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

Sec. 635. Department of Veterans Affairs telework policy

(a) Policy required. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, in accordance with the requirements of this section and the requirements of section 6502 of title 5, United States Code, establish a policy for the use of telework within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(b) Locations. The policy established under subsection (a) may be different for different locations, specialties, and categories of employees, as determined appropriate by the Secretary.

(c) Assessment. In developing the policy required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall assess the following for each category of employees at the Department—

(1) staffing levels and trends over the last 5 years;

(2) exit survey data related to telework;

(3) the availability of dedicated work space at facilities of the Department to enable onsite work at a duty station;

(4) a comparison of productivity levels when duties are performed on site or through telework;

(5) telework flexibilities for comparable categories of employees in the private sector and in other Federal agencies; and

(6) particular duties that necessitate on site work.

(d) Notice and reporting

(1) In general. For any change made to the policy established pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall—

(A) notify all affected employees of the Department of the changes; and

(B) submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the changes.

(2) Report contents. For each report submitted to Congress under paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall include the analyses for each category conducted in subsection (c) and the role of those analyses in the telework policy for each category.

(3) Deadline. A report submitted under paragraph (1)(B) regarding a change to the policy established under subsection (a) shall be made not fewer than 90 days before the change goes into effect.

(e) Report on budgetary impact. Not later than 1 year after the date on which the policy established pursuant to subsection (a) goes into effect, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report on the annual budgetary impact of such policy.

(f) Effective date and changes

(1) Effective date of initial policy. The initial policy established by pursuant to subsection (a) shall go into effect not later than 180 days after the date on which the policy is established.

(2) Effective date of subsequent changes. Any change made to the policy established pursuant to subsection (a) after the effective date set forth in paragraph (1) shall take effect not less than 90 days after the date on which the change is made.

(3) Notice. For any change made to the policy established pursuant to subsection (a) after the effective date set forth in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—

(A) notify all affected employees of the Department of the changes; and

(B) submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the changes.

D Optimization of Workforce

E Veterans Infrastructure and Transformation

F Other Health Care Matters