,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dacg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ah1 #bjbf,mrs4 ,blackburn introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,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 or the ,,recover ,act4 #b4 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs pilot program to provide grants to medical facilities for the provision of culturally competent1 evidence-based mental health care for veterans 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out a pilot program under which the ,secretary shall award grants to mental health care providers for the provision of culturally competent1 evidence-based mental health care for veterans 7in this section referred to as the pilot program74 7b7 ,duration ,the ,secretary shall carry out the pilot program for a period of three years4 7c7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under the pilot program1 a mental health care provider shall-- 7#a7 be a non-profit organization2 7#b7 have operated at least one outpatient mental health facility in the ,united ,states for a continuous period of not less than three years2 and 7#c7 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 provider will provide mental health care to veterans using funds provided under the grant2 7,b7 a plan under which at least one clinician employed by the provider at each facility for which a grant is made is trained to provide culturally competent veterans mental health care pursuant to the requirements established by the ,secretary under subsection 7g72 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 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,the recipient of a grant under the pilot program shall use the grant-- 7,a7 to provide culturally competent1 evidence-based mental health care for veterans2 7,b7 to operate an existing outpatient mental health facility or establish a new outpatient mental health facility for the purpose of providing such care2 and 7,c7 to encourage veterans who are eligible for enrollment in the patient enrollment system of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs under section #agje of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to enroll in such system and to receive medical services furnished by the ,department4 7#b7 ,limitations ,the recipient of a grant under the pilot program may not-- 7,a7 charge any veteran a fee associated with the receipt of mental health care under the pilot program2 or 7,b7 refuse to provide mental health care to any veteran on the basis that the veteran is not eligible for reimbursement for such care under a health plan contract or any ,federal1 ,state1 or local government program4 7#c7 ,reimbursement ,nothing in this subsection shall prevent the recipient of a grant under the pilot program from seeking or receiving reimbursement for all1 or a portion1 of the mental health care provided to a veteran1 including reimbursement under a health plan contract1 the ,veterans ,community ,care ,program under section #agjc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 or any other ,federal1 ,state1 or local government program4 7e7 ,selection of facilities ,in selecting outpatient mental health facilities for the receipt of grants under the pilot program1 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 shall ensure that grants are distributed evenly among outpatient mental health facilities located in rural and urban areas2 7#b7 may consider the proportion of veterans historically served by the outpatient mental health facilities2 and 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 suicide4 7f7 ,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 not less than #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 7g7 ,training requirement ,the ,secretary shall establish the requirements for the training referred to in subsection 7c77#c77;,b74 7h7 ,regulations ,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 and 7#c7 justify the effective use of any private investment funds or ,federal grant funds through data collection and reporting metrics4 7i7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the completion of the pilot program1 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 pilot program4 7#b7 ,an identification of the demographics of the veterans served4 7#c7 ,an identification of the types of mental health care provided and the time period for which such care was provided4 7#d7 ,an identification of outcomes of the pilot program4 7#e7 ,the number of veterans who received mental health care under the pilot program and subsequently enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs under section #agje of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#f7 ,an identification of any obstacles faced by grant recipients in providing mental health care under the pilot program4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out the pilot program #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjbg4