Bill > HR2283

This bill establishes a three-year pilot program through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide grants to non-profit outpatient mental health facilities for delivering culturally competent mental health care to veterans. Eligible organizations must have operated an outpatient mental health facility in the United States for at least three continuous years and submit an application detailing their facility, a plan for training clinicians in veterans' mental health care, and their current federal funding. Grant recipients must use the funds to provide free mental health care to veterans, operate existing or new facilities, and encourage veterans to enroll in the VA patient enrollment system. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs will ensure grants are distributed evenly between rural and urban areas, and may prioritize facilities in medically underserved areas, regions with large veteran populations, areas near military installations, or communities with high suicide risk. Grants will be capped at $1.5 million per facility per year, with potential exceptions for facilities already heavily funded by federal grants. The bill requires grant recipients to demonstrate accountability, clinical outcomes, and effective use of funds. After the pilot program concludes, the VA must submit a comprehensive report to Congress detailing the program's impact, including the number of veterans served, types of care provided, and program outcomes. The bill authorizes $20 million in appropriations for each fiscal year from 2025 through 2027 to support this initiative.

Health and Social Services, Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2283/all-info