Sec. 201 Vet Center defined
In this title, the term Vet Center has the meaning given that term in section 1712A(h) of title 38, United States Code.
Title II — Improvement of Vet Center infrastructure and technology
II Improvement of Vet Center infrastructure and technology
Sec. 202 Comptroller General report on Readjustment Counseling Service model for expansion of Vet Center footprint
In general— Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report assessing the model used by the Readjustment Counseling Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs to guide the expansion of the real property footprint of Vet Centers.
Elements— The report required by subsection (a) shall assess—
whether the model described in such subsection adequately accounts for the demand for Vet Center services in rural areas;
whether the frequency with which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is reassessing areas for potential expansion of Vet Center services is often enough to address any population shifts;
whether such model adequately considers the needs of veterans in areas with high rates of calls to the Veterans Crisis Line or high rates of suicide by veterans or members of the Armed Forces;
whether such model adequately accounts for trends in usage of mobile Vet Centers in a given area; and
whether such model takes into account the unique needs of veterans and members of the Armed Forces in areas being assessed.
Veterans Crisis Line— In this section, the term Veterans Crisis Line means the toll-free hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code.
Sec. 203 Improvement of guidance and information to improve veteran outreach efforts by Vet Centers
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall—
ensure each Vet Center has demographic data, such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity, for individuals eligible for Vet Center services in the service area of such Vet Center to be used to tailor outreach activities, including data on veterans who have recently transitioned from service in the Armed Forces;
provide Vet Centers with guidance for assessing the effectiveness of outreach activities, including guidance on metrics for those activities and targets against which to assess those metrics to determine effectiveness;
develop and implement a process to periodically assess the extent to which veterans and members of the Armed Forces who are eligible for services from Vet Centers experience barriers to obtaining such services, including a lack of awareness about Vet Centers and challenges accessing Vet Center services; and
develop and implement a process to periodically assess the extent to which staff of Vet Centers may encounter barriers to providing services.
Sec. 204 Report on information technology system of Readjustment Counseling Service
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the Chief Readjustment Counseling Officer of the Veterans Health Administration, shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report identifying—
whether the Department of Veterans Affairs is retaining or replacing the current information technology platform of the Department, commonly referred to as “RCSNet”, which is currently used to manage certain parts of the daily work of employees of the Readjustment Counseling Service and operational data and management functions of the Readjustment Counseling Service;
if the Department intends to keep RCSNet, the rationale for that decision and an identification of the steps the Department is taking to maintain or improve the functionality of RCSNet and the timeline for those steps; and
if the Department intends to replace RCSNet, the rationale for that decision and an identification of the steps the Department is taking to implement that replacement, including a timeline and the estimated cost for that replacement.