Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act of 2021
The bill updates the Veterans Justice Outreach Program, which is a program through which the Department of Veterans Affairs (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.
Under the bill, the VA must 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 also develop a strategic plan for the program. In developing the plan, the VA must conduct (1) a workforce gap analysis for the program; and (2) an assessment of barriers to working with justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, and underserved areas.
The VA must increase the number of Veterans Justice Outreach specialists responsible for supporting justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, or underserved areas.
The bill requires the VA to establish performance goals and implementation plans for the program, Veterans Justice Outreach specialists, and for providing support for research regarding justice-involved veterans.
Finally, the VA must ensure all Veterans Justice Outreach specialists receive annual training on (1) best practices for identifying and conducting outreach to justice-involved veterans and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community, and (2) veteran eligibility for the program.