,i #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ciej ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #af1 #bjba,ms4 ,scanlon 7for herself and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh to authorize a ,state veterans assistance program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans ,medical ,legal ,partnerships ,act of #bjba4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,medical-,legal ,partnerships 7hereinafter referred to as ,m,l,ps7 are holistic care models that integrate legal expertise and services into health care settings or delivery systems to address underpinning social and legal needs that negatively affect the health outcomes of veterans and their families4 7#b7 ,m,l,ps build upon the traditional legal clinic model by leveraging the unique1 historical collaborations between legal services organizations and medical providers4 7#c7 ,among other things1 ,m,l,ps screen for1 and then aim to resolve legal issues veterans present1 that may include income security issues1 unsafe housing1 impending evictions1 family law matters1 benefit concerns1 elder abuse1 and guardianship issues4 ,especially during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 these needs were also shown to have direct implication on population health and the stability of our economy4 7#d7 ,in addition to providing direct legal services1 ,m,l,ps help to improve quality and increase value in health care delivery systems by engaging in activities such as trainings for clinical teams and helping health care providers optimize their services4 7#e7 ,m,l,ps have experienced steady growth and reach since they were first developed in the mid-#aiijs4 ,in #bjbj alone1 some #dej ,m,l,ps in #di ,states helped more than #ge1jjj individuals resolve health-harming legal needs4 ,in recent years1 ,m,l,ps have flourished as effective models of care for veterans4 7#f7 ,veterans are disproportionately at higher risk for health problems1 many of which are exacerbated by unmet social and legal needs4 ,the percentage of veterans who have at least one disability is double that of non-veterans1 and #da percent of veterans have mental health conditions such as depression1 traumatic brain injury1 post-traumatic stress disorder 7,,ptsd71 and substance use disorder4 7#g7 ,veterans are also at higher risk of having legal issues1 with one recent study finding an average of #a4e legal issues per veteran4 ,the most common civil legal needs included lack of access to ,,va benefits1 custodial issues1 and housing issues like eviction4 ,unmet legal needs are particularly harmful to the more than #a4g million veterans with family incomes below #abe percent of ,federal poverty level4 ,in fact1 a #bjag analysis found that civil legal problems related to veterans' issues affected #ac percent of low-income households with veterans or other military personnel4 ,for these households1 the most common legal problems were in the areas of health or health care1 consumer finance issues1 and employment4 7#h7 ,m,l,ps have proven to be a successful model of addressing issues related to veteran care4 ,one study found that ,veterans who received treatment at ,m,l,ps showed significant mental health improvement and even improvements in their housing and income4 ,additionally1 ,m,l,ps have been found to decrease readmission rates1 length of inpatient hospital stays1 and visits to the emergency room4 7#i7 ,in ,indiana1 a #bjah grant from ,indiana ,department of ,veterans ,affairs made possible an ,,mlp between ,veteran ,health ,indiana and ,indiana ,legal ,services1 ,inc4 and enabled veterans to access critical civil legal services they may not otherwise have received4 7#aj7 ,a study assessed #d ,m,l,ps in ,connecticut and ,new ,york and found that #ge percent of veterans reached their legal goal in the one-year study period1 and in the first three months1 those who received full legal representation showed significant reductions in symptoms of hostility1 paranoia1 psychosis1 generalized anxiety disorder1 and posttraumatic stress disorder4 7#aa7 ,in #bjag1 a study designed to evaluate an ,,mlp at ,u,mass ,memorial ,hospital found that patients referred by healthcare workers to ,legal ,aid commonly had other legal problems which the attorneys could also help them address and #hf percent of clients said they would use the program again4 7#ab7 ,currently1 the overwhelming majority of ,m,l,ps operate in ,federal veteran's facilities4 ,states operate hundreds of veteran's homes1 treatment facilities1 and support programs that do not have ,m,l,ps or access to civil legal providers4 #c4 ,state veterans pilot grant program ,subpart #b of part ,e of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajaga7 is amended by inserting before chapter ,b the following new chapter3 ,a ,,state ,,veterans ,,justice ,,assistance ,,program #eaa4 ,short title ,this chapter may be cited as the ,state ,veterans ,rehabilitation ,program ,act of #bjba or the ,s,vets ,act of #bjba4 #eab4 ,state veterans justice assistance program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,attorney ,general shall make grants to eligible entities that have established or have plans to create medical legal partnerships that aim to reduce recidivism1 promote rehabilitation and prevent victimization or partner with a ,state and unit of local government veteran facilities1 including nursing homes1 assisted living facilities1 long-term care facilities1 healthcare facilities1 and mental health clinics4 ,the partnership shall focus on veterans whose medical needs put them at risk of recidivism or reoffending or becoming victim to a crime4 7b7 ,prioritization ,the partnership shall prioritize veterans who1 because of an associated health concern1 are-- 7#a7 facing homelessness2 7#b7 unemployment2 or 7#c7 or at risk of fraud1 abuse1 or other victimization4 7c7 ,grant period ,a grant awarded under this chapter shall be for a period of not more than #e years4 7d7 ,eligible entity ,an entity is eligible for a grant under this chapter if the entity is-- 7#a7 a unit of local government in partnership with a nonprofit organization2 or 7#b7 a ,state in partnership with a nonprofit organization2 that operates or demonstrates a plan to operate a medical legal partnership4 7e7 ,application ,to receive a grant under this chapter1 an eligible entity shall submit an application to the ,attorney ,general at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,attorney ,general may require1 including a detailed description of the need for the grant and an account of the number of individuals the eligible entity expects to benefit from the grant4 7f7 ,administrative costs ,not more than #e percent of a grant awarded under this chapter may be used for costs incurred by the eligible entity to pay for administrative costs4 7g7 ,construction costs ,notwithstanding any other provision of this ,act1 no funds provided under this chapter may be used1 directly or indirectly1 for construction projects1 other than new construction to accommodate a medical legal partnership and may not constitute more than #e percent of a eligible entity's grant award4 7h7 ,medical legal partnership defined ,the term medical legal partnership means any ,state or unit of local government and nonprofit that screens and addresses legal issues for veterans1 including legal issues related to income security1 housing1 evictions1 family law1 public benefits1 elder abuse1 post-conviction relief1 and guardianship4 #eac4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #f1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbb through #bjbg to carry out this chapter4 4 #d4 ,state veterans pilot justice assistance program ,section #c of the ,veteran ,treatment ,court ,coordination ,act of #bjai 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfea;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsections 7c7 and 7d7 as subsections 7d7 and 7e71 respectively2 7#b7 by inserting the following new subsection3 7c7 ,preference ,in awarding grants1 the ,attorney ,general may provide a grant selection preference to jurisdictions that provide a plan to work with ,federal or ,state medical legal partnerships to reduce recidivism and promote rehabilitation4 2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7f7 ,medical legal partnership defined ,the term medical legal partnership has the meaning given such term in section #eab of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh4 4 #e4 ,,va medical legal partnerships ,section #fcjd7;b7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended to read as follows3 7b7 ,medical legal partnerships ,the ,secretary may establish and maintain medical legal partnerships to screen veterans for civil legal matters associated with the provision of health care or other benefits provided by the ,department and facilitate the provision of no-cost legal services at ,department facilities4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,medical legal partnership ,the term medical legal partnership means has the meaning given such term in section #eab of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh4 7#b7 ,civil legal matters ,the term civil legal matters means non-criminal legal matters1 including issues related to health care1 housing1 government benefits1 employment1 educational services1 family law1 post-conviction relief1 and trusts and estates4 4