,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aec  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #d1 #bjac   
,mr4 ,mc,intyre introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code1 to improve the outreach  
activities of the ,department of        
,veterans ,affairs1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,veterans ,outreach 
,improvement ,act of #bjac4  #b4        
,improvement of outreach activities     
within ,department of ,veterans ,affairs
  7a7 ,in ,general ,chapter #e of title 
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended  
by adding at the end the following new  
subchapter3  ,,iv ,,outreach            
,,activities  #efa4 ,outreach           
activities3 coordination of activities  
within the ,department  7a7             
,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
 following3  7#a7 ,the ,office of the   
,secretary4  7#b7 ,the ,office of       
,public ,affairs4  7#c7 ,the ,veterans  
,health ,administration4  7#d7 ,the     
,veterans ,benefits ,administration4    
7#e7 ,the ,national ,cemetery           
,administration4  7b7 ,annual ,review of
 ,procedures ,the ,secretary shall--    
7#a7 annually review the procedures in  
effect under subsection 7a7 for the     
purpose of ensuring that those          
procedures meet the requirements of that
 subsection2 and  7#b7 make such        
modifications to those procedures as the
 ,secretary considers appropriate in    
light of such review in order to better 
achieve that purpose4  #efb4 ,outreach  
activities3 cooperative activities with 
,states2 grants to ,states for          
improvement of outreach  7a7 ,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 veterans1 and to the      
spouses1 children1 and parents of       
veterans1 to ensure that such           
individuals are fully informed about1   
and assisted in applying for1 any       
veterans' and veterans-related benefits 
and programs 7including ,state veterans'
 programs7 for which they may be        
eligible4  7b7 ,priority for ,areas     
,with ,high ,concentration of ,eligible 
,individuals ,in providing assistance   
under this section1 the ,secretary shall
 give priority to ,state and county     
veteran agencies in locations--  7#a7   
that have relatively large              
concentrations of populations of        
veterans and other individuals referred 
to in subsection 7a72 or  7#b7 that are 
experiencing growth in the population of
 veterans and other individuals referred
 to in subsection 7a74  7c7 ,contracts  

for ,outreach ,services ,the ,secretary 
may enter into a contract with a ,state 
or county veterans agency in order to   
carry out1 coordinate1 improve1 or      
otherwise enhance outreach by the       
,department and the ,state or county    
7including outreach with respect to a   
,state or county veterans program74 ,as 
a condition of entering into any such   
contract1 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 7d77#d74
  7d7 ,grants  7#a7 ,the ,secretary may 
make a grant to a ,state or county      
veterans agency to be used to carry out1
 coordinate1 improve1 or otherwise      
enhance--  7,a7 outreach activities1    
including activities carried out        
pursuant to a contract entered into     
under subsection 7c72 and  7,b7         
activities to assist in the development 

and submittal of claims for veterans and
 veterans-related benefits1 including   
activities carried out pursuant to a    
contract entered into under subsection  
7c74  7#b7 ,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 veterans1 on the basis of  
the number of veterans residing in the  
jurisdiction of each county4  7#c7 ,to  
be eligible for a grant under this      
subsection1 a ,state or county veterans 
agency shall submit to the ,secretary an
 application containing such information
 and assurances as the ,secretary may   
require4 ,the ,secretary shall require a
 ,state or county veterans agency to    
include1 as part of the agency's        
application--  7,a7 a three-year plan   
for the use of the grant2 and  7,b7 a   
description of the programs through     
which the agency will meet the annual   
outcome measures developed by the       

,secretary under paragraph 7#d74  7#d7  
7,a7 ,the ,secretary shall develop and  
provide to the recipient of a grant     
under this subsection written guidance  
on annual outcome measures1 ,department 
policies1 and procedures for applying   
for grants under this section4  7,b7    
,the ,secretary shall annually review   
the performance of each ,state or county
 veterans agency that receives a grant  
under this section4  7,c7 ,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
 ,secretary1 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 measures4 ,the        
,secretary must approve such plan before
 the ,secretary may make a subsequent   
grant to that agency under this         
subsection4  7#e7 ,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 subsection4  7#f7 ,federal   
funds provided to a ,state or county    
veterans agency under this subsection   
may not be used to provide more than #ej
 percent of the total cost of the ,state
 or county government activities        
described in paragraph 7#a7 and shall be
 used to expand existing outreach       
programs and services and not to        
supplant ,state and local funding that  
is otherwise available4  7#g7 ,in       
awarding grants under this subsection1  
the ,secretary shall give priority to   
,state and county veterans agencies that
 serve the largest populations of       
veterans4  7#h7 7,a7 ,in a case in which
 a county government does not have a    
county veterans agency1 the county      
government may be awarded a grant under 

this subsection to establish such an    
agency4  7,b7 ,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 subsection1 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 county4  7,c7
 ,in the case of a ,state in which no   
,state or county veterans agency seeks  
to receive a grant under this           
subsection1 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       
subsection4  7#i7 ,a grant under this   
subsection may be used to provide       
education and training1 including       
on-the-job training1 for ,state1 county1
 and local government employees who     
provide 7or when trained will provide7  
veterans outreach services in order for 

those employees to obtain accreditation 
in accordance with procedures approved  
by the ,secretary and1 for employees so 
accredited1 for purposes of continuing  
education4  7e7 ,definitions ,for the   
purposes of this section3  7#a7 ,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 benefits4  7#b7    
,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         
benefits4  #efc4 ,outreach activities3  
funding  7a7 ,separate ,account ,amounts
 for the outreach activities of the     
,department under this subchapter shall 
be budgeted and appropriated through a  
separate appropriation account4  7b7    
,separate ,statement of ,amount ,in the 
budget justification materials submitted

 to ,congress in support of the         
,department budget for any fiscal year  
7as submitted with the budget of the    
,president under section #aaje7;a7 of   
title #ca71 the ,secretary shall include
 a separate statement of the amount     
requested to be appropriated for that   
fiscal year for the account specified in
 subsection 7a74  #efd4 ,definition of  
outreach ,for purposes of this          
subchapter1 the term outreach means the 
act or process of taking steps in a     
systematic manner to provide            
information1 services1 and benefits     
counseling to veterans1 and the         
survivors of veterans1 who may be       
eligible to receive benefits under the  
laws administered by the ,secretary to  
ensure that those individuals are fully 
informed about1 and assisted in applying
 for1 any benefits and programs under   
such laws for which they may be         
eligible4  #efe4 ,authorization of      
appropriations ,there is authorized to  
be appropriated to the ,secretary for   

each of fiscal years #bjac1 #bjad1 and  
#bjae1 #be1jjj1jjj to carry out this    
subchapter1 including making grants     
under section #efb7;d7 of this title4  4
  7b7 ,clerical ,amendment ,the table of
 sections at the beginning of such      
chapter is amended by adding at the end 
the following new items3  subchapter    
iv--outreach activities #efa4 ,outreach 
activities3 coordination of activities  
within the ,department4 #efb4 ,outreach 
activities3 cooperative activities with 
,states2 grants to ,states for          
improvement of outreach4 #efc4 ,outreach
 activities3 funding4 #efd4 ,definition 
of outreach4 #efe4 ,authorization of    
appropriations4  4  7c7 ,deadline for   
,implementation ,the ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs shall implement the  
outreach activities required under      
subchapter ,,iv of chapter #e of title  
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by 
subsection 7a71 by not later than #abj  
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act4