,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #gcf #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bbhc ,report ,no4 #aai-hci ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #bd1 #bjbe,mr4 ,bost introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,october #e1 #bjbf;,additional sponsors3 ,mrs4 ,radewagen1 ,mr4 ,bergman1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,ciscomani1 and ,mr4 ,bilirakis ,october #e1 #bjbf,reported with an amendment1 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be printed,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic,for text of introduced bill1 see copy of bill as introduced on ,march #bd1 #bjbe ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide grants to outpatient mental health facilities for the provision of culturally competent1 evidence-based mental health care for veterans1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,recognizing ,community ,organizations for ,veteran ,engagement and ,recovery ,act of the ,,recover ,act 4 #b4 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs pilot program to provide grants to mental health care providers for the provision of mental health care for veterans 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out a three-year pilot program under which the ,secretary shall make grants to eligible mental health care providers for the provision of mental health care to veterans1 including evidence-based mental health care delivered in person or via telehealth1 by providers who have-- 7#a7 documented experience serving veterans and their families2 and 7#b7 training in behavioral health conditions related to military service4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under the pilot program1 a mental health care provider shall-- 7#a7 have operated at least one outpatient mental health facility in the ,united ,states for a continuous period of at least three years2 7#b7 be licensed or certified under applicable state law to provide outpatient mental health services2 7#c7 be accredited by-- 7,a7 the ,joint ,commission on ,accreditation of ,healthcare ,organizations2 7,b7 the ,commission on ,accreditation of ,rehabilitation ,facilities2 or 7,c7 any other nationally recognized accrediting body the ,secretary determines appropriate2 and 7#d7 submit to the ,secretary an application that includes such information and assurances as the ,secretary may require1 including-- 7,a7 an identification of the outpatient facility or facilities where the mental health care services will be provided2 7,b7 a plan under which at least one clinician at each facility that receives grant funds has completed training or continuing education in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions specific to veterans1 including the effect of military service on behavioral health2 and 7,c7 an identification of the percentage of the operating budget for each such facility that was provided through ,federal grants during the fiscal year preceding the year during which the application is submitted4 7c7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,the recipient of a grant under the pilot program shall use the grant-- 7,a7 to deliver mental health care described in subsection 7a72 7,b7 to operate or expand an existing outpatient mental health facility or establish a new outpatient mental health facility for the purpose of providing such care2 7,c7 to encourage veterans who are eligible for enrollment in the patient enrollment system under section #agje of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to enroll in such system and to receive medical services furnished by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs2 7,d7 to support activities necessary to deliver or sustain care1 including-- 7i7 outreach2 7ii7 care coordination2 7iii7 veteran engagement2 7iv7 clinician training2 7v7 implementation support2 and 7vi7 program evaluation2 and 7,e7 to support continuous quality improvement and outcomes measurement activities1 including the collection and reporting of clinical outcomes and operational metrics2 7,f7 to support activities of the program that are not billable1 reimbursable1 or otherwise authorized by law1 including-- 7i7 outreach2 7ii7 care coordination2 7iii7 engagement2 7iv7 implementation support2 and 7v7 program evaluation2 and 7,g7 to provide services to individuals for which reimbursement is not otherwise available1 including such individuals who are-- 7i7 uninsured2 7ii7 ineligible for health care furnished by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs2 or 7iii7 in receipt of health care that is not reimbursable as of the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7#b7 ,limitations on use of grant funds ,the recipient of a grant under the pilot program may not-- 7,a7 charge an eligible veteran a fee associated with the receipt of mental health care funded by such grant2 7,b7 refuse to provide mental health care to an eligible veteran on the basis that the veteran is not eligible for reimbursement for such care under another payer source2 or 7,c7 use grant funds to-- 7i7 duplicate payments made under any contract or agreement to which the ,department is a party as of the date of the enactment of this ,act2 or 7ii7 pay for the same clinical services or service units that are otherwise billable to a ,federal payer1 including the ,veterans ,community ,care ,program under section #agjc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 or any other public or private health plan4 7#c7 ,rules of construction ,nothing in this subsection may be construed to-- 7,a7 prohibit a grant recipient from seeking reimbursement from non-,department payers for mental health services provided by the grant recipient1 except that grant funds shall not be used to supplant or duplicate a reimbursement otherwise available under ,federal law2 or 7,b7 authorize double billing or duplicate payments for the same clinical service or unit of service4 7#d7 ,spouse and dependent care ,a recipient may use grant funds to provide care to spouses and dependent children of a veteran when such services are integral to achieving a successful clinical outcome4 ,permissible services include-- 7,a7 family therapy2 7,b7 couples therapy2 7,c7 group therapy2 7,d7 family psychoeducation2 and 7,e7 other counseling services the ,secretary determines are clinically necessary4 7d7 ,selection of facilities ,in awarding grants under the pilot program1 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 shall ensure that grants are distributed geographically evenly among rural and urban areas2 7#b7 may consider the proportion of veterans historically served by the grant recipient2 7#c7 may prioritize outpatient mental health facilities located in areas that the ,secretary determines-- 7,a7 are medically underserved2 7,b7 have large veteran populations2 7,c7 are located near military installations2 or 7,d7 have large numbers of veterans at high risk of suicide2 and 7#d7 shall prioritize a provider that-- 7,a7 demonstrates a primary mission of serving veterans or military-connected populations2 or 7,b7 demonstrates that grant funds will be used to expand veterans' access to care and to improve patient outcomes4 7e7 ,amount of grant 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 no grant under the pilot program for a facility for any fiscal year may exceed #a1ejj1jjj4 7,b7 ,limitation ,in the case of an outpatient mental health facility for which at least #ej percent of the operating budget of the facility for the preceding fiscal year was provided through ,federal grants1 no grant under the pilot program for the facility for any fiscal year may exceed the lesser of-- 7i7 #ej percent of the operating budget of the facility2 or 7ii7 #a1ejj1jjj4 7#b7 ,multiple grants ,the recipient of a grant under the pilot program-- 7,a7 may apply for1 and receive1 grants for more than one facility of the recipient for any fiscal year2 and 7,b7 may apply for1 and receive1 a grant for a facility that has already received a grant under the pilot program4 7f7 ,regulations2 accountability ,the ,secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section1 which shall include a requirement that each recipient of a grant under the pilot program shall-- 7#a7 demonstrate the capacity to provide accountability2 7#b7 demonstrate clinical outcomes2 7#c7 justify the effective use of any private investment funds or ,federal grant funds through data collection and reporting metrics2 and 7#d7 collect standardized outcome measures including symptom improvement and program completion4 7g7 ,continuity of care ,a recipient of a grant under the pilot program shall adhere to the continuity of care model established by the ,secretary to the ,veterans ,community ,care ,program4 7h7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the completion of the pilot program under this section1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the pilot program that includes the following3 7#a7 ,the number of veterans who received mental health care under the program4 7#b7 ,an identification of the types of mental health care provided and the time period for which such care was provided4 7#c7 ,an identification and summary of program outcomes4 7#d7 ,the number of veterans who received mental health care under the program and subsequently enrolled in the patient enrollment system under section #agje of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#e7 ,an identification of any obstacles faced by grant recipients in providing mental health care under the program4 7#f7 ,a summary of clinical outcomes based on pre- and post-client functioning-- 7,a7 the number of veterans who improved clinically based on relevant clinical evaluation metrics that the ,secretary determines appropriate2 7,b7 the degree of clinical improvement based on such relevant clinical evaluation metrics2 7,c7 the total number of veterans participating in the program2 and 7,d7 any other outcome metrics as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7#g7 ,findings with respect to the sustainability of the program4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out the pilot program under this section #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjbi4 #c4 ,modification of certain housing loan fees ,the loan fee table in section #cgbi7;b77#b7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking ,june #i1 #bjcd each place it appears and inserting ,july #bd1 #bjcd4 ,october #e1 #bjbf,reported with an amendment1 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union1 and ordered to be printed