,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eddj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #af1       
#bjai,mr4 ,meadows introduced the       
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary of
 ,veterans ,affairs to provide financial
 assistance to eligible entities to     
provide and coordinate the provision of 
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services for veterans through
 the award of grants to such entities1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,remembering the ,life of ,kyle ,poteat 
,act4  #b4 ,financial assistance to     
certain entities to provide and         
coordinate the provision of             
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services for veterans  7a7   
,distribution of financial assistance   
,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs   
shall provide financial assistance to   
eligible entities approved under this   

section through the award of grants to  
such entities to provide and coordinate 
the provision of post-traumatic stress  
disorder prevention services to         
veterans4  7b7 ,award of grants  7#a7   
,in general ,the ,secretary shall award 
a grant to each eligible entity for     
which the ,secretary has approved an    
application under subsection 7e7 to     
provide or coordinate the provision of  
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services under this section4 
7#b7 ,grant amounts1 intervals of       
payments1 and matching funds ,in        
accordance with the services being      
provided under a grant under this       
section and the duration of those       
services1 the ,secretary may establish--
  7,a7 a maximum amount to be awarded   
under the grant2  7,b7 intervals of     
payment for the administration of the   
grant2 and  7,c7 a requirement for the  
recipient of the grant to provide       
matching funds in a specified           
percentage4  7c7 ,distribution of       

financial assistance and preference     
7#a7 ,distribution  7,a7 ,geographic    
,the ,secretary shall ensure that1 to   
the extent practicable and in compliance
 with subparagraph 7,b71 financial      
assistance under this section is        
equitably distributed across geographic 
regions1 including rural communities and
 ,tribal land4  7,b7 ,areas with need   
,the ,secretary shall ensure that1 to   
the extent practicable1 financial       
assistance under this section is        
distributed--  7i7 to provide services  
in areas of the ,united ,states that    
have experienced high rates of1 or a    
high burden of1 veteran post-traumatic  
stress disorder2 and  7ii7 to eligible  
entities that can assist veterans at    
risk of or who have post-traumatic      
stress disorder4  7#b7 ,preference ,the 
,secretary shall give preference in the 
provision of financial assistance under 
this section to eligible entities       
providing or coordinating1 or who have  
demonstrated the ability to provide or  

coordinate1 post-traumatic stress       
disorder prevention services4  7d7      
,requirements for receipt of financial  
assistance  7#a7 ,notification that     
services are from the ,department ,each 
entity receiving financial assistance   
under this section to provide           
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services to veterans shall   
notify the recipients of such services  
that such services are being paid for1  
in whole or in part1 by the ,department4
  7#b7 ,reports ,the ,secretary-- 7,a7  
shall require each entity receiving     
financial assistance under this section 
to submit to the ,secretary an annual   
report that describes the projects      
carried out with such financial         
assistance during the year covered by   
the report2  7,b7 shall specify to each 
such entity the evaluation criteria and 
data and information to be submitted in 
such report2 and  7,c7 may require such 
entity to submit to the ,secretary such 
additional reports as the ,secretary    

considers appropriate4  7e7 ,application
 for financial assistance  7#a7 ,in     
general ,an eligible entity seeking     
financial assistance under this section 
shall submit to the ,secretary an       
application therefor in such form1 in   
such manner1 and containing such        
commitments and information as the      
,secretary considers necessary to carry 
out this section4  7#b7 ,matters to be  
included ,each application submitted by 
an eligible entity under paragraph 7#a7 
shall contain the following3 7,a7 ,a    
description of the post-traumatic stress
 disorder prevention services proposed  
to be provided by the eligible entity   
and the identified need for those       
services4  7,b7 ,a detailed plan        
describing how the eligible entity      
proposes to coordinate and deliver      
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services to veterans1        
including--  7i7 an identification of   
the community partners with which the   
eligible entity proposes to work in     

delivering such services2  7ii7 a       
description of the arrangements         
currently in place between the eligible 
entity and such partners2 and  7iii7 an 
identification of how long such         
arrangements have been in place4  7,c7  
,a description of the types of veterans 
at risk of post-traumatic stress        
disorder proposed to be provided        
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services4  7,d7 ,an estimate 
of the number of veterans at risk of    
post-traumatic stress disorder proposed 
to be provided post-traumatic stress    
disorder prevention services and the    
basis for such estimate1 including the  
percentage of those veterans who are not
 currently receiving care furnished by  
the ,department4  7,e7 ,evidence of the 
experience of the eligible entity 7and  
the proposed partners of the entity7 in 
providing post-traumatic stress disorder
 prevention services to veterans4  7,f7 
,a description of the managerial and    
technological capacity of the eligible  

entity-- 7i7 to coordinate the provision
 of post-traumatic stress disorder      
prevention services with the provision  
of other services2  7ii7 to assess      
continuously the needs of veterans at   
risk of post-traumatic stress disorder  
for post-traumatic stress disorder      
prevention services2  7iii7 to          
coordinate the provision of             
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services with the services of
 the ,department for which the          
beneficiaries are eligible2  7iv7 to    
tailor post-traumatic stress disorder   
prevention services to the needs of     
veterans and veteran families2  7v7 to  
continuously seek new sources of        
assistance to ensure the continuity of  
post-traumatic stress disorder          
prevention services for veterans and    
veteran families for as long as the     
veteran is determined to be at risk of  
post-traumatic stress disorder2 and     
7vi7 to measure1 over a period of time1 
the improved mental resiliency and      

mental outlook of the veteran served4   
7,g7 ,such additional application       
criteria as the ,secretary considers    
appropriate4  7f7 ,technical assistance 
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall  
provide training and technical          
assistance to eligible entities in      
receipt of financial assistance under   
this section regarding--  7,a7 the data 
required to be collected and shared with
 the ,department2  7,b7 the means of    
data collection and sharing2  7,c7      
familiarization with and appropriate use
 of any tool to be used to measure the  
effectiveness of the use of the         
financial assistance provided2 and  7,d7
 the requirements for reporting under   
subsection 7d7 on services provided via 
such financial assistance4  7#b7        
,provision of training and technical    
assistance ,the ,secretary may provide  
the training and technical assistance   
described in paragraph 7#a7 directly or 
through grants or contracts with        
appropriate public or nonprofit         

entities4  7g7 ,administration of grant 
program  7#a7 ,selection criteria ,the  
,secretary1 in consultation with        
entities specified in paragraph 7#c71   
shall establish criteria for the        
selection of eligible entities that have
 submitted applications under subsection
 7e74  7#b7 ,development of measures and
 metrics ,the ,secretary shall develop1 
in consultation with entities specified 
in paragraph 7#c71 the following3  7,a7 
,a framework for collecting and sharing 
information about entities in receipt of
 financial assistance under this section
 for purposes of improving the discovery
 of services available for veterans at  
risk of post-traumatic stress disorder1 
set forth by service type1 locality1 and
 eligibility criteria4  7,b7 ,the       
measures to be used by each entity in   
receipt of financial assistance under   
this section to determine the           
effectiveness of the programming being  
provided by such entity in improving    
mental resiliency and mental outlook of 

veterans at risk of post-traumatic      
stress disorder4  7,c7 ,metrics for     
measuring the effectiveness of the      
provision of financial assistance under 
this section4  7#c7 ,coordination ,in   
developing a plan for the design and    
implementation of the provision of      
financial assistance under this section1
 including criteria for the award of    
grants1 the ,secretary shall consult    
with the following3  7,a7 ,veterans     
service organizations4  7,b7 ,national  
organizations representing potential    
community partners of eligible entities 
in providing supportive services to     
address the needs of veterans at risk of
 post-traumatic stress disorder1        
including national organizations that-- 
7i7 advocate for the needs of           
individuals with or at risk of          
behavioral health conditions2  7ii7     
represent mayors2  7iii7 represent      
religious or faith leaders2  7iv7       
represent first responders2 or  7v7     
represent chiefs of police and sheriffs4

  7,c7 ,organizations with which the    
,department has a current memoranda of  
agreement or understanding related to   
mental health or post-traumatic stress  
disorder4  7,d7 ,state departments of   
veterans affairs4  7,e7 ,national       
organizations representing members of   
the reserve components of the ,armed    
,forces4  7,f7 ,vet ,centers4  7,g7     
,organizations with experience in       
creating measurement tools for purposes 
of determining programmatic             
effectiveness4  7,h7 ,such other        
organizations as the ,secretary         
considers appropriate4  7#d7 ,report on 
grant criteria ,before notifying        
eligible entities of the availability of
 funding under this section1 the        
,secretary shall submit to ,congress a  
report containing--  7,a7 criteria for  
the award of a grant under this section2
  7,b7 the tool to be used by the       
,department to measure the effectiveness
 of the use of financial assistance     
provided under this section2 and  7,c7 a

 framework for the sharing of           
information about entities in receipt of
 financial assistance under this        
section4  7h7 ,information on potential 
beneficiaries  7#a7 ,in general ,the    
,secretary may make available to        
recipients of financial assistance under
 this section certain information       
regarding potential beneficiaries of    
services for which such financial       
assistance is provided4  7#b7           
,information included ,the information  
made available under paragraph 7#a7 with
 respect to potential beneficiaries may 
include the following3  7,a7            
,confirmation of the status of a        
potential beneficiary as a veteran4     
7,b7 ,confirmation of whether a         
potential beneficiary is currently      
receiving care furnished by the         
,department or has recently received    
such care4  7i7 ,duration ,the authority
 of the ,secretary to provide financial 
assistance under this section shall     
terminate on the date that is three     

years after the date on which the first 
grant is awarded under this section4    
7j7 ,reporting  7#a7 ,interim report    
7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ah    
months after the date on which the first
 grant is awarded under this section1   
the ,secretary shall submit to the      
appropriate committees of ,congress a   
report on the provision of financial    
assistance under this section4  7,b7    
,elements4 ,the report submitted under  
subparagraph 7,a7 shall include the     
following3 7i7 ,an assessment of the    
effectiveness of the provision of       
financial assistance under this section1
 including the effectiveness of         
community partners in conducting        
outreach to veterans at risk of         
post-traumatic stress disorder4  7ii7 ,a
 list of grant recipients and their     
partner organizations that delivered    
services funded by the grant and the    
amount of such grant received by each   
recipient and partner organization4     
7iii7 ,the number of veterans supported 

by each grant recipient1 including      
through services provided to family     
members4  7iv7 ,the number of veterans  
supported by financial assistance under 
this section1 including through services
 provided to family members4  7v7 ,the  
number of veterans supported by         
financial assistance under this section1
 including through services provided to 
family members1 who were not previously 
receiving care furnished by the         
,department4  7vi7 ,the number of       
veterans whose mental resiliency and    
mental outlook received a baseline      
measurement assessment under this       
section and the number of such veterans 
whose mental resiliency and mental      
outlook will be measured by the         
,department or a community partner over 
a period of time4  7vii7 ,the types of  
data the ,department was able to collect
 and share with partners1 including a   
characterization of the benefits of that
 data4  7#b7 ,finial report ,not later  
than three years after the date on which

 the first grant is awarded under this  
section1 the ,secretary shall submit to 
the appropriate committees of           
,congress--  7,a7 a follow-up on the    
interim report submitted under paragraph
 7#a7 containing the elements set forth 
in subparagraph 7,b7 of such paragraph2 
and  7,b7 a report on-- 7i7 the         
effectiveness of the provision of       
financial assistance under this section1
 including the effectiveness of         
community partners in conducting        
outreach and education to veterans at   
risk of post-traumatic stress disorder2 
7ii7 an assessment of the increased     
capacity of the ,department to provide  
services to veterans at risk of         
post-traumatic stress disorder1 set     
forth by ,state1 as a result of the     
provision of financial assistance under 
this section2 and  7iii7 the feasibility
 and advisability of extending or       
expanding the provision of financial    
assistance under this section4  7k7     
,support for families of veterans       

,section #gcji;,a of title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in     
subsection 7d7 by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph3  7#ae7 ,to     
support family caregivers1 acting in    
consultation with the veteran and family
 advisor1 by sharing information with   
such family caregivers about the        
following3  7,a7 ,the rights and        
responsibilities of a veteran as a      
patient receiving health care4  7,b7    
,the benefits1 services1 and treatments 
available to a veteran4  7,c7 ,how an   
external advocate helps a veteran based 
upon the specific needs of such veteran1
 including by providing support1        
resources1 and personalized case        
management to meet such needs4  2 and   
7#b7 by striking subsection 7f7 and     
inserting the following3  7f7           
,definitions ,in this section3  7#a7    
,the term family caregiver has the      
meaning given that term in section      
#agbj;,g7d74  7#b7 ,the term controlled 
substance has the meaning given that    

term in section #ajb of the ,controlled 
,substances ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #hjb74  
7#c7 ,the term external advocate has the
 meaning given that term in ,veterans   
,health ,administration directive       
#ajjc4jd 7or any successor directive74  
7#d7 ,the term veteran and family       
advisor has the meaning given the term  
,veteran_/,family ,advisor in ,veterans 
,health ,administration directive       
#ajjc4jd 7or any successor directive74  
4  7l7 ,definitions ,in this section3   
7#a7 ,appropriate committees of         
,congress ,the term appropriate         
committees of ,congress means-- 7,a7 the
 ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs and  
the ,subcommittee on ,military          
,construction1 ,veterans ,affairs1 and  
,related ,agencies of the ,committee on 
,appropriations of the ,senate2 and     
7,b7 the ,committee on ,veterans'       
,affairs and the ,subcommittee on       
,military ,construction1 ,veterans      
,affairs1 and ,related ,agencies of the 
,committee on ,appropriations of the    

,house of ,representatives4  7#b7       
,eligible entity ,the term eligible     
entity means-- 7,a7 an incorporated     
private institution or foundation--  7i7
 no part of the net earnings of which   
incurs to the benefit of any member1    
founder1 contributor1 or individual2    
7ii7 that has a governing board that    
would be responsible for the operation  
of the post-traumatic stress disorder   
prevention services provided under this 
section2 and  7iii7 that is approved by 
the ,secretary as to financial          
responsibility2  7,b7 a corporation     
wholly owned and controlled by an       
organization meeting the requirements of
 clauses 7i71 7ii71 and 7iii7 of        
subparagraph 7,a72  7,c7 a tribally     
designated housing entity 7as defined in
 section #d of the ,native ,american    
,housing ,assistance and                
,self-,determination ,act of #aiif 7#be 
,u4,s4,c4 #dajc772 or  7,d7 a           
community-based organization that is    
physically based in the targeted        

community and that can effectively      
network with local civic organizations1 
regional health systems1 and other      
settings where veterans at risk of      
post-traumatic stress disorder are      
likely to have contact4  7#c7 ,peer     
specialist ,the term peer specialist    
means a person eligible to be appointed 
as a peer specialist under section      
#gdjb7;b77#ac7 of title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code4  7#d7 ,risk of           
post-traumatic stress disorder ,the term
 risk of post-traumatic stress disorder 
means exposure to or the existence of   
any of the following3  7,a7 ,health risk
 factors1 including the following3 7i7  
,mental health challenges4  7ii7        
,substance abuse4  7iii7 ,serious or    
chronic health conditions or pain4  7iv7
 ,traumatic brain injury4  7,b7         
,environmental risk factors1 including  
the following3  7i7 ,access to lethal   
means 7such as drugs1 firearms1 etc474  
7ii7 ,prolonged stress4  7iii7          
,stressful life events4  7iv7 ,exposure 

to the suicide of another person or to  
graphic or sensationalized accounts of  
suicide4  7v7 ,unemployment4  7vi7      
,homelessness4  7vii7 ,recent loss4     
7viii7 ,legal or financial challenges4  
7,c7 ,historical risk factors1 including
 the following3 7i7 ,previous suicide   
attempts4  7ii7 ,family history of      
suicide4  7iii7 ,history of abuse1      
neglect1 or trauma4  7#e7               
,post-traumatic stress disorder         
prevention services ,the term           
post-traumatic stress disorder services 
means services to address the needs of  
veterans at risk of post-traumatic      
stress disorder and includes the        
following3  7,a7 ,outreach to identify  
veterans at risk of post-traumatic      
stress disorder1 with an emphasis on    
veterans who are at highest risk or not 
receiving health care or other services 
furnished by the ,department4  7,b7 ,a  
baseline mental health assessment for   
risk screening and referral to care4    
7,c7 ,education on post-traumatic stress

 disorder and how to care for           
individuals with it and peer support to 
families and communities4  7,d7 ,direct 
treatment4  7,e7 ,medication management4
  7,f7 ,individual and group therapy4   
7,g7 ,case management services4  7,h7   
,peer support services4  7,i7           
,assistance in obtaining any benefits   
from the ,department that the veteran at
 risk of post-traumatic stress disorder 
or veteran family may be eligible to    
receive1 including--  7i7 vocational and
 rehabilitation counseling2  7ii7       
supportive services for homeless        
veterans2  7iii7 employment and training
 services2  7iv7 educational assistance2
 and  7v7 health care services4  7,j7   
,assistance in obtaining and            
coordinating the provision of other     
benefits provided by the ,federal       
,government1 a ,state or local          
government1 or an eligible entity4  7,k7
 ,temporary cash assistance 7not to     
exceed #f months7 to assist with        
emergent needs relating to-- 7i7 health 

care services2  7ii7 daily living       
services2  7iii7 personal financial     
planning2  7iv7 transportation services2
  7v7 temporary income support services2
  7vi7 fiduciary and representative     
payee services2  7vii7 legal services to
 assist the veteran family with issues  
that may contribute to the risk of      
post-traumatic stress disorder of the   
veteran2 and  7viii7 child care 7not to 
exceed #e1jjj per veteran family per    
fiscal year74  7,l7 ,such other services
 necessary for improving the resiliency 
of veterans at risk of post-traumatic   
stress disorder and veteran families as 
the ,secretary considers appropriate1   
which may include--  7i7 adaptive sports
 or in-place recreational therapy2  7ii7
 substance use reduction programming2   
7iii7 individual1 group1 or family      
counseling2 and  7iv7 relationship      
coaching4  7#f7 ,vet center ,the term   
,vet ,center means a center for         
readjustment counseling and related     
mental health services for veterans     

under section #agab;,a of title #ch1    
,united ,states ,code4  7#g7 ,veteran   
,the term veteran has the meaning given 
that term in section #aja of title #ch1 
,united ,states ,code4  7#h7 ,veteran   
family ,the term veteran family means1  
with respect to a veteran at risk of    
post-traumatic stress disorder1 any of  
the following3  7,a7 ,a parent4  7,b7 ,a
 spouse4  7,c7 ,a child4  7,d7 ,a       
sibling4  7,e7 ,a step-family member4   
7,f7 ,an extended family member4  7,g7  
,any other individual who lives with the
 veteran4  7#i7 ,veterans service       
organization ,the term veterans service 
organization means any organization     
recognized by the ,secretary of         
,veterans ,affairs for the              
representation of veterans included as  
part of the annually updated list at    
https3_/_/www4va4gov_/vso_/ or a        
successor website4