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

Sec. 312. Extension of sharing of Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Health Care Resources; resource sharing oversight and implementation plan

(a) Extension. Section 8111(d)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking September 30, 2026 and inserting September 30, 2027.

(b) Oversight

(1) Justification. Such section is further amended in subsection (a)—

(A) by inserting (1) before To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary; and

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

Text this section adds to the law

(2) If the Secretary of Veterans Affairs elects not to enter into such an agreement or contract, notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary and the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a written justification for such election.

(2) Form of information. If the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Senate requests information from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding section 8111 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary shall provide such information in the form requested by such committee, including underlying records, datasets, methodologies, contracts, and communications, and may not be limited to summaries or briefing materials in lieu of original source documents unless authorized by the requesting committee.

(3) Interference with transmission of information. In response to such a request, no official or employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall—

(A) withhold, screen, or alter responsive information;

(B) delay or condition production on initial clearance or political review;

(C) require a nondisclosure agreement unless required by law;

(D) substitute summaries for requested 2 records; or

(E) otherwise impede or interfere with direct transmission of information to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

(4) Classified information. If the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs determines that any information regarding such section requested by the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Senate is classified, the Secretary shall make arrangements to present such information to the Chair and Ranking Member of the such committee using appropriate security measures.

(c) Implementation plan and report

(1) Joint resource sharing implementation plan. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a Joint Resource Sharing Implementation Plan. Such plan shall include—

(A) a comprehensive inventory of all agreements under section 8111 of title 38, United States Code;

(B) a standardized reimbursement methodology;

(C) capacity assessments of Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense facilities; and

(D) identification of priority regions for expansion.

(2) Report. Not later than 2 years after date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to Congress on the implementation of section 8111 of title 38, United States Code. Such report shall include—

(A) a description of use and effectiveness of agreements under such section;

(B) a description of the role and output of the Joint Executive Committee under such section;

(C) an evaluation of the effectiveness of coordination of care and sharing of resources by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense under such section; and

(D) a description of any statutory, operational, or cultural barriers to the implementation of such section.

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

E Veterans Infrastructure and Transformation

F Other Health Care Matters