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

Sec. 404. Improvement of telephone communication by Department of Veterans Affairs

(a) In general. Chapter 63 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

Text this section adds to the law

6321. Telephone communication

(a) Calls associated with Department. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable and feasible, that any call made to a veteran, beneficiary, claimant, or other relevant individual by an employee or contractor of the Department regarding services or benefits furnished by the Department—

(1) is made from a single, well-known telephone number; and

(2) uses caller identification branding that indicates to the individual that the call is from or on behalf of the Department.

(b) Call centers for health care appointments and referrals

(1) In general. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, the Secretary shall ensure that the Veterans Health Administration has at least one call center in each of the time zones specified in paragraph (3) to address concerns regarding appointments and referrals for health care under the laws administered by the Secretary.

(2) Existing efforts and call centers. In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary—

(A) shall ensure coordination with existing efforts of the Department to improve call center operations; and

(B) may use existing call centers to meet the requirements of such paragraph.

(3) Time zones specified. The time zones specified in this paragraph are the following:

(A) Eastern time.

(B) Central time.

(C) Mountain time.

(D) Pacific time.

(E) Alaska time.

(F) Hawaii time.

(4) Clarification. The Secretary is not required to ensure that the Veterans Health Administration has a call center in any location generally within a time zone specified in paragraph (3) that does not follow daylight saving time.

(b) Clerical amendment. The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

Text this section adds to the law

6321. Telephone communication.

(c) Report. Not later than 180 days after enactment, and annually for three years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs a report on implementation, including call-answer rates, abandoned-call rates, average wait times, veteran complaints, spoofing or fraud-prevention measures, and any exceptions granted.

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