Bills · H.R. 2283 · Text
Reported in House
Confirmed from the official record
Our copy of the file on govinfo.gov, saved October 14, 2026. Fingerprint (SHA-256): 3b2bd103a74930f3.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2283 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 736
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2283
[Report No. 119-839]
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 competent, evidence-based mental health
care for veterans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 24, 2025
Mr. Bost introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
October 5, 2026
Additional sponsors: Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Carter of
Georgia, Mr. Ciscomani, and Mr. Bilirakis
October 5, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March
24, 2025]
_______________________________________________________________________
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 competent, evidence-based mental health
care for veterans, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Recognizing Community Organizations
for Veteran Engagement and Recovery Act'' of the ``RECOVER Act''.
SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE GRANTS
TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS FOR THE PROVISION OF
MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR VETERANS.
(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 to veterans, including evidence-based mental health
care delivered in person or via telehealth, by providers who have--
(1) documented experience serving veterans and their
families; and
(2) training in behavioral health conditions related to
military service.
(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the pilot
program, a mental health care provider shall--
(1) have operated at least one outpatient mental health
facility in the United States for a continuous period of at
least three years;
(2) be licensed or certified under applicable state law to
provide outpatient mental health services;
(3) be accredited by--
(A) the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations;
(B) the Commission on Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities; or
(C) any other nationally recognized accrediting
body the Secretary determines appropriate; and
(4) submit to the Secretary an application that includes
such information and assurances as the Secretary may require,
including--
(A) an identification of the outpatient facility or
facilities where the mental health care services will
be provided;
(B) 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
veterans, including the effect of military service on
behavioral health; and
(C) 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--
(A) to deliver mental health care described in
subsection (a);
(B) 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;
(C) 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;
(D) to support activities necessary to deliver or
sustain care, including--
(i) outreach;
(ii) care coordination;
(iii) veteran engagement;
(iv) clinician training;
(v) implementation support; and
(vi) program evaluation; and
(E) to support continuous quality improvement and
outcomes measurement activities, including the
collection and reporting of clinical outcomes and
operational metrics;
(F) to support activities of the program that are
not billable, reimbursable, or otherwise authorized by
law, including--
(i) outreach;
(ii) care coordination;
(iii) engagement;
(iv) implementation support; and
(v) program evaluation; and
(G) to provide services to individuals for which
reimbursement is not otherwise available, including
such individuals who are--
(i) uninsured;
(ii) ineligible for health care furnished
by the Department of Veterans Affairs; or
(iii) 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--
(A) charge an eligible veteran a fee associated
with the receipt of mental health care funded by such
grant;
(B) 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
(C) use grant funds to--
(i) 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
(ii) 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--
(A) 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
(B) 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--
(A) family therapy;
(B) couples therapy;
(C) group therapy;
(D) family psychoeducation; and
(E) other counseling services the Secretary
determines are clinically necessary.
(d) Selection of Facilities.--In awarding grants under the pilot
program, the Secretary--
(1) shall ensure that grants are distributed geographically
evenly among rural and urban areas;
(2) may consider the proportion of veterans historically
served by the grant recipient;
(3) may prioritize outpatient mental health facilities
located in areas that the Secretary determines--
(A) are medically underserved;
(B) have large veteran populations;
(C) are located near military installations; or
(D) have large numbers of veterans at high risk of
suicide; and
(4) shall prioritize a provider that--
(A) demonstrates a primary mission of serving
veterans or military-connected populations; or
(B) demonstrates that grant funds will be used to
expand veterans' access to care and to improve patient
outcomes.
(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--
(i) 50 percent of the operating budget of
the facility; or
(ii) $1,500,000.
(2) Multiple grants.--The recipient of a grant under the
pilot program--
(A) may apply for, and receive, grants for more
than one facility of the recipient for any fiscal year;
and
(B) 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--
(1) demonstrate the capacity to provide accountability;
(2) demonstrate clinical outcomes;
(3) justify the effective use of any private investment
funds or Federal grant funds through data collection and
reporting metrics; and
(4) 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:
(1) The number of veterans who received mental health care
under the program.
(2) An identification of the types of mental health care
provided and the time period for which such care was provided.
(3) An identification and summary of program outcomes.
(4) 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.
(5) An identification of any obstacles faced by grant
recipients in providing mental health care under the program.
(6) A summary of clinical outcomes based on pre- and post-
client functioning--
(A) the number of veterans who improved clinically
based on relevant clinical evaluation metrics that the
Secretary determines appropriate;
(B) the degree of clinical improvement based on
such relevant clinical evaluation metrics;
(C) the total number of veterans participating in
the program; and
(D) any other outcome metrics as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(7) 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.
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN FEES.
The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by striking ``June 9, 2034'' each place it appears and
inserting ``July 24, 2034''.
Union Calendar No. 736
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2283
[Report No. 119-839]
_______________________________________________________________________
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 competent, evidence-based mental health
care for veterans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
October 5, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed