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. 637. Department of Veterans Affairs personnel transparency

(a) In general. Section 505 of the John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka, and Samuel R. Johnson VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–182; 38 U.S.C. 301 note) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in the matter before subparagraph (A), by striking information, and all that follows through facility: and inserting information:;

(ii) in subparagraph (B)—

(I) by inserting (i) before The number; and

(II) by adding at the end the following new clause:

Text this section adds to the law

(ii) Information made available under this subparagraph shall be updated not less frequently than once each quarter to account for delays in data processing and shall reflect the most recently available data.

(iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking vacancies, by occupation. and inserting positions currently undergoing a recruitment action, disaggregated by occupation and by stage of recruitment.;

(iv) in subparagraph (E)(iii), by striking potential hires or; and

(v) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

Text this section adds to the law

(F) The number of positions vacated during the quarter for which the Department has not initiated a recruitment action or is not planning to initiate a recruitment action.

(B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6);

(C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new paragraph (5):

Text this section adds to the law

(5) Display of information. The display of information made publicly available on a website of the Department pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be disaggregated—

(A) by departmental component;

(B) in the case of information relating to Veterans Health Administration positions, by medical facility; and

(C) in the case of information relating to Veterans Benefits Administration positions, by regional office.

; and

(D) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by subparagraph (B), by striking shall and all that follows and inserting the following: “shall—

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(A) review the administration of the website required under paragraph (1);

(B) develop recommendations relating to the improvement of such administration; and

(C) submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report containing—

(i) the findings of the Inspector General with respect to the most recent review conducted under subparagraph (A); and

(ii) the recommendations most recently developed under subparagraph (B).

; and

(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

Text this section adds to the law

(b) Annual report. Each year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report that includes the following:

(1) A description of the steps the Department is taking to achieve full staffing capacity.

(2) A description of the actions the Department is taking to improve the onboard timeline for facilities of the Department, including—

(A) in the case of facilities of the Veterans Health Administration, for facilities for which the duration of the onboarding process exceeds the metrics laid out in the Time to Hire Model of the Veterans Health Administration, or successor model; and

(B) in the case of the Veterans Benefits Administration, for regional offices that exceed the time-to-hire target of the Office of Personnel Management.

(3) The amount of additional funds necessary to enable the Department to reach full staffing capacity.

(4) Such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Secretary may have in order to achieve full staffing capacity at the Department.

(b) Effective date. The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to the second update under section 505(a)(3) of such Act beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act and each update thereafter.

D Optimization of Workforce

E Veterans Infrastructure and Transformation

F Other Health Care Matters