Establishment of Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Food Security

Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section (and conforming the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter accordingly):

325.

Office of Food Security

(a)

Establishment

There is in the Department an office to be known as the Office of Food Security. There is at the head of the Office a Director, which shall be a career position.(b)

Responsibilities

(1)The Director of the Office of Food Security shall carry out the following responsibilities:(A)To provide information to veterans concerning the availability of, and eligibility requirements for Federal nutrition assistance programs.(B)To collaborate with other program offices of the Department, including the Homeless Programs Office and the Office of Tribal Government Relations, to develop and implement policies and procedures to identify and treat veterans at-risk or experiencing food insecurity.(C)To collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Defense on food insecurity among veterans, including by collaborating with the Secretaries to develop materials related to food insecurity for the Transition Assistance Program curriculum and other transition-related resources.(D)To develop and provide training, including training that may count towards continuing education or licensure requirements, for social workers, dietitians, chaplains, and other clinicians on how to assist veterans with enrollment in Federal nutrition assistance programs, including the supplemental nutrition assistance program and the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children established by section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786).(E)To issue guidance to Department medical centers on how to collaborate with their State and local offices administering the supplemental nutrition assistance program.(2)In carrying out the responsibilities under paragraph (1), the Director shall consult with and provide technical assistance to the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Interior, and Department of Labor.(c)

Annual report on food insecurity

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives an annual report on veteran food insecurity. Each such report shall include data on the following:(1)The socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial characteristics of veterans experiencing food insecurity, disaggregated by State in which the veteran is located.(2)Native American veterans experiencing food insecurity.(3)Specific interventions for veterans who screen positive for food insecurity. (4)Eligibility screenings for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program completed by personnel of the Department of Veterans Affairs. (5)The number of applications for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program completed with assistance from personnel of the Department. (6)Changes, as a result of participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, in the number of food insecure veteran households.(7)Coordination efforts between State agencies and Department facilities located in that State regarding outreach to veterans to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.(d)

Definitions

In this section:(1)The terms Native American and Native American veteran have the meanings given those terms in section 3765 of this title.(2)The terms State agency and supplemental nutrition assistance program have the meanings given those terms in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012).