H.R. 9237

Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

Sponsor: Mike Bost

30 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Take Care of America's Veterans Act

This bill addresses veterans’ benefits, health care, counseling, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel, VA infrastructure, and the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP).

The bill modifies various compensation programs for veterans, including by (1) allowing concurrent receipt of disability compensation and military retired pay for certain retirees with a combat-related disability, (2) extending entitlement for various benefits and services to remarried surviving spouses, (3) increasing the rate of dependency and indemnity compensation, and (4) establishing a supplemental monthly allowance for certain disabled veterans.

The bill also addresses VA education and training benefits, including by (1) modifying which independent study programs are covered under veterans’ educational assistance benefits, (2) requiring Transition Assistance Program counseling to include a presentation about VA benefits, and (3) increasing the housing allowance rate for individuals pursuing apprenticeships.

The bill revises health care provisions, including by (1) expanding support and assistance provided to family caregivers, (2) extending the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, and (3) expanding the scope of VA mental health research.

Among other elements, the bill

  • revises VA disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus;
  • expands eligibility for a memorial headstone or marker for the spouse, surviving spouse, child, or dependent of a veteran or member of the Armed Forces;
  • addresses the administration of the VCCP and codifies the eligibility standards;
  • establishes a standardized screening process for priority or routine admission to certain mental health care programs; and
  • addresses VA personnel, hiring, and infrastructure matters.

Text of the bill

Expand all

I Compensation

II Education and Economic Opportunity

III Health Care

IV Organization

V Memorial Affairs

VI Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers

A Improvement of Veterans Community Care Program

B Mental Health Treatment Programs

C Staffing Matters

D Optimization of Workforce

Sec. 643. Detailed plans and justifications for reorganization of offices

Section 510 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—

(1) in subsection (f)(2)—

(A) in subparagraph (D), by inserting in improving outcomes for veterans and their spouses, dependents, and caregivers through the delivery of high quality, accessible, and timely health care, benefits, and other services the Secretary considers appropriate before the period at the end; and

(B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:

Text this section adds to the law

(G) A description of how the Secretary will analyze success of the reorganization using results based performance metrics that are derived from the justification for the reorganization.

(H) A risk mitigation plan identifying significant operational, workforce, financial, information technology, patient care, and service-delivery risks reasonably anticipated by the Secretary and the actions planned to mitigate such risks.

(2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and

(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new subsection (e):

Text this section adds to the law

(e) Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary completes an administrative reorganization for which the Secretary submitted under subsection (b) a report containing a detailed plan and justification for the administrative reorganization, and not less frequently than once every 180 days thereafter until the date that is two years after the date of the completion of such administrative reorganization, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report assessing the administrative reorganization using the performance metrics described in the detailed plan and justification pursuant to subsection (g)(2)(G).

E Veterans Infrastructure and Transformation

F Other Health Care Matters