance for 8
161		-	family caregivers under section 1720G of this title. 9
162		-	‘‘(3) The term ‘Veterans Crisis Line’ means the 10
163		-	toll-free hotline for veterans established under sec-11
164		-	tion 1720F of this title.’’. 12
	189	+	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 25
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	193	+	‘‘(1) The terms ‘caregiver’ and ‘family caregiver’ 1
	194	+	have the meanings given those terms in section 1720G 2
	195	+	of this title. 3
	196	+	‘‘(2) The term ‘family caregiver program’ means 4
	197	+	the program of comprehensive assistance for family 5
	198	+	caregivers under section 1720G of this title. 6
	199	+	‘‘(3) The term ‘Veterans Crisis Line’ means the 7
	200	+	toll-free hotline for veterans established under section 8
	201	+	1720F of this title.’’. 9
165	202		(b) C
166		-	LERICALAMENDMENT.—The table of sections 13
167		-	at the beginning of such subchapter is amended by adding 14
168		-	at the end the following new item: 15
	203	+	LERICALAMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 10
	204	+	the beginning of such subchapter is amended by adding at 11
	205	+	the end the following new item: 12
169	206		‘‘1720K. Grants to provide mental health support to family caregivers of vet-
170	207		erans.’’.
171	208		SEC. 3. CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO MITI-
172		-	16
173		-	GATE THE RISK OF FLOODING ON LOCAL 17
174		-	PROPERTY ADJACENT TO MEDICAL FACILI-18
175		-	TIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-19
176		-	FAIRS. 20
	209	+	13
	210	+	GATE THE RISK OF FLOODING ON LOCAL 14
	211	+	PROPERTY ADJACENT TO MEDICAL FACILI-15
	212	+	TIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-16
	213	+	FAIRS. 17
177	214		(a) I
178		-	NGENERAL.—Section 8108 of title 38, United 21
179		-	States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘, or to mitigate the 22
180		-	risk of flooding, including the risk of flooding associated 23
181		-	with rising sea levels’’ before the period at the end. 24 8
182		-	•HR 3581 EH
183		-	(b) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 1
184		-	of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 2
185		-	Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af-3
186		-	fairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 4
187		-	report that includes an assessment of— 5
188		-	(1) the extent to which each medical facility (as 6
189		-	such term is defined in section 8101(3) of title 38, 7
190		-	United States Code) is at risk of flooding, including 8
191		-	the risk of flooding associated with rising sea levels; 9
192		-	and 10
193		-	(2) whether additional resources are necessary 11
194		-	to address the risk of flooding at each such facility. 12
	215	+	NGENERAL.—Section 8108 of title 38, United 18
	216	+	States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘, or to mitigate the 19
	217	+	risk of flooding, including the risk of flooding associated 20
	218	+	with rising sea levels’’ before the period at the end. 21
	219	+	(b) R
	220	+	EPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 22
	221	+	of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af-23
	222	+	fairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 24
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	226	+	of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report that 1
	227	+	includes an assessment of— 2
	228	+	(1) the extent to which each medical facility (as 3
	229	+	such term is defined in section 8101(3) of title 38, 4
	230	+	United States Code) is at risk of flooding, including 5
	231	+	the risk of flooding associated with rising sea levels; 6
	232	+	and 7
	233	+	(2) whether additional resources are necessary to 8
	234	+	address the risk of flooding at each such facility. 9
195	235		(c) A
196		-	UTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 13
197		-	authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Vet-14
198		-	erans Affairs for each of fiscals year 2024 through 2028 15
199		-	$25,000,000 to carry out the amendment made by sub-16
200		-	section (a). 17
201		-	SEC. 4. GAO REPORT ON MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR 18
202		-	CAREGIVERS. 19
	236	+	UTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 10
	237	+	authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Vet-11
	238	+	erans Affairs for each of fiscals year 2024 through 2028 12
	239	+	$25,000,000 to carry out the amendment made by sub-13
	240	+	section (a). 14
	241	+	SEC. 4. GAO REPORT ON MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR 15
	242	+	CAREGIVERS. 16
203	243		(a) R
204		-	EPORTREQUIRED.—Not later than one year 20
205		-	after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp-21
206		-	troller General of the United States shall submit to the 22
207		-	Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 23
208		-	Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep-24 9
209		-	•HR 3581 EH
210		-	resentatives a report on the provision of mental health 1
211		-	support to caregivers of veterans. 2
	244	+	EPORTREQUIRED.—Not later than one year 17
	245	+	after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 18
	246	+	General of the United States shall submit to the Committee 19
	247	+	on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 20
	248	+	Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 21
	249	+	on the provision of mental health support to caregivers of 22
	250	+	veterans. 23
212	251		(b) C
213		-	ONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub-3
214		-	section (a) shall include the following: 4
215		-	(1) An assessment of the need for mental 5
216		-	health support among caregivers participating in the 6
217		-	caregiver programs. 7
218		-	(2) An assessment of options for mental health 8
219		-	support in facilities of the Department of Veterans 9
220		-	Affairs and in the community for caregivers partici-10
221		-	pating in the caregiver programs. 11
222		-	(3) An assessment of the availability and acces-12
223		-	sibility of mental health support in facilities of the 13
224		-	Department and in the community for caregivers 14
225		-	participating in the caregiver programs. 15
226		-	(4) An assessment of the awareness among 16
227		-	caregivers of the availability of mental health sup-17
228		-	port in facilities of the Department and in the com-18
229		-	munity for caregivers participating in the caregiver 19
230		-	programs. 20
231		-	(5) An assessment of barriers to mental health 21
232		-	support in facilities of the Department and in the 22
233		-	community for caregivers participating in the care-23
234		-	giver programs. 24
	252	+	ONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub-24
	253	+	section (a) shall include the following: 25
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	256	+	•HR 3581 RH
	257	+	(1) An assessment of the need for mental health 1
	258	+	support among caregivers participating in the care-2
	259	+	giver programs. 3
	260	+	(2) An assessment of options for mental health 4
	261	+	support in facilities of the Department of Veterans Af-5
	262	+	fairs and in the community for caregivers partici-6
	263	+	pating in the caregiver programs. 7
	264	+	(3) An assessment of the availability and accessi-8
	265	+	bility of mental health support in facilities of the De-9
	266	+	partment and in the community for caregivers par-10
	267	+	ticipating in the caregiver programs. 11
	268	+	(4) An assessment of the awareness among care-12
	269	+	givers of the availability of mental health support in 13
	270	+	facilities of the Department and in the community for 14
	271	+	caregivers participating in the caregiver programs. 15
	272	+	(5) An assessment of barriers to mental health 16
	273	+	support in facilities of the Department and in the 17
	274	+	community for caregivers participating in the care-18
	275	+	giver programs. 19
235	276		(c) D
236		-	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 25 10
237		-	•HR 3581 EH
238		-	(1) The term ‘‘caregiver’’ has the meaning 1
239		-	given that term in section 1720G of title 38, United 2
240		-	States Code. 3
241		-	(2) The term ‘‘caregiver programs’’ means— 4
242		-	(A) the program of comprehensive assist-5
243		-	ance for family caregivers under subsection (a) 6
244		-	of section 1720G of title 38, United States 7
245		-	Code; and 8
246		-	(B) the program of support services for 9
247		-	caregivers under subsection (b) of such section. 10
248		-	SEC. 5. ANNUAL REVIEW OF SECURITY AT COVERED FA-11
249		-	CILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VET-12
250		-	ERANS AFFAIRS. 13
	277	+	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 20
	278	+	(1) The term ‘‘caregiver’’ has the meaning given 21
	279	+	that term in section 1720G of title 38, United States 22
	280	+	Code. 23
	281	+	(2) The term ‘‘caregiver programs’’ means— 24
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	284	+	•HR 3581 RH
	285	+	(A) the program of comprehensive assistance 1
	286	+	for family caregivers under subsection (a) of sec-2
	287	+	tion 1720G of title 38, United States Code; and 3
	288	+	(B) the program of support services for 4
	289	+	caregivers under subsection (b) of such section. 5
	290	+	SEC. 5. ANNUAL REVIEW OF SECURITY AT COVERED FACILI-6
	291	+	TIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-7
	292	+	FAIRS. 8
251	293		(a) A
252		-	NNUALSURVEY.—Not later than one year after 14
253		-	the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there-15
254		-	after for each of the following five years, the Secretary 16
255		-	of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Director of 17
256		-	~~the~~ Office of Security and Law Enforcement of the ~~De-18~~
257		-	~~partment~~ of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct an annual ~~sur-19~~
258		-	~~vey of covered~~ employees to collect information regarding 20
259		-	~~security at~~ each covered facility. Each annual survey shall 21
260		-	~~include~~ questions about— 22
261		-	(1) the type and frequency of criminal activity 23
262		-	experienced at the covered facility during the 12 ~~24 11~~
263		-	~~•HR 3581 EH~~
264		-	~~months prior to~~ the ~~date the covered employee com-1~~
265		-	~~pletes~~ the ~~survey; 2~~
266		-	~~(2)~~ the ~~number of vacant positions for Depart-3~~
267		-	~~ment police officers at the covered facility and the 4~~
268		-	~~number of days each vacant position has been va-5~~
269		-	~~cant; 6~~
270		-	~~(3) the availability and adequacy of covered 7~~
271		-	~~equipment; 8~~
272		-	~~(4) the availability and adequacy of resources, 9~~
273		-	~~classes~~, ~~or other time set aside for training Depart-10~~
274		-	~~ment police officers who work at each covered facil-11~~
275		-	~~ity about any skill or tactic related to law enforce-12~~
276		-	~~ment~~, ~~including the proper use of force, firearms 13~~
277		-	~~qualifications and training~~, ~~procedures for respond~~-14
278		-	~~ing~~ to an ~~active threat, and any other training re-15~~
279		-	~~quired~~ for ~~Department police officers; 16~~
280		-	~~(5) any security weakness~~; 17
281		-	(6) ~~an analysis of the relationship between the 18~~
282		-	~~covered facility (including~~ the ~~Department police of-19~~
283		-	~~ficers who work at~~ the ~~covered facility)~~ ~~and local law 20~~
284		-	~~enforcement agencies;~~ 21
285		-	~~(7) efforts by the personnel of the covered facil-22~~
286		-	~~ity to address and reduce criminal activity at,~~ ~~or in 23~~
287		-	~~close proximity to, the covered facility;~~ and ~~24 12~~
288		-	~~•HR 3581 EH~~
289		-	(8) recommendations for the Secretary to better 1
290		-	address and reduce criminal activity at, or in close 2
291		-	proximity to, covered facilities. 3
	294	+	NNUALSURVEY.—Not later than one year after 9
	295	+	the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there-10
	296	+	after for each of the following five years, the Secretary of 11
	297	+	Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Director of the 12
	298	+	Office of Security and Law Enforcement of the Department 13
	299	+	of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct an annual survey of cov-14
	300	+	ered employees to collect information regarding security at 15
	301	+	each covered facility. Each annual survey shall include 16
	302	+	questions about— 17
	303	+	(1) the type and frequency of criminal activity 18
	304	+	experienced at the covered facility during the 12 19
	305	+	months prior to the date the covered employee com-20
	306	+	pletes the survey; 21
	307	+	(2) the number of vacant positions for Depart-22
	308	+	ment police officers at the covered facility and the 23
	309	+	number of days each vacant position has been vacant; 24
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	312	+	•HR 3581 RH
	313	+	(3) the availability and adequacy of covered 1
	314	+	equipment; 2
	315	+	(4) the availability and adequacy of resources, 3
	316	+	classes, or other time set aside for training Depart-4
	317	+	ment police officers who work at each covered facility 5
	318	+	about any skill or tactic related to law enforcement, 6
	319	+	including the proper use of force, firearms qualifica-7
	320	+	tions and training, procedures for responding to an 8
	321	+	active threat, and any other training required for De-9
	322	+	partment police officers; 10
	323	+	(5) any security weakness; 11
	324	+	(6) an analysis of the relationship between the 12
	325	+	covered facility (including the Department police offi-13
	326	+	cers who work at the covered facility) and local law 14
	327	+	enforcement agencies; 15
	328	+	(7) efforts by the personnel of the covered facility 16
	329	+	to address and reduce criminal activity at, or in close 17
	330	+	proximity to, the covered facility; and 18
	331	+	(8) recommendations for the Secretary to better 19
	332	+	address and reduce criminal activity at, or in close 20
	333	+	proximity to, covered facilities. 21
292	334		(b) R
293		-	EPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 4
294		-	of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5
295		-	each of the following five years, the Secretary shall submit 6
296		-	to each of the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen-7
297		-	ate and the House of Representatives an annual report 8
298		-	regarding security at covered facilities that includes— 9
299		-	(1) the results of the annual survey described 10
300		-	under subsection (a) for the year covered by the re-11
301		-	port; 12
302		-	(2) an analysis, made in coordination with the 13
303		-	Director of the Office of Security and Law Enforce-14
304		-	ment of such Department and each director and po-15
305		-	lice chief of a Veterans Integrated Service Network, 16
306		-	of the results of the annual survey described under 17
307		-	subsection (a) for the year covered by the report; 18
308		-	(3) a plan of action that describes how the Sec-19
309		-	retary plans to address any security weakness identi-20
310		-	fied in the results of the annual survey and includes 21
311		-	clearly-stated goals with measurable benchmarks for 22
312		-	each goal and deadlines for each benchmark; and 23 13
313		-	•HR 3581 EH
314		-	(4) a list of each vacant position for police chief 1
315		-	or deputy police chief at each covered facility, and 2
316		-	the number of days the position has been vacant. 3
	335	+	EPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 22
	336	+	of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 23
	337	+	each of the following five years, the Secretary shall submit 24
	338	+	to each of the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 25
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	341	+	•HR 3581 RH
	342	+	and the House of Representatives an annual report regard-1
	343	+	ing security at covered facilities that includes— 2
	344	+	(1) the results of the annual survey described 3
	345	+	under subsection (a) for the year covered by the re-4
	346	+	port; 5
	347	+	(2) an analysis, made in coordination with the 6
	348	+	Director of the Office of Security and Law Enforce-7
	349	+	ment of such Department and each director and po-8
	350	+	lice chief of a Veterans Integrated Service Network, of 9
	351	+	the results of the annual survey described under sub-10
	352	+	section (a) for the year covered by the report; 11
	353	+	(3) a plan of action that describes how the Sec-12
	354	+	retary plans to address any security weakness identi-13
	355	+	fied in the results of the annual survey and includes 14
	356	+	clearly-stated goals with measurable benchmarks for 15
	357	+	each goal and deadlines for each benchmark; and 16
	358	+	(4) a list of each vacant position for police chief 17
	359	+	or deputy police chief at each covered facility, and the 18
	360	+	number of days the position has been vacant. 19
317	361		(c) D
318		-	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 4
319		-	(1) The term ‘‘covered equipment’’ means any 5
320		-	item issued by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 6
321		-	a Department police officer (including batons, fire-7
322		-	arms, pepper spray, ballistic vests, body-worn cam-8
323		-	eras, and radios) for use in the provision of services 9
324		-	under section 902 of title 38, United States Code. 10
325		-	(2) The term ‘‘covered employee’’ means any 11
326		-	employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who 12
327		-	is employed at a covered facility as a police chief, a 13
328		-	facility emergency management leader, a facility di-14
329		-	rector, or a person carrying out the responsibilities 15
330		-	of one of these positions in an acting capacity. 16
331		-	(3) The term ‘‘covered facility’’ means any fa-17
332		-	cility of the Department of Veterans Affairs where 18
333		-	Department police officers have jurisdiction. 19
334		-	(4) The term ‘‘Department police officer’’ has 20
335		-	the meaning given to such term as used in section 21
336		-	902 of title 38, United States Code. 22
337		-	(5) The term ‘‘security weakness’’ means a defi-23
338		-	ciency in the facilities, staffing, or covered equip-24
339		-	ment at a covered facility that a covered employee 25 14
340		-	•HR 3581 EH
341		-	of the covered facility determines presents a risk to 1
342		-	the safety of visitors or staff, including an unsecured 2
343		-	door, inoperable security camera, unsecured police 3
344		-	operations room, a lack of security presence at an 4
345		-	entrance to the covered facility, and a lack of secu-5
346		-	rity presence in an area of the covered facility or the 6
347		-	grounds of the covered facility that the director of 7
348		-	the covered facility determines requires an increased 8
349		-	security presence. 9
350		-	SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOUSING 10
351		-	LOAN FEES. 11
352		-	The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, 12
353		-	United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘November 13
354		-	14, 2031’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘March 12, 14
355		-	2032’’. 15
356		-	Passed the House of Representatives December 4,
357		-	2023.
358		-	Attest:
359		-	Clerk. 118
	362	+	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 20
	363	+	(1) The term ‘‘covered equipment’’ means any 21
	364	+	item issued by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to a 22
	365	+	Department police officer (including batons, firearms, 23
	366	+	pepper spray, ballistic vests, body-worn cameras, and 24
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	369	+	•HR 3581 RH
	370	+	radios) for use in the provision of services under sec-1
	371	+	tion 902 of title 38, United States Code. 2
	372	+	(2) The term ‘‘covered employee’’ means any em-3
	373	+	ployee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who is 4
	374	+	employed at a covered facility as a police chief, a fa-5
	375	+	cility emergency management leader, a facility direc-6
	376	+	tor, or a person carrying out the responsibilities of 7
	377	+	one of these positions in an acting capacity. 8
	378	+	(3) The term ‘‘covered facility’’ means any facil-9
	379	+	ity of the Department of Veterans Affairs where De-10
	380	+	partment police officers have jurisdiction. 11
	381	+	(4) The term ‘‘Department police officer’’ has the 12
	382	+	meaning given to such term as used in section 902 of 13
	383	+	title 38, United States Code. 14
	384	+	(5) The term ‘‘security weakness’’ means a defi-15
	385	+	ciency in the facilities, staffing, or covered equipment 16
	386	+	at a covered facility that a covered employee of the 17
	387	+	covered facility determines presents a risk to the safe-18
	388	+	ty of visitors or staff, including an unsecured door, 19
	389	+	inoperable security camera, unsecured police oper-20
	390	+	ations room, a lack of security presence at an en-21
	391	+	trance to the covered facility, and a lack of security 22
	392	+	presence in an area of the covered facility or the 23
	393	+	grounds of the covered facility that the director of the 24
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	396	+	•HR 3581 RH
	397	+	covered facility determines requires an increased secu-1
	398	+	rity presence. 2
	399	+	SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOUSING 3
	400	+	LOAN FEES. 4
	401	+	The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, 5
	402	+	United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘November 14, 6
	403	+	2031’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘March 12, 7
	404	+	2032’’. 8
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	407	+	201
	408	+	118
360	409		TH
361	410		CONGRESS
362	411		1
363	412		ST
364	413		S
365	414		ESSION
366	415
367	416		H. R. 3581
368		-	AN ACT
	417	+	[Report No. 118–251]
	418	+	A BILL
369	419		To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify
370	420		the family caregiver program of the Department
371	421		of Veterans Affairs to include services related to
372	422		mental health and neurological disorders, and for
373	423		other purposes.
	424	+	O
	425	+	CTOBER
	426	+	25, 2023
	427	+	Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
	428	+	mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
	429	+	and ordered to be printed
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