38 U.S.C. § 2023 — Referral and counseling services: veterans at risk of homelessness who are transitioning from certain institutions

(a) Program authority. The Secretary^* of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Labor, called the “Secretaries” in this section, must run a program of referral and counseling services for eligible veterans. The services concern benefits and services available under this title and under State^* law.

(b) Program locations. The program must operate in at least 12 locations. One location must be a penal institution under the Bureau of Prisons.

(c) Program scope. (1) As far as practicable, the program must provide both referral and counseling services. Counseling must cover job training and placement, including job readiness, housing, health care, and other benefits that help an eligible veteran^* move from institutional living.
(2)(A) When services are provided at a program location, referral services must be provided in person during a period set by the Secretaries that comes before the eligible veteran’s release or discharge. Counseling services must be provided after that date. (B) As part of the program, the Secretaries may give penal-institution officials outreach information about referral and counseling services. The officials may present it to veterans in their custody during the 18 months before the veteran’s release or discharge.
(3) The Secretaries may make grants to entities or organizations that meet requirements established by the Secretaries, so those entities or organizations can provide the required services.
(4) In developing the program, the Secretaries must consult Bureau of Prisons officials, officials of State penal institutions and penal institutions of State subdivisions, and any other officials the Secretaries consider suitable.

(d) Definition. In this section, “eligible veteran” means a veteran who:
(1) Lives in a penal institution or an institution providing long-term care for mental illness; and
(2) Is at risk of homelessness without the referral and counseling services provided under the demonstration program, as determined under guidelines established by the Secretaries. This section does not define “demonstration program” beyond this reference.