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Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Veteran Outdoor Recreation Grant Program
Creates a federal grant program giving state veterans agencies money to develop or expand outdoor recreation programs for veterans, aiming to improve their mental and physical health through nature-based activities.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects state veterans agencies (up to 50 entities) and the veteran population, which represents roughly 6% of U.S. adults — well under the 10% threshold for M.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low The program structure itself neither appropriates nor authorizes funds; fiscal consequence is carried by the separate authorization provision (index 1).
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Creates a new statutory grant-making duty on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, binding agency conduct through mandatory application review, minimum award floors, annual reporting requirements, and inter-agency collaboration directives — a procedural-plus-duty package that constrains agency discretion without altering substantive veterans' benefit law.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must approve every compliant application and set minimum awards, but retains discretion over distribution of additional funds, collaboration facilitation, and qualification standards deferred to states.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Implementation load is modest — processing state applications and collecting annual participation reports — with no new penalties, adjudicative infrastructure, or compliance enforcement mechanism.
- Temporal Commitment High The program operates indefinitely with no sunset, expiry, or mandatory reauthorization, persisting until Congress acts to repeal it.
No signal yet
Funding / Appropriations Top 2
Authorization of Appropriations — Veteran Outdoor Recreation
Authorizes $10 million per year for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund the veteran outdoor recreation grant program, with each approved state agency guaranteed at least $200,000 annually.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects the same narrow population of state veterans agencies and veterans as the core program — well under 10% of the U.S. population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low $10 million per year is a discretionary authorization subject to annual appropriations action, placing it at the lower end of federal grant program magnitudes.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Low Authorizing appropriations establishes a spending ceiling but creates no new substantive right, mandate, or prohibition; the operative legal change is in the core program provision.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Low The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) has no discretion over whether to distribute the per-state minimum once an application is approved; remaining funds are distributed at the Secretary of Veterans Affairs's discretion, but this is a narrow residual authority.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low No new enforcement infrastructure, compliance obligations, or penalties attach to the funding authorization itself.
- Temporal Commitment High The authorization recurs each fiscal year indefinitely with no sunset or forced reauthorization, persisting until Congress acts to end it.
No signal yet
No possible riders have been surfaced for this bill.
Summary
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a grant program that gives money to state veterans agencies so they can build or expand outdoor recreation programs for veterans. Each qualifying state agency could receive at least $200,000 per year, with a total of $10 million authorized annually. The programs would support activities like hiking, fishing, and adaptive sports to improve veterans' mental and physical health.
AI-generated summary, pending human review.
| Version | Event | Date | User support | Your vote | Roll calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original |
Initial publication
Oct 6, 2026
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Oct 6, 2026 | No votes yet | — | — |
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Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Veteran Outdoor Recreation Grant Program
Creates a federal grant program giving state veterans agencies money to develop or expand outdoor recreation programs for veterans, aiming to improve their mental and physical health through nature-based activities.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects state veterans agencies (up to 50 entities) and the veteran population, which represents roughly 6% of U.S. adults — well under the 10% threshold for M.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low The program structure itself neither appropriates nor authorizes funds; fiscal consequence is carried by the separate authorization provision (index 1).
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Creates a new statutory grant-making duty on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, binding agency conduct through mandatory application review, minimum award floors, annual reporting requirements, and inter-agency collaboration directives — a procedural-plus-duty package that constrains agency discretion without altering substantive veterans' benefit law.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must approve every compliant application and set minimum awards, but retains discretion over distribution of additional funds, collaboration facilitation, and qualification standards deferred to states.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Implementation load is modest — processing state applications and collecting annual participation reports — with no new penalties, adjudicative infrastructure, or compliance enforcement mechanism.
- Temporal Commitment High The program operates indefinitely with no sunset, expiry, or mandatory reauthorization, persisting until Congress acts to repeal it.
No signal yet
Core Policy Mechanism
Veteran Outdoor Recreation Grant Program
Funding / Appropriations Top 2
Authorization of Appropriations — Veteran Outdoor Recreation
Authorizes $10 million per year for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund the veteran outdoor recreation grant program, with each approved state agency guaranteed at least $200,000 annually.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects the same narrow population of state veterans agencies and veterans as the core program — well under 10% of the U.S. population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low $10 million per year is a discretionary authorization subject to annual appropriations action, placing it at the lower end of federal grant program magnitudes.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Low Authorizing appropriations establishes a spending ceiling but creates no new substantive right, mandate, or prohibition; the operative legal change is in the core program provision.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Low The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) has no discretion over whether to distribute the per-state minimum once an application is approved; remaining funds are distributed at the Secretary of Veterans Affairs's discretion, but this is a narrow residual authority.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low No new enforcement infrastructure, compliance obligations, or penalties attach to the funding authorization itself.
- Temporal Commitment High The authorization recurs each fiscal year indefinitely with no sunset or forced reauthorization, persisting until Congress acts to end it.
No signal yet
Funding / Appropriations
Authorization of Appropriations — Veteran Outdoor Recreation
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