Recognizing Community Organizations for Veteran Engagement and Recovery Act

The RECOVER Act would create a three-year VA pilot program that gives grants to nonprofit outpatient mental health clinics so veterans can get respectful, proven mental health care. Clinics can use the money to run or open facilities and to encourage eligible veterans to enroll in VA care. To qualify, a provider must be a nonprofit that has operated at least one outpatient mental health clinic in the U.S. for three years, and each funded site must have at least one clinician trained under VA standards to deliver culturally competent care for veterans. Care must be free to veterans at the visit, and clinics cannot turn a veteran away because their insurance won’t pay; clinics may still seek reimbursement later from insurance, VA community care, or other programs. The VA should spread grants across rural and urban areas and may prioritize places that are medically underserved, have many veterans, are near bases, or have high suicide risk. Each facility could get up to $1.5 million per year (with lower caps for sites already heavily funded by federal grants), and Congress authorizes $20 million per year for 2025–2027. The VA will set training rules, require data and outcomes reporting, and send Congress a report within 180 days after the pilot ends. In short: It funds trusted community clinics to deliver veteran-centered mental health care, at no cost to the veteran at the time of service.

Key points

• Who is affected: Veterans seeking mental health care; nonprofit outpatient mental health providers.
• What changes: VA grants to run/open clinics; free care at the visit; no refusal based on insurance; clinician training; even rural/urban spread with priority for high-need areas; data and outcomes reporting; repeat and multi-site grants allowed; outreach to enroll veterans in VA care .
• When: Three-year pilot; funding authorized for fiscal years 2025–2027; VA report due 180 days after the pilot ends.