Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities at the rate provided to federal employees in connection with the performance of official duties.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate at least one and up to five centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (2) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in remote rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; and (4) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2005 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2005
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve health care for
veterans who live in rural areas, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 23, 2007
Mr. Salazar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve health care for
veterans who live in rural areas, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Veterans Health Care
Improvement Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT FOR VETERANS RECEIVING TREATMENT AT
FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Section 111 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``subsistence),'' and inserting
``subsistence at a rate equivalent to the rate provided
to Federal employees under section 5702 of title 5),'';
and
(B) by striking ``traveled,'' and inserting ``(at a
rate equivalent to the rate provided to Federal
employees under section 5704 of title 5),'';
(2) by striking subsection (g); and
(3) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (g).
SEC. 3. CENTERS FOR RURAL HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLINICAL
ACTIVITIES.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 7330A. Centers for rural health research, education, and
clinical activities
``(a) Establishment of Centers.--The Secretary, through the
Director of the Office of Rural Health, shall establish and operate not
less than one and not more than five centers of excellence for rural
health research, education, and clinical activities, which shall--
``(1) conduct research on the provision of health services
in rural areas;
``(2) develop specific models to be used by the Department
in furnishing health services to veterans in rural areas;
``(3) provide education and training for health-care
professionals of the Department on the furnishing of health
services to veterans in rural areas; and
``(4) develop and implement innovative clinical activities
and systems of care for the Department for the furnishing of
health services to veterans in rural areas.
``(b) Geographic Dispersion.--The Secretary shall ensure that the
centers authorized under this section are located at health-care
facilities that are geographically dispersed throughout the United
States.
``(c) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary may not designate a health
care facility as a location for a center under this section unless--
``(1) the peer review panel established under subsection
(d) determines that the proposal submitted by such facility
meets the highest competitive standards of scientific and
clinical merit; and
``(2) the Secretary determines that the facility has, or
may reasonably be anticipated to develop, the following:
``(A) An arrangement with an accredited medical
school to provide residents with education and training
in health services for veterans in rural areas.
``(B) The ability to attract the participation of
scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity
in health care research efforts.
``(C) A policymaking advisory committee, composed
of appropriate health care and research representatives
of the facility and of the affiliated school or
schools, to advise the directors of such facility and
such center on policy matters pertaining to the
activities of such center during the period of the
operation of such center.
``(D) The capability to conduct effectively
evaluations of the activities of such center.
``(d) Panel To Evaluate Proposals.--(1) The Director of the Office
of Rural Health shall establish a panel--
``(A) to evaluate the scientific and clinical merit of
proposals submitted to establish centers under this section;
and
``(B) to provide advice to the Director regarding the
implementation of this section.
``(2) The panel shall review each proposal received from the
Secretary and shall submit its views on the relative scientific and
clinical merit of each such proposal to the Secretary.
``(3) The panel established under paragraph (1) shall be comprised
of experts in the fields of public health research, education, and
clinical care.
``(4) Members of the panel shall serve as consultants to the
Department for a period not to exceed two years.
``(5) The panel shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
``(e) Funding.--(1) There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Medical Care Account and the Medical and Prosthetic Research Account of
the Department of Veterans Affairs such sums as may be necessary for
the support of the research and education activities of the centers
operated under this section.
``(2) There shall be allocated to the centers operated under this
section, from amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Medical Care
Account and the Medical and Prosthetic Research Account by paragraph
(1), such amounts as the Under Secretary of health considers
appropriate for such centers. Such amounts shall be allocated through
the Director of the Office of Rural Health.
``(3) Activities of clinical and scientific investigation at each
center operated under this section--
``(A) shall be eligible to compete for the award of funding
from funds appropriated for the Medical and Prosthetic Research
Account; and
``(B) shall receive priority in the award of funding from
such account to the extent that funds are awarded to projects
for research in the care of rural veterans.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 73 of such title is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 7330 the following new item:
``7330A. Centers for rural health research, education, and clinical
activities.''.
SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION GRANTS FOR RURAL VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) Grants Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation
options to veterans in remote rural areas.
(2) Use of funds.--Grants awarded under this section may be
used by State veterans' service agencies and veterans service
organizations to--
(A) assist veterans in remote rural areas to travel
to Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and
(B) otherwise assist in providing medical care to
veterans in remote rural areas.
(3) Maximum amount.--The amount of a grant under this
section may not exceed $50,000.
(4) No matching requirement.--The recipient of a grant
under this section shall not be required to provide matching
funds as a condition for receiving such grant.
(b) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for--
(1) evaluating grant applications under this section; and
(2) otherwise administering the program established by this
section.
(c) Veterans Service Organization Definition.--In this section, the
term ``veterans service organization'' means any organization
recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the representation
of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to
carry out this section.
SEC. 5. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS ON ALTERNATIVES FOR EXPANDING CARE FOR
VETERANS IN RURAL AREAS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the
Director of the Office of Rural Health, shall carry out demonstration
projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in
rural areas, including the following:
(1) Establishing a partnership between the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services of the Department of Health and Human Services to
coordinate care for veterans in rural areas at critical access
hospitals (as designated or certified under section 1820 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-4)).
(2) Establishing a partnership between the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human
Services to coordinate care for veterans in rural areas at
community health centers.
(3) Expanding coordination between the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service to expand care
for Native American veterans.
(b) Geographic Distribution.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall ensure that the demonstration projects authorized under
subsection (a) are located at facilities that are geographically
distributed throughout the United States.
(c) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit a
report on the results of the demonstration projects conducted under
subsection (a) to--
(1) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON MATTERS RELATED TO CARE FOR VETERANS WHO
LIVE IN RURAL AREAS.
(a) Annual Report.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
to Congress each year, together with documents submitted to Congress in
support of the budget of the President for the fiscal year beginning in
such year (as submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United
States Code), an assessment, current as of the fiscal year ending in
the year before such report is submitted, of the following:
(1) The implementation of the provisions of this Act,
including the amendments made by this Act.
(2) The establishment and function of the Office of Rural
Health under section 7308 of title 38, United States Code.
(b) Additional Requirements for Initial Report.--The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress, together with the first
report submitted under subsection (a), an assessment of the following:
(1) The fee-basis health-care program required by
subsection (b) of section 212 of the Veterans Benefits, Health
Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-
461; 120 Stat. 3422).
(2) The outreach program required by section 213 of such
Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
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