# The Helping Heroes Act: What It Does

This bill creates a new program called the Veteran Family Resource Program designed to help veterans and their families access support services and navigate the benefits available to them. Right now, veterans often struggle to figure out what help they're eligible for—whether it's mental health services, financial assistance, housing support, or other resources. This bill aims to fix that problem by putting trained coordinators in place who can connect veterans and their families to the services they need.

The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire at least one "family coordinator" in each of its regional service networks within five years. These coordinators would work at VA medical centers and serve as go-to people who understand all the resources available to veterans, their families, and caregivers. If a veteran's family needs something the VA doesn't offer, the coordinator would help them find it in their community. For example, if a veteran's child needs mental health counseling or career training, the coordinator would know where to find those services locally and help connect them. The coordinators would also assess what families actually need, build relationships with them, and keep track of available services so they can make better referrals.

The bill also requires the VA to survey disabled veterans and their families within the next year to better understand what support they're currently getting for their children and what needs aren't being met. Two years after the program starts, the VA must report back to Congress with data on how many people used the program, whether it actually helped veterans and their families, and whether it improved their overall health and well-being. The bill includes standard protections against discrimination based on race, gender, disability, age, and other factors for anyone using the program.

Helping Heroes Act

Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp

Helping Heroes ActThis bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the Veteran Family Resource Program to address social determinants of health challenges experienced in veterans’ family units and ensure veterans and their families have access to services and resources to support wellness within the family units.In implementing the program, the VA must (1) appoint at least one family coordinator in each Veterans Integrated Service Network (regional VA health care administrative areas), and (2) ensure adequate staffing and resources to ensure family coordinators are able to carry out their duties and functions. Under the bill, a family coordinator’s function is generally to serve at a VA medical center as a point person regarding VA and community resources for veterans, their families, and caregivers and survivors of veterans.The VA may expand the program to additional medical centers as appropriate.Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill, and not less frequently than once every five years after, the VA must survey disabled veterans and their families to identify and better understand their needs.