(a) 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, including evidence-based mental health care delivered in person or via telehealth.
(b) Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a grant under the pilot program, a mental health care provider shall—
be a non-profit organization;
have operated at least one outpatient mental health facility in the United States for a continuous period of at least three years;
be licensed or certified under applicable state law to provide outpatient mental health services;
be accredited by—
the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations;
the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities; or
any other nationally recognized accrediting body the Secretary determines appropriate; and
submit to the Secretary an application that includes such information and assurances as the Secretary may require, including—
an identification of the outpatient facility or facilities where the mental health care services will be provided;
a plan for providing clinicians at each facility in receipt of grant funds with units of continuing education with respect to veterans issues; and
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 submitted.
(c) Use of funds
(1) In general
The recipient of a grant under the pilot program shall use the grant—
to deliver evidence-based mental health care for veterans in person or via telehealth.
to operate or expand an existing outpatient mental health facility or establish a new outpatient mental health facility for the purpose of providing such care;
to encourage veterans who are eligible for enrollment in the patient enrollment system under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, to enroll in such system and to receive medical services furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs;
to support activities necessary to deliver or sustain care, including—
outreach;
care coordination;
veteran engagement;
clinician training;
implementation support; and
program evaluation; and
to support continuous quality improvement and outcomes measurement activities, including the collection and reporting of clinical outcomes and operational metrics; and
to support activities of the program that are not billable, reimbursable, or otherwise authorized by law, including—
outreach;
care coordination;
engagement;
implementation support; and
program evaluation; and
to provide services to individuals for which reimbursement is not otherwise available, including such individuals who are—
uninsured;
ineligible for health care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs; or
in receipt of health care that is not reimbursable as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) Limitations on use of grant funds
The recipient of a grant under the pilot program may not—
charge an eligible veteran a fee associated with the receipt of mental health care funded by such grant;
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 source; or
use grant funds to—
duplicate payments made under any contract or agreement to which the Department is a party as of the date of the enactment of this Act; or
pay for the same clinical services or service units that are otherwise billable to a Federal payer, including the Veterans Community Care Program under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, or any other public or private health plan.
(3) Rules of construction
Nothing in this subsection may be construed to—
prohibit a grant recipient from seeking reimbursement from non-Department payers for mental health services provided by the grant recipient, except that grant funds shall not be used to supplant or duplicate a reimbursement otherwise available under Federal law; or
authorize double billing or duplicate payments for the same clinical service or unit of service.
(4) 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 outcome. Permissible services include—
family therapy;
couples therapy;
group therapy;
family psychoeducation; and
other counseling services the Secretary determines are clinically necessary.
(d) Selection of facilities
In awarding grants under the pilot program, the Secretary—
shall ensure that grants are distributed geographically evenly among rural and urban areas;
may consider the proportion of veterans historically served by the grant recipient; and
may prioritize outpatient mental health facilities located in areas that the Secretary determines—
are medically underserved;
have large veteran populations;
are located near military installations; or
have large numbers of veterans at high risk of suicide.
(e) Amount of grant
(1) In general
(A) In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), no grant under the pilot program for a facility for any fiscal year may exceed $1,500,000.
(B) Limitation
In the case of an outpatient mental health facility for which at least 50 percent of the operating budget of the facility for the preceding fiscal year was provided through Federal grants, no grant under the pilot program for the facility for any fiscal year may exceed the lesser of—
50 percent of the operating budget of the facility; or
$1,500,000.
(2) Multiple grants
The recipient of a grant under the pilot program—
may apply for, and receive, grants for more than one facility of the recipient for any fiscal year; and
may apply for, and receive, a grant for a facility that has already received a grant under the pilot program.
(f) Regulations; accountability
The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section, which shall include a requirement that each recipient of a grant under the pilot program shall—
demonstrate the capacity to provide accountability;
demonstrate clinical outcomes;
justify the effective use of any private investment funds or Federal grant funds through data collection and reporting metrics; and
collect standardized outcome measures including symptom improvement and program completion.
(g) 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 Program.
(h) Report
Not later than 180 days after the completion of the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program that includes the following:
The number of veterans who received mental health care under the program.
An identification of the types of mental health care provided and the time period for which such care was provided.
An identification and summary of program outcomes.
The number of veterans who received mental health care under the program and subsequently enrolled in the patient enrollment system under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code.
An identification of any obstacles faced by grant recipients in providing mental health care under the program.
A summary of clinical outcomes based on pre- and post-client functioning—
the number of veterans who improved clinically based on relevant clinical evaluation metrics that the Secretary determines appropriate;
the degree of clinical improvement based on such relevant clinical evaluation metrics;
the total number of veterans participating in the program; and
any other outcome metrics as the Secretary determines appropriate.
Findings with respect to the sustainability of the program.
(i) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the pilot program under this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029.