To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the Center for Minority Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include services for historically underserved veterans, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · June 23, 2023
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
The Historically Underserved Veterans Inclusion Act of 2023 expands the Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for Minority Veterans and its Advisory Committee to serve not only minority veterans but also "historically underserved veterans"—a new category that includes veterans facing barriers based on sexual orientation, gender identity, language proficiency, citizenship status, religion, and other factors. The bill requires the VA to conduct biennial reviews to identify disparities in benefits receipt among veteran groups and report findings to Congress within 120 days, with recommendations for extending services to underserved populations. The legislation adds representatives from the Departments of Housing and Education, the Attorney General's office, the Small Business Administration, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy to the advisory committee, expanding interagency coordination. The advisory committee's duties are broadened to include guidance on improving outreach, health care, suicide prevention, homelessness services, and mechanisms for veterans to provide feedback to the department. The bill includes Middle Eastern or North African American as an official minority group category and allows the committee to recommend services for additional veteran populations identified through the biennial review process.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.