,i  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ecba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #ba1      
#bjba,ms4 ,underwood 7for herself and   
,mr4 ,pappas7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs to address the       
inappropriate or unlawful denial by the 
,department of ,veterans ,affairs of    
benefits and services for former members
 of the ,armed ,forces who were         
discharged or released from the active  
military1 naval1 or air service under   
conditions characterized as neither     
dishonorable nor honorable1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,unlawful      
,turn-,aways ,act of #bjba4  #b4        
,addressing ,department of ,veterans    
,affairs turn-away problem  7a7         
,improving training1 guidance1 and      
oversight of ,department of ,veterans   
,affairs staff  7#a7 ,training  7,a7    

,for all employees ,the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs shall require all    
employees of the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs to participate in    
uniform1 national training on character 
of discharge eligibility standards for  
benefits and services provided under    
laws administered by the ,secretary4    
7,b7 ,for front-line staff ,the         
,secretary shall require all employees  
of the ,department who the ,secretary   
considers front-line staff1 including   
employees of the ,department that the   
,secretary considers ,department        
facility enrollment and eligibility     
staff1 to participate1 as soon as       
practicable after the date of the       
enactment of this ,act and periodically 
thereafter1 in training described in    
subparagraph 7,a74  7#b7 ,requirement   
that any contact with ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs seeking health care  
from ,department be recorded in         
electronic health management system ,the
 ,secretary shall ensure that any       

contact made by an individual seeking   
health care from the ,department is     
recorded in the electronic health       
management system of the ,department4   
7#c7 ,designation of positions  7,a7 ,in
 general ,the ,secretary shall designate
 a national-level position and establish
 senior positions within each regional  
office of the ,department to focus on   
issues affecting individuals who served 
in the active military1 naval1 or air   
service and who were discharged or      
released therefrom under conditions     
characterized as neither honorable nor  
dishonorable4  7,b7 ,congressional      
updates ,the official designated to a   
national-level position under           
subparagraph 7,a7 shall provide         
,congress with updates1 on a regular    
basis1 on progress made by the          
,department in providing benefits and   
services to individuals described in    
subparagraph 7,a74  7b7 ,remedy past    
unlawful turn-,aways  7#a7 ,assessment1 
identification1 recommendations1 and    

report ,not later than one year after   
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,inspector ,general of the          
,department of ,veterans affairs shall--
 7,a7 conduct an assessment of the      
practices of the ,department involving  
denying benefits and services to        
individuals seeking such benefits and   
services from the ,department based on a
 discharge or release from service in   
the active military1 naval1 or air      
service under conditions that were      
characterized as neither honorable nor  
dishonorable2  7,b7 identify whether any
 denials described in subparagraph 7,a7 
were unlawful and the scope of such     
unlawful denials by the ,department2    
7,c7 develop recommendations for        
legislative or administrative action to 
limit the occurrence of unlawful denials
 described in subparagraph 7,b72 and    
7,d7 submit to ,congress a report on the
 findings of the ,inspector ,general    
under subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,c74  
7#b7 ,notice  7,a7 ,in general ,the     

,secretary shall-- 7i7 notify all       
individuals who were discharged or      
released from service in the active     
military1 naval1 or air service under   
conditions that were characterized as   
neither honorable nor dishonorable about
 their right to apply for health care   
and benefits from the ,department2 and  
7ii7 encourage individuals describe in  
clause 7i7 to apply for health care and 
benefits described in such clause1 even 
if they have previously been denied or  
turned away from the ,department4  7,b7 
,manner ,the ,secretary shall carry out 
subparagraph 7,a7 by sending individuals
 described in such subparagraph a letter
 to last known address on file with     
,social ,security ,administration4  7#c7
 ,outreach  7,a7 ,program required ,the 
,secretary shall carry out a program of 
public outreach1 including via the      
internet and through mailed notices1 to 
covered individuals described in        
subparagraph 7,b7 who may have been     
unlawfully denied a benefit or service  

from the ,department based on the       
characterization of their discharge or  
release from service in the active      
military1 naval1 or air service4  7,b7  
,covered individuals ,for purposes of   
this paragraph1 a covered individual is 
an individual who was discharged or     
released from service in the active     
military1 naval1 or air service under   
conditions that were characterized as   
neither honorable nor dishonorable4     
7,c7 ,contents ,outreach carried out    
pursuant to the program required by     
subparagraph 7,a7 shall include         
distribution of information about what  
benefits and services covered           
individuals may be eligible for under   
laws administered by the ,secretary of  
,veterans ,affairs4  7,d7 ,manner       
,outreach under the program required by 
subparagraph 7,a7 shall include the     
follow methods of contact3 7i7          
,traditional and social media4  7ii7    
,websites and blogs of the ,department4 
7iii7 ,informational brochures and fact 

sheets4  7iv7 ,community events4  7c7   
,simplifying eligibility standards and  
processes  7#a7 ,modification of        
definition of veteran ,section #aja7b7  
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is 
amended by striking under conditions    
other than dishonorable and inserting 1 
other than a person whose rights are    
barred by section #ecjc7;a7 of this     
title4  7#b7 ,veterans ,justice         
,outreach ,program services  7,a7 ,in   
general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans    
,affairs shall ensure that services     
provided by the ,veterans ,justice      
,outreach ,program are available to all 
individuals who served in the active    
military1 naval1 or air service1        
regardless of the nature of their       
discharge or release from such service4 
7,b7 ,veterans ,justice ,outreach       
,program defined ,in this paragraph3 7i7
 ,justice-involved veteran ,the term    
justice-involved veteran means a veteran
 with active1 ongoing1 or recent contact
 with some component of a local criminal

 justice system4  7ii7 ,local criminal  
justice system ,the term local criminal 
justice system means law enforcement1   
jails1 prisons1 and ,federal1 ,state1   
and local courts4  7iii7 ,veterans      
,justice ,outreach ,program ,the term   
,veterans ,justice ,outreach ,program   
means the program through which the     
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
identifies justice-involved veterans and
 provides such veterans with access to  
,department services4  7d7 ,definitions 
,in this section1 the terms active      
military1 naval1 or air service and     
veteran have the meanings given such    
terms in section #aja of title #ch1     
,united ,states ,code4  #c4             
,modification of requirements relating  
to eligibility for certain counseling   
services from ,department of ,veterans  
,affairs  7a7 ,counseling for military  
sexual trauma ,section #agbj;,i7b7 of   
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#d7-- 7,a7 
by striking subparagraph 7,b72 and  7,b7

 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking      
7,a77i7 served and inserting 7i7 served2
 and  7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by        
redesignating subparagraphs 7,a7 and    
7,b7 as clauses 7i7 and 7ii71           
respectively2  7#c7 in paragraph 7#a71  
by striking is a former member and      
inserting 7,a7 is a former member2  7#d7
 by redesignating paragraphs 7#b7       
through 7#d7 as subparagraphs 7,b7      
through 7,d71 respectively2 and  7#e7 by
 adding at the end the following new    
paragraph3  7#b7 7,a7 is a former member
 of the ,armed ,forces1 including the   
reserve components2  7,b7 is not        
enrolled in the health care system      
established by section #agje of this    
title2 and  7,c7 while serving in the   
,armed ,forces1 was the victim of a     
physical assault of a sexual nature1 a  
battery of a sexual nature1 or sexual   
harassment 7as defined in section       
#agbj;,d7f7 of this title74  4  7b7     
,counseling in ,vet ,centers  7#a7 ,in  
general ,section #agab;,a7a77#a77;,c7 of

 such title is amended-- 7,a7 by        
striking individual who is a veteran or 
each place it appears2  7,b7 in clause  
7ii71 by striking causalities and       
inserting casualties2  7,c7 in clause   
7iii71 by striking such veteran or      
member and inserting such member2  7,d7 
in clause 7vii7-- 7i7 in subclause 7,i71
 by striking 2 or and inserting a       
semicolon2 and  7ii7 in subclause       
7,,ii71 by striking veteran or member of
 the ,armed ,forces and inserting       
veteran2 or 7,,iii7 member of the ,armed
 ,forces  2  7,e7 by redesignating      
clauses 7i7 through 7vii7 as clauses    
7ii7 through 7viii71 respectively2 and  
7,f7 by inserting before clause 7ii71 as
 redesignated by subparagraph 7,e71 the 
following new clause 7i73  7i7 ,any     
veteran4  4  7#b7 ,conforming amendments
  7,a7 ,in general ,section #agab;,a of 
such title is amended-- 7i7 in          
subsection 7a77#a7-- 7,i7 by striking   
clauses 7i7 through 7vi7 each place it  
appears and inserting clauses 7i7       

through 7vii72 and  7,,ii7 by striking  
clause 7vii7 each place it appears and  
inserting clause 7viii72 and  7,,iii7 in
 subparagraph 7,b77ii77,,ii71 by        
striking veteran or member described in 
subclause 7,,ii7 and inserting veteran  
or a member described in subclause      
7,,iii72 and  7ii7 in subsection        
7g77#a71 by striking described in       
subsection 7a77#a77;,c74  7,b7 ,suicide 
prevention assistance ,section          
#bja7q77#d77;,c7 of the ,commander ,john
 ,scott ,hannon ,veterans ,mental       
,health ,care ,improvement ,act of #bjai
 7,public ,law #aaf-aga2 #ch ,u4,s4,c4  
#agbj;,f note7 is amended by striking   
clauses 7i7 through 7iv7 and inserting  
clauses 7ii7 through 7v74  #d4 ,outreach
 to and study on treatment of members of
 the ,armed ,forces discharged under    
conditions other than honorable for no  
other reason than sexual orientation or 
gender identity  7a7 ,outreach ,the     
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
conduct outreach to former members of   

the ,armed ,forces who were discharged  
from the ,armed ,forces under other than
 honorable conditions for no other      
reason than the sexual orientation or   
gender identity of the member pursuant  
to the ,don't ,ask1 ,don't ,tell policy 
of the ,department of ,defense4  7b7    
,study ,the ,secretary shall conduct a  
study to assess the scope and cost of   
providing health care under the laws    
administered by the ,secretary to former
 members of the ,armed ,forces with     
other than honorable discharges who were
 discharged from the ,armed ,forces     
after serving on active duty in the     
,armed ,forces for less than two years  
for no other reason than the sexual     
orientation or gender identity of the   
member1 whether pursuant to the ,don't  
,ask1 ,don't ,tell policy of the        
,department or not4