#aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #hdj  ,,an ,,act  ,to amend title   
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to direct   
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to 
provide child care assistance to        
veterans receiving certain medical      
services provided by the ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,veterans' ,access to ,child ,care ,act4
  #b4 ,child care assistance for        
veterans receiving mental health care   
and other intensive health care services
 provided by the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs  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;,d4 ,child
 care assistance for veterans receiving 
mental health care and other intensive  
health care services  7a7 ,in general   
,subject to subsection 7c71 the         
,secretary shall provide child care     
assistance to an eligible veteran for   

any period that the veteran-- 7#a7      
receives covered health care services at
 a facility of the ,department1 such as 
a community-based outpatient clinic2 and
  7#b7 is required to travel to and     
return from such facility for the       
receipt of such health care services4   
7b7 ,child ,care ,assistance  7#a7      
,subject to subsection 7c71 child care  
assistance provided under this section  
may include any of the following3  7,a7 
,a stipend for the payment of child care
 offered by a licensed child care center
 or extended day program 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 #eij of title #dj4  
7,b7 ,direct provision of child care at 
an on-site facility of the ,department4 
7,c7 ,a payment made directly to a      
private child care agency4  7,d7 ,a     
collaboration with a facility or program

 of another ,federal department or      
agency4  7,e7 ,such other form 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 
7#c7 ,the ,secretary shall establish    
criteria for providing child care       
assistance under paragraph 7#a7 designed
 to ensure reasonable access to such    
assistance for veterans who experience  
any unusual or excessive burden to      
accessing child care services1 including
 excessive driving distances1 geographic
 challenges1 and other environmental    
factors that impede such access4  7c7   
,condition on receipt of assistance     
7#a7 ,the ,secretary may not provide any
 child care assistance under this       
section to an eligible veteran who is   
receiving covered health care services  
from the ,department unless that        
eligible veteran actively participates  

in such services4  7#b7 ,for purposes of
 this subsection1 the term actively     
participates means1 with respect to     
covered health care services-- 7,a7     
engaging in transit to and from         
appointments for such services2  7,b7   
attending appointments for such         
services2 and  7,c7 such other          
activities as the ,secretary determines 
appropriate4  7d7 ,annual report  7#a7  
,in general ,the ,secretary shall submit
 to ,congress an annual report on the   
provision of child care assistance under
 this section4 ,each such report shall  
include1 for the year covered by the    
report1 each of the following for each  
of the categories of child care         
assistance specified in paragraph 7#b73 
7,a7 ,the average amount of time        
required by the ,department to provide a
 payment for child care assistance4     
7,b7 ,the average cost of child care    
assistance4  7,c7 ,the extent to which  
the ,department has a backlog of        
unprocessed claims for child care       

assistance4  7,d7 ,the number of        
,department employees who worked on the 
processing of claims for child care     
assistance4  7,e7 ,the average amount of
 time required by such an employee to   
process such a claim4  7,f7 ,the number 
of improper or duplicative payments of  
child care assistance made4  7,g7 ,the  
recommendations of the ,secretary for   
improving the processing of claims for  
child care assistance4  7#b7 ,categories
 of child care assistance ,the          
categories of child care assistance     
specified in this paragraph are each of 
the following3 7,a7 ,direct stipends4   
7,b7 ,payments made directly to a child 
care agencies4  7,c7 ,stipends provided 
through a voucher program4  7e7         
,outreach ,the ,secretary shall perform 
outreach to inform eligible veterans of 
the child care assistance available     
under this section4  7f7 ,requirements2 
rule of construction  7#a7 ,in          
accordance with paragraph 7#b71 a child 
care center1 child care agency1 or any  

other child care provider described in  
subsection 7b7 may not provide child    
care under this section if the center1  
agency1 or provider employs an          
individual who has been convicted of a  
sex crime1 an offense involving a child 
victim1 a violent crime1 a drug felony1 
or other offense the ,secretary         
determines appropriate4  7#b7 ,nothing  
in paragraph 7#a7 shall supersede1      
nullify1 or diminish any ,federal or    
,state law 7including any local law or  
ordinance71 contract1 agreement1 policy1
 plan1 practice1 or other matter that   
establishes standards and requirements  
for employees of child care centers1    
child care agencies1 or other child care
 providers described in subsection 7b7  
that are more restrictive than the      
requirements specified in paragraph     
7#a74  7g7 ,definitions ,in this        
section3  7#a7 ,the term eligible       
veteran means a veteran who-- 7,a7 is a 
primary caretaker of a child or         
children2 and  7,b7 is-- 7i7 receiving  

covered health care services from the   
,department2 or  7ii7 in need of covered
 health care services1 and but for lack 
of child care services1 would receive   
such covered health care services from  
the ,department4  7#b7 ,the term covered
 health care services means--  7,a7     
regular mental health care services1    
including telemental health services    
furnished by the ,department1 including 
health care services provided as part of
 readjustment counseling2  7,b7         
intensive mental health care services1  
including telemental health services    
furnished by the ,department1 including 
counseling and care and services under  
section #agbj;,d of this title2  7,c7   
health care services related to         
substance or drug abuse counseling2     
7,d7 intensive health care services     
related to physical therapy for a       
service-connected disability2  7,e7     
emergency mental health care services2  
or  7,f7 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 veteran4  7#c7 ,the    
term facility of the ,department        
includes any ,vet ,center4  7#d7 ,the   
term ,vet ,center has the meaning given 
that term in section #agab;,a of this   
title4  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;,c the following new item3        
#agcj;,d4 ,child care assistance for    
veterans receiving mental health care   
and other intensive health care         
services4  4  7c7 ,feasibility study on 
child care for veterans receiving care  
in non-,department facilities  7#a7     
,study required ,the ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs shall conduct a      
feasibility study to determine how the  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs could 
provide child care assistance for       
veterans who receive covered health care

 services 7as such term is defined in   
section #agcj;,d7c77#b7 of title #ch1   
,united ,states ,code1 as added by      
subsection 7a77 from the ,department at 
non-,department facilities4  7#b7       
,submission to ,congress ,not later than
 one year after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
shall submit to the ,committees on      
,veterans ,affairs of the ,senate and   
,house of ,representatives a report     
containing the results of the study     
required to be conducted under paragraph
 7#a74  7d7 ,public notice ,after the   
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
shall make publicly available on a      
,department website notice of the child 
care assistance benefit under section   
#agcj;,d of title #ch1 ,united ,states  
,code1 as added by subsection 7a74 ,such
 notice shall be easily accessible and  
visible and shall include a description 
of the expanded and cost-free child care
 assistance for veterans1 eligibility   
requirements1 and any additional        

information the ,secretary determines   
necessary4  7e7 ,report to ,congress    
,not later than #ah months after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act1 the 
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
submit to ,congress a report on the     
effectiveness and accessibility of the  
child care assistance provided under    
section #agaj;,d of title #ch1 ,united  
,states ,code1 as added by this section1
 for eligible individuals who reside in 
rural and highly rural areas4  7f7      
,authority to consult with ,secretary of
 ,defense ,in implementing section      
#agcj;,d of title #ch1 ,united ,states  
,code1 as added by subsection 7a71 the  
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs may    
consult with the ,secretary of ,defense4
  #c4 ,study on effects of child care   
assistance  7a7 ,study required ,not    
later than one year after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
conduct a study of the effects of the   
child care assistance provided under    

section #b on access to covered health  
care services1 as that term is defined  
in that section1 and on compliance with 
treatment protocols4  7b7 ,report ,not  
later than #ah months after the date of 
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
submit a report to ,congress regarding  
the study required under subsection 7a74
  #d4 ,report required  7a7 ,annual     
report ,beginning in the first fiscal   
year following the enactment of this    
,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans       
,affairs shall submit1 as part of the   
annual budget request document for the  
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 a    
report regarding eligible veterans who  
received child care assistance under    
section #b during the immediately       
preceding fiscal year4 ,each such report
 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,the 
number of such eligible veterans in each
 region of the ,veterans ,health        
,administration4  7#b7 ,if feasible1 the
 number of such eligible veterans per   

facility of the ,department4  7#c7 ,the 
amount of funding for such assistance   
made available by the ,secretary--  7,a7
 for each region of the ,veterans       
,health ,administration2 and  7,b7 for  
each type of assistance specified in    
subsection 7b7 of such section4  7#d7   
,findings regarding-- 7,a7 challenges in
 providing such assistance2  7,b7 child 
care not covered by such assistance2 and
  7,c7 recommendations to improve such  
assistance4  7b7 ,biennial supplement   
,not less than once every two years1 the
 report under subsection 7a7 shall      
include a supplement regarding the      
following3 7#a7 ,other challenges       
regarding child care services that      
prevent veterans from receiving covered 
health care services under section #b4  
7#b7 ,plans of the ,secretary to address
 challenges identified under paragraph  
7#a74  7#c7 ,an assessment of the extent
 to which lack of education by the      
,department or awareness by veterans of 
the assistance under section #b         

contributes to a lack of use of such    
assistance4  ,passed the ,house of      
,representatives ,february #h1          
#bjai4;,clerk4