# Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act

This bill makes improvements to a Veterans Affairs program that helps veterans who have gotten involved with the criminal justice system. The Veterans Justice Outreach Program already exists, but this bill strengthens it by requiring the VA to do more to find these veterans and connect them with help before their legal problems get worse.

Right now, many veterans who end up in jail or dealing with courts don't know that the VA can help them. This bill requires the VA to spread the word more aggressively to police departments, courts, jails, and veteran organizations about what services are available. Importantly, the bill clarifies that even veterans who didn't receive an honorable discharge can get help through this program—something that might not be widely known. The bill also requires the VA to hire more specialists to work in rural and remote areas where veterans might be far away from VA medical centers, since these areas often have the hardest time connecting veterans with services.

To make sure the program actually works better, the bill requires the VA to set clear goals and measure whether they're meeting them. It also requires VA specialists who work with justice-involved veterans to get training at least once a year on how to identify veterans and help them access services. Additionally, the VA must study veterans treatment courts—special courts designed specifically for veterans—and report back to Congress on how well they're working and what barriers prevent veterans from using them.

The practical impact is that veterans struggling with the criminal justice system should have an easier time finding VA support, especially those in underserved areas. This could mean the difference between a veteran getting mental health treatment or substance abuse help versus cycling through the court system repeatedly.

Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act

Miller-Meeks, Mariannette

Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Justice Outreach Program, which is a program through which the VA identifies justice-involved veterans and provides them with access to VA services. Justice-involved veterans are those with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of a local criminal justice system. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to conduct program outreach to justice-involved veterans, military and veterans service organizations, and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community (e.g., local law enforcement). The VA must increase the number of program specialists responsible for supporting justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, or underserved areas. Additionally, the VA must establish performance goals, measures, and implementation time lines for the program, specialists, and providing support for research regarding justice-involved veterans. Program specialists must receive training, at least annually, on (1) veteran eligibility for the program, and (2) best practices for identifying and conducting outreach to justice-involved veterans and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community.