Recognizing Community Organizations for Veteran Engagement and Recovery Act

This bill, known as the RECOVER Act , directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement a three-year pilot program. The program aims to provide grants to eligible non-profit outpatient mental health facilities across the United States for the provision of culturally competent, evidence-based mental health care for veterans . To qualify, facilities must be operated by non-profit organizations for at least three continuous years and commit to having clinicians trained in culturally competent veteran mental health care. Grant funds can be used to operate existing facilities, establish new ones, and encourage veterans to enroll in the Department of Veterans Affairs' patient enrollment system. Recipients are prohibited from charging veterans for care or refusing service based on reimbursement eligibility, though they can seek reimbursement from other sources. The Secretary will prioritize grant distribution evenly between rural and urban areas, potentially considering facilities serving high proportions of veterans or those located in medically underserved areas, near military installations, or with large veteran populations at high risk of suicide. Individual grants are capped at $1,500,000 per facility per fiscal year, with a lower cap for facilities heavily reliant on federal funding. The bill authorizes $20,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 to fund this pilot program. Upon completion, the Secretary must report to Congress on program outcomes, veteran demographics served, and any challenges encountered.