,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ccfh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bd1 #bjag,mr4 
,higgins of ,new ,york 7for himself and 
,ms4 ,brownley of ,california7          
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 access to child care for 
certain veterans receiving health care  
at a facility of the ,department of     
,veterans ,affairs4  #a4 ,assistance for
 child care for certain veterans        
receiving health care  7a7 ,in general  
,subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ag of     
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following new section3  #agcj;,b4       
,assistance for child care  7a7         
,authority ,beginning ,january #a1      
#bjah1 subject to subsection 7b71 the   
,secretary shall provide assistance to  
qualified veterans described in         
subsection 7c7 to obtain child care so  

that such veterans can receive health   
care services described in subsection   
7c74  7b7 ,limitation on period of      
payments ,the ,secretary may only       
provide assistance under subsection 7a7 
to a qualified veteran for receipt of   
child care during the period that the   
qualified veteran-- 7#a7 receives the   
types of health care services described 
in subsection 7c7 at a facility of the  
,department2 and  7#b7 requires travel  
to and return from such facility for the
 receipt of such health care services4  
7c7 ,qualified veterans ,for purposes of
 this section1 a qualified veteran is a 
veteran who is--  7#a7 the primary      
caretaker of a child2 and  7#b7 7,a7    
receiving from the ,department--  7i7   
regular mental health care services2    
7ii7 intensive mental health care       
services2 or  7iii7 such other intensive
 health care services that the          
,secretary determines that provision of 
assistance to the veteran to obtain     
child care would improve access to such 

health care services by the veteran2 or 
7,b7 in need of regular or intensive    
mental health care services from the    
,department1 and but for lack of child  
care services1 would receive such health
 care services from the ,department4    
7d7 ,forms of child care assistance     
7#a7 ,child care assistance under this  
section may include the following3 7,a7 
,stipends for the payment of child care 
offered by licensed child care centers  
7either directly or through a voucher   
program7 which shall be1 to the extent  
practicable1 modeled after the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs ,child
 ,care ,subsidy ,program established    
pursuant to section #eij7;g7 of title   
#dj4  7,b7 ,direct provision of child   
care at an on-site facility of the      
,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  7,c7
 ,payments to private child care        
agencies4  7,d7 ,collaboration with     
facilities or programs of other ,federal
 departments or agencies4  7,e7 ,such   
other forms of assistance as the        

,secretary considers appropriate4  7#b7 
,in the case that child care assistance 
under this section is provided as a     
stipend under paragraph 7#a77;,a71 such 
stipend shall cover the full cost of    
such child care4  7e7 ,funds ,the       
,secretary shall carry out this section 
using funds made available to the       
facility of the ,department that        
provides the health care services for   
which assistance under subsection 7a7 is
 provided4 ,the ,secretary shall ensure 
that each administrator of such a       
facility has discretion to carry out    
such assistance in a manner that is     
appropriate for the facility and in     
accordance with this section4  4  7b7   
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of such       
chapter is amended by inserting after   
the item relating to section #agcj;,a   
the following new item3  #agcj;,b4      
,assistance for child care4  4  7c7     
,conforming repeal ,effective ,january  
#a1 #bjah1 section #bje of the          

,caregivers and ,veterans ,omnibus      
,health ,services ,act of #bjaj 7#ch    
,u4,s4,c4 #agaj note7 is repealed4