[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 32 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 32

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the outreach 
    activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2009

 Mr. McIntyre (for himself, Mr. Kissell, and Mr. Etheridge) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the outreach 
    activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subchapter:

                  ``SUBCHAPTER IV--OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

``Sec. 561. Outreach activities: coordination of activities within the 
              Department
    ``(a) Coordination Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish and 
maintain procedures for ensuring the effective coordination of the 
outreach activities of the Department between and among the following:
            ``(1) The Office of the Secretary.
            ``(2) The Office of Public Affairs.
            ``(3) The Veterans Health Administration.
            ``(4) The Veterans Benefits Administration.
            ``(5) The National Cemetery Administration.
    ``(b) Annual Review of Procedures.--The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) annually review the procedures in effect under 
        subsection (a) for the purpose of ensuring that those 
        procedures meet the requirements of that subsection; and
            ``(2) make such modifications to those procedures as the 
        Secretary considers appropriate in light of such review in 
        order to better achieve that purpose.
``Sec. 562. Outreach activities: cooperative activities with States; 
              grants to States for improvement of outreach
    ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to provide for 
assistance by the Secretary to State and county veterans agencies to 
carry out programs in locations within the respective jurisdictions of 
such agencies that offer a high probability of improving outreach and 
assistance to veterans, and to the spouses, children, and parents of 
veterans, to ensure that such individuals are fully informed about, and 
assisted in applying for, any veterans' and veterans-related benefits 
and programs (including State veterans' programs) for which they may be 
eligible.
    ``(b) Priority for Areas With High Concentration of Eligible 
Individuals.--In providing assistance under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to State and county veteran agencies in locations--
            ``(1) that have relatively large concentrations of 
        populations of veterans and other individuals referred to in 
        subsection (a); or
            ``(2) that are experiencing growth in the population of 
        veterans and other individuals referred to in subsection (a).
    ``(c) Contracts for Outreach Services.--The Secretary may enter 
into a contract with a State or county veterans agency in order to 
carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance outreach by the 
Department and the State or county (including outreach with respect to 
a State or county veterans program). As a condition of entering into 
any such contract, the Secretary shall require the agency to submit 
annually to the Secretary a three-year plan for the use of any funds 
provided to the agency pursuant to the contract and to meet the annual 
outcome measures developed by the Secretary under subsection (d)(4).
    ``(d) Grants.--(1) The Secretary may make a grant to a State or 
county veterans agency to be used to carry out, coordinate, improve, or 
otherwise enhance--
            ``(A) outreach activities, including activities carried out 
        pursuant to a contract entered into under subsection (c); and
            ``(B) activities to assist in the development and submittal 
        of claims for veterans and veterans-related benefits, including 
        activities carried out pursuant to a contract entered into 
        under subsection (c).
    ``(2) A State veterans agency that receives a grant under this 
subsection may award all or a portion of the grant to county veterans 
agencies within the State to provide outreach services for veterans, on 
the basis of the number of veterans residing in the jurisdiction of 
each county.
    ``(3) To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a State or 
county veterans agency shall submit to the Secretary an application 
containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may 
require. The Secretary shall require a State or county veterans agency 
to include, as part of the agency's application--
            ``(A) a three-year plan for the use of the grant; and
            ``(B) a description of the programs through which the 
        agency will meet the annual outcome measures developed by the 
        Secretary under paragraph (4).
    ``(4)(A) The Secretary shall develop and provide to the recipient 
of a grant under this subsection written guidance on annual outcome 
measures, Department policies, and procedures for applying for grants 
under this section.
    ``(B) The Secretary shall annually review the performance of each 
State or county veterans agency that receives a grant under this 
section.
    ``(C) In the case of a State or county veterans agency that is a 
recipient of a grant under this subsection that does not meet the 
annual outcome measures developed by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 
require the agency to submit a remediation plan under which the agency 
shall describe how and when it plans to meet such outcome measures. The 
Secretary must approve such plan before the Secretary may make a 
subsequent grant to that agency under this subsection.
    ``(5) No portion of any grant awarded under this subsection may be 
used for the purposes of administering the grant funds or to subsidize 
the salaries of State or county veterans service officers or other 
employees of a State or county veterans agency that receives a grant 
under this subsection.
    ``(6) Federal funds provided to a State or county veterans agency 
under this subsection may not be used to provide more than 50 percent 
of the total cost of the State or county government activities 
described in paragraph (1) and shall be used to expand existing 
outreach programs and services and not to supplant State and local 
funding that is otherwise available.
    ``(7) In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall 
give priority to State and county veterans agencies that serve the 
largest populations of veterans.
    ``(8)(A) In a case in which a county government does not have a 
county veterans agency, the county government may be awarded a grant 
under this subsection to establish such an agency.
    ``(B) In a case in which a county government does not have a county 
veterans agency and does not seek to establish such an agency through 
the use of a grant under this subsection, the State veterans agency for 
the State in which the county is located may use a grant under this 
section to provide outreach services for that county.
    ``(C) In the case of a State in which no State or county veterans 
agency seeks to receive a grant under this subsection, the funds that 
would otherwise be allocated for that State shall be reallocated to 
those States in which county veterans agencies exist and have sought 
grants under this subsection.
    ``(9) A grant under this subsection may be used to provide 
education and training, including on-the-job training, for State, 
county, and local government employees who provide (or when trained 
will provide) veterans outreach services in order for those employees 
to obtain accreditation in accordance with procedures approved by the 
Secretary and, for employees so accredited, for purposes of continuing 
education.
    ``(e) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            ``(1) The term `State veterans agency' means the element of 
        the government of a State that has responsibility for programs 
        and activities of that State government relating to veterans 
        benefits.
            ``(2) The term `county veterans agency' means the element 
        of the government of a county or municipality that has 
        responsibility for programs and activities of that county or 
        municipal government relating to veterans benefits.
``Sec. 563. Outreach activities: funding
    ``(a) Separate Account.--Amounts for the outreach activities of the 
Department under this subchapter shall be budgeted and appropriated 
through a separate appropriation account.
    ``(b) Separate Statement of Amount.--In the budget justification 
materials submitted to Congress in support of the Department budget for 
any fiscal year (as submitted with the budget of the President under 
section 1105(a) of title 31), the Secretary shall include a separate 
statement of the amount requested to be appropriated for that fiscal 
year for the account specified in subsection (a).
``Sec. 564. Definition of outreach
    ``For purposes of this subchapter, the term `outreach' means the 
act or process of taking steps in a systematic manner to provide 
information, services, and benefits counseling to veterans, and the 
survivors of veterans, who may be eligible to receive benefits under 
the laws administered by the Secretary to ensure that those individuals 
are fully informed about, and assisted in applying for, any benefits 
and programs under such laws for which they may be eligible.
``Sec. 565. Authorization of appropriations
    ``There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for each 
of fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012, $25,000,000 to carry out this 
subchapter, including making grants under section 562(d) of this 
title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new items:

                  ``subchapter iv--outreach activities

``561. Outreach activities: coordination of activities within the 
                            Department.
``562. Outreach activities: cooperative activities with States; grants 
                            to States for improvement of outreach.
``563. Outreach activities: funding.
``564. Definition of outreach.
``565. Authorization of appropriations.''.
    (c) Deadline for Implementation.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall implement the outreach activities required under subchapter IV of 
chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), 
by not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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