The Secretary shall carry out a program to make grants to health care facilities of the Department and to entities eligible for grants and per diem payments under sections 2011 and 2012 of this title in order to encourage development by those facilities and entities of programs for homeless veterans with special needs.

For purposes of this section, homeless veterans with special needs include homeless veterans who are—

(1) women;

(2) frail elderly;

(3) terminally ill;

(4) chronically mentally ill; or

(5) individuals who have care of minor dependents.

A recipient of a grant under subsection (a) may use amounts under the grant to provide services directly to a dependent of a homeless veteran with special needs who is under the care of such homeless veteran while such homeless veteran receives services from the grant recipient under this section.

From amounts appropriated to the Department for “Medical Services” for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2020, $5,000,000 shall be available for each such fiscal year for the purposes of the program under this section.

(1) From amounts appropriated to the Department for “Medical Services” for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2020, $5,000,000 shall be available for each such fiscal year for the purposes of the program under this section.

(2) The Secretary shall ensure that funds for grants under this section are designated for the first three years of operation of the program under this section as a special purpose program for which funds are not allocated through the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation system.

(Added Pub. L. 107–95, § 5(a)(1), Dec. 21, 2001, 115 Stat. 913; amended Pub. L. 109–461, title VII, § 706, Dec. 22, 2006, 120 Stat. 3440; Pub. L. 112–37, § 13, Oct. 5, 2011, 125 Stat. 397; Pub. L. 112–154, title III, §§ 303, 305(d), Aug. 6, 2012, 126 Stat. 1184, 1188; Pub. L. 113–37, § 2(f)(3), Sept. 30, 2013, 127 Stat. 524; Pub. L. 113–175, title II, § 207, Sept. 26, 2014, 128 Stat. 1904; Pub. L. 114–58, title III, § 305, Sept. 30, 2015, 129 Stat. 534; Pub. L. 114–228, title III, § 306, Sept. 29, 2016, 130 Stat. 939; Pub. L. 115–62, title III, § 305, Sept. 29, 2017, 131 Stat. 1163; Pub. L. 115–251, title I, § 146, Sept. 29, 2018, 132 Stat. 3170.)