,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cada  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #g1      
#bjaf,mr4 ,rounds introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
direct the ,secretary of ,veterans      
,affairs to establish a grant program to
 improve the monitoring of mental health
 and substance abuse treatment programs 
of the ,department of ,veterans         
,affairs4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,protection and     
,advocacy for ,veterans ,act of #bjaf4  
#b4 ,establishment of grant program to  
improve monitoring of mental health and 
substance abuse treatment programs of   
,department of ,veterans ,affairs  7a7  
,establishment ,commencing not later    
than #ahj days after the date of the    
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs shall establish a 
grant program to improve the monitoring 
of mental health and substance abuse    

treatment programs of the ,department of
 ,veterans ,affairs4  7b7 ,grants  7#a7 
,main grant  7,a7 ,award ,in carrying   
out subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall
 award grants to four protection and    
advocacy systems under which each       
protection and advocacy system shall    
carry out a demonstration project to    
investigate and monitor the care and    
treatment of veterans provided under    
chapter #ag of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code1 for mental illness or    
substance abuse issues at medical       
facilities of the ,department4  7,b7    
,minimum amount ,each grant awarded     
under subparagraph 7,a7 to a protection 
and advocacy system shall be in an      
amount that is not less than #aje1jjj   
for each year that the protection and   
advocacy system carries out a           
demonstration project described in such 
subparagraph under the grant program4   
7#b7 ,collaboration grant  7,a7 ,award  
,during each year in which a protection 
and advocacy system carries out a       

demonstration project under paragraph   
7#a77;,a71 the ,secretary shall award a 
joint grant to a national organization  
with extensive knowledge of the         
protection and advocacy system and a    
veterans service organization in the    
amount of #hj1jjj4  7,b7 ,collaboration 
,each national organization and veterans
 service organization that is awarded a 
joint grant under subparagraph 7,a7     
shall use the amount of the grant to    
facilitate the collaboration between the
 national organization and the veterans 
service organization to--  7i7          
coordinate training and technical       
assistance for the protection and       
advocacy systems awarded grants under   
paragraph 7#a77;,a72 and  7ii7 provide  
for data collection1 reporting1 and     
analysis in carrying out such paragraph4
  7#c7 ,authority ,in carrying out a    
demonstration project under paragraph   
7#a77;,a71 a protection and advocacy    
system shall have the authorities       
specified in section #aje7;a7 of the    

,protection and ,advocacy for           
,individuals with ,mental ,illness ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhje7;a77 with respect 
to medical facilities of the            
,department4  7c7 ,selection ,in        
selecting the four protection and       
advocacy systems to receive grants under
 subsection 7b77#a77;,a71 the ,secretary
 shall consider the following criteria3 
7#a7 ,whether the protection and        
advocacy system has demonstrated        
monitoring and investigation experience1
 along with knowledge of the issues     
facing veterans with disabilities4  7#b7
 ,whether the ,state in which the       
protection and advocacy system          
operates-- 7,a7 has low aggregated      
scores in the domains of mental health1 
performance1 and access as rated by the 
,strategic ,analytics ,improvement and  
,learning database system 7commonly     
referred to as ,,sail72 and  7,b7 to the
 extent practicable1 is representative  
of both urban and rural ,states4  7d7   
,reports ,the ,secretary shall ensure   

that each protection and advocacy system
 participating in the grant program     
submits to the ,secretary reports       
developed by the protection and advocacy
 system relating to investigations or   
monitoring conducted pursuant to        
subsection 7b77#a77;,a74 ,the ,secretary
 shall designate an office of the       
,department of ,veterans ,affairs to    
receive each such report4  7e7          
,duration2 termination  7#a7 ,duration  
,the ,secretary shall carry out the     
grant program established under         
subsection 7a7 for a period of five     
years beginning on the date of          
commencement of the grant program4  7#b7
 ,termination of demonstration projects 
,the ,secretary may terminate a         
demonstration project under subsection  
7b77#a77;,a7 before the end of the      
five-year period described in paragraph 
7#a7 if the ,secretary determines there 
is good cause for such termination4 ,if 
the ,secretary carries out such a       
termination1 the ,secretary shall award 

grants under such subsection to a new   
protection and advocacy system for the  
remaining duration of the grant program4
  7f7 ,authorization of appropriations  
,there is authorized to be appropriated 
to the ,secretary to carry out the grant
 program under subsection 7a7 #ejj1jjj  
for each of fiscal years #bjag through  
#bjba4  7g7 ,definitions ,in this       
section3 7#a7 ,the term protection and  
advocacy system has the meaning given   
the term eligible system in section     
#ajb7b7 of the ,protection and ,advocacy
 for ,individuals with ,mental ,illness 
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhjb7b774  7#b7   
,the term ,state means each of the      
several ,states1 territories1 and       
possessions of the ,united ,states1 the 
,district of ,columbia1 and the         
,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico4  7#c7   
,the term veterans service organization 
means any organization recognized by the
 ,secretary for the representation of   
veterans under section #eijb of title   
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code4