Recognizing Community Organizations for Veteran Engagement and Recovery Act

Grants for veteran mental health care

If enacted, VA would run a three-year pilot to give grants to community outpatient mental health providers. The bill would authorize $20 million per year for FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 (about $60 million total). Grants would fund evidence-based in-person and telehealth care, facility expansion, outreach, care coordination, clinician training, and data collection. Eligible providers would need at least three years of continuous outpatient operation, state licensure or certification, and recognized accreditation. A facility grant would generally be capped at $1,500,000 per fiscal year; if a facility got at least 50% of its prior-year budget from federal grants, the cap would be the lesser of 50% of that operating budget or $1,500,000. Providers could not charge eligible veterans for grant-funded services, and family member care would be allowed when integral to a successful clinical outcome. Grant funds could not duplicate payments billable to federal payers, but recipients could seek reimbursement from non-VA payers where allowed. The VA would require standardized outcome reporting and must report to Congress within 180 days after the pilot ends.