Summary

Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to write rules that set standard practices for any Veterans Health Administration grant or pilot related to suicide prevention or mental health. Those rules must require clear, measurable objectives; a written evaluation plan describing what data will be collected and how it will be analyzed; communication with relevant partners during development and at least 30 days before a program begins; end-of-program evaluations to confirm lessons learned and assess whether results apply more broadly; and sharing of results and best practices. The VA must issue these regulations within 180 days, and the requirements apply to existing and future programs unless prohibited by law.

• Directs VA to publish regulations within 180 days requiring standard practices for VHA suicide-prevention and mental-health grants and pilots.
• Requires clear, measurable objectives for each grant or pilot to enable evaluation.
• Mandates a written evaluation plan detailing what data will be collected, how, when, and how results will be analyzed.
• Requires pre-start and ongoing communication of objectives and evaluation plans, including at least 30 days before program launch.
• Requires end-of-program evaluations to validate lessons learned and assess whether results generalize.
• Requires sharing of results and best practices to support replication and broader use of effective approaches.
• Applies to any relevant VHA grant or pilot regardless of when it began, unless prohibited by law.
• Focuses on improving evidence, transparency, and decision criteria for expanding or making programs permanent.