,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gja ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #be1 #bjbe,mrs4 ,murray 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,mr4 ,welch7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to establish the ,veteran ,family ,resource ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,helping ,heroes ,act4 #b4 ,establishment of ,veteran ,family ,resource ,program 7a7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall1 acting through the ,under ,secretary for ,health and the ,office of ,patient ,care ,services and ,care ,management and ,social ,work ,services of the ,veterans ,health ,administration1 establish a program-- 7,a7 to enhance the resilience1 health1 and well-being of veterans by addressing social determinants of health challenges experienced in their family units through person-centered clinical integrations1 connections to benefits furnished by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and community resource engagement2 and 7,b7 to ensure veterans and their families have access to a continuum of services and resources needed to support wellness within their family units as they define the family units4 7#b7 ,designation ,the program established pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as the ,veteran ,family ,resource ,program 7in this section referred to as the ,program74 7b7 ,family coordinators and staffing 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out the ,program by1 not later than the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this ,act-- 7,a7 appointing at least one family coordinator in each ,veterans ,integrated ,service ,network2 and 7,b7 ensuring adequate staffing and resources to ensure family coordinators are able to carry out their functions and duties under the ,program4 7#b7 ,functions ,the functions of a family coordinator under paragraph 7#a7 are as follows3 7,a7 ,to serve at medical centers of the ,department as point persons who understand and have a good working knowledge of-- 7i7 all resources that families1 caregivers1 and survivors may be eligible for under provisions of law administered by the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 community resources available to such families1 caregivers1 and survivors when they have needs that are not met by the resources described in clause 7i74 7,b7 ,to help veterans1 their families1 their caregivers1 and their survivors access and navigate the public and private resources described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#c7 ,duties ,each family coordinator appointed under paragraph 7#a7 shall1 to the extent practicable-- 7,a7 assess the needs of veterans and the family members of veterans using evidence-based strategies2 7,b7 build positive relationships with veterans and such family members2 7,c7 refer veterans and such family members to local1 ,state1 ,federal1 and non-,department resources to support the overall health1 well-being1 and treatment goals of such veterans2 and 7,d7 develop and maintain a list of-- 7i7 supportive services offered by the ,department2 and 7ii7 supportive services offered by non-,department providers2 7c7 ,goals and metrics 7#a7 ,goals ,the goals of the ,program shall be as follows3 7,a7 ,to connect veterans to family resources to increase their well-being and resiliency4 7,b7 ,to develop internal partnerships to improve health care furnished by the ,department4 7,c7 ,to capture and maintain data to enhance understanding of process improvement opportunities and impact4 7,d7 ,to function as a community liaison to bolster existing partnerships and conduct due diligence to form new partnerships4 7#b7 ,metrics ,the ,secretary shall establish metrics for assessment of the ,program1 including metrics relating to the following3 7,a7 ,department referrals into the ,program4 7,b7 ,non-,department referrals into the ,program4 7,c7 ,health factors4 7,d7 ,veteran and staff satisfaction4 7d7 ,expansion of ,program ,the ,secretary may expand the ,program to additional medical centers of the ,department or otherwise expand the ,program to carry out the purposes specified in subsection 7a77#a7 as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7e7 ,report to ,congress 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than two years after the commencement of the ,program1 the ,secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report on the progress of the ,program4 7#b7 ,contents ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include-- 7,a7 the number of veterans and children who received supportive services under the ,program2 7,b7 the demographic data of veterans and family members in receipt of supportive services under the ,program1 including-- 7i7 the relationship to the veteran2 7ii7 age2 7iii7 race2 7iv7 ethnicity2 7v7 gender2 7vi7 disability2 and 7vii7 ,english proficiency and whether a language other than ,english is spoken at home2 7,c7 a summary of the supportive services carried out under the ,program and the costs to the ,department of such supportive services2 and 7,d7 an assessment1 measured by a survey of participants1 of whether1 and how1 participation in the ,program-- 7i7 resulted in positive outcomes for veterans and children2 and 7ii7 contributed to the overall health1 well-being1 and treatment goals of the veteran4 7#c7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress defined ,in this subsection1 the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs and the ,subcommittee on ,military ,construction1 ,veterans ,affairs1 and ,related ,agencies of the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs and the ,subcommittee on ,military ,construction1 ,veterans ,affairs1 and ,related ,agencies of the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7f7 ,supportive services defined ,in this section1 the term supportive services means services that address the social1 emotional1 and mental health1 career-readiness1 and other needs of children1 including-- 7#a7 wellness services1 including mental1 emotional1 behavioral1 and physical health2 7#b7 peer-support programs for children2 and 7#c7 any other services or activities the ,secretary considers appropriate to support the needs of children4 #c4 ,survey of disabled veterans and their families 7a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and not less frequently than once every five years thereafter as the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs determines appropriate1 the ,secretary shall conduct a survey of disabled veterans and their families to identify and better understand the needs of such disabled veterans and their families4 7b7 ,content ,the survey required under subsection 7a7 shall include questions with respect to-- 7#a7 the types and quality of support disabled veterans receive for their children2 and 7#b7 the unmet needs of such children4 #d4 ,nondiscrimination ,the following provisions of law shall apply to any program or activity that receives funds provided under this ,act3 7#a7 ,title ,,ix of the ,education ,amendments of #aigb 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #afha et seq474 7#b7 ,title ,,vi of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;d et seq474 7#c7 ,section #ejd of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gid74 7#d7 ,the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #abaja et seq474 7#e7 ,the ,age ,discrimination ,act of #aige 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #faja et seq474 7#f7 ,any other ,federal law prohibiting discrimination under an applicable program or activity receiving ,federal financial assistance4