S. 793

A bill to amend the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 to modify and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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II

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 793

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 27, 2025

Mr. Warner (for himself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

A BILL

To amend the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 to modify and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

1.

Modifications to and reauthorization of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs

(a)

Task Force

Section 201 of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (38 U.S.C. 1720F note; Public Law 116–171) is amended—

(1)

in subsection (b), by striking the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide Task Force and inserting such entities as the Secretary considers appropriate; and

(2)

in subsection (h)(3)(L), by striking the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide Task Force,.

(b)

Maximum grant amount

Subsection (c)(2)(A) of such section is amended by striking $750,000 and inserting $1,250,000.

(c)

Measures and metrics

Subsection (h)(2) of such section is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

(C)

Additional measures and metrics as the Secretary considers appropriate to ensure that the measures and metrics described in this paragraph—

(i)

accurately reflect the aims of the grant program under this section;

(ii)

provide accountability to Congress related to grant funds; and

(iii)

reflect lessons learned from interim reporting on and evaluation of the grant program.

.

(d)

Briefings

Subsection (h) of such section is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

(5)

Briefing for local VAMCs

Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall provide, to the appropriate personnel of each medical center of the Department located not more than 100 miles from the primary location of a grantee under this section, a briefing about the grant program under this section in order to improve coordination between such grantee and personnel.

.

(e)

Duration

Subsection (j) of such section is amended by striking the date that is three years after the date on which the first grant is awarded under this section and inserting September 30, 2028.

(f)

Reauthorization

Subsection (p) of such section is amended by striking a total of $174,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 through 2025 and inserting $285,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2028.

(g)

Eligible individuals

Subsection (q)(4)(C) of such section is amended by striking (iv) and inserting (vi).