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Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue binding regulations establishing standard practices for any Veterans Health Administration grant or pilot program focused on suicide prevention or mental health. The regulations must set measurable objectives, specify what data will be collected and how it will be analyzed, require communication with relevant partners at least 30 days before a program starts, mandate an end-of-program evaluation, and require sharing results and best practices. The Department must publish these regulations within 180 days after the law takes effect, and the standards apply to eligible grants and pilots regardless of when they began.
Amend Section 527 of title 38, United States Code by (1) inserting text in subsection (a) as described, (2) redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively, and (3) adding a new subsection (b) that requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations establishing standard practices for certain grant or pilot programs.
The Secretary shall prescribe regulations that establish standard practices that, unless otherwise prohibited by law, apply to a grant program or pilot program relating to suicide prevention or mental health carried out through the Veterans Health Administration.
Standard practices must include the establishment of clear and measurable objectives for the program.
Standard practices must include development of a methodology and plan to: (A) determine information necessary to evaluate the program; (B) identify sources, methods, timing, and frequency for collecting such information; (C) determine how such information will be analyzed to evaluate implementation and performance and identify lessons learned; and (D) identify criteria or standards to inform decisions about whether the program should be expanded, extended, or made permanent.
Standard practices must require communication of program objectives, assessment methodology, and evaluation plan with entities the Secretary determines relevant to the program: during development, at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the program, and throughout the term of the program.
Primary effects:
Operational and administrative impacts:
Overall, the legislation is procedural and oversight-focused: it aims to raise the quality, transparency, and evaluability of VHA suicide-prevention and mental-health grants and pilots, with administrative burden concentrated on VA and program operators and potential program-quality gains for veterans and partners.
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Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced April 17, 2025 by Greg Landsman · Last progress April 17, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House