VHA Ophthalmologic Service Establishment Act of 2011

VHA Ophthalmologic Service Establishment Act of 2011 - Establishes an ophthalmologic service in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Adds a Director of Ophthalmologic Service to the VA's Office of the Under Secretary for Health.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3216 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3216

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an ophthalmologic 
service and Director of Ophthalmologic Services in the Veterans Health 
         Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 14, 2011

 Mr. Benishek (for himself and Mr. Bilirakis) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an ophthalmologic 
service and Director of Ophthalmologic Services in the Veterans Health 
         Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``VHA Ophthalmologic Service 
Establishment Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Ocular injuries during war have steadily increased from 
        2 percent in the Civil War to 16 percent in Operation Enduring 
        Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
            (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs has reported 46,000 
        eye trauma injuries, including mild, moderate, and severe 
        cases, as of December 2010.
            (3) Large numbers of returning veterans suffer from visual 
        symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury; in fact, 
        approximately 60 to 70 percent of severe and moderate traumatic 
        brain injury cases and 40 percent of mild traumatic brain 
        injury cases include some form of visual impairment.
            (4) The demand and complexity of eye-care services within 
        the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs has increased significantly in recent years.
            (5) The number of veterans over age 85 is projected to 
        increase by 173 percent by 2020, and as the veteran population 
        served by the Department of Veteran Affairs ages, the demand 
        for eye care is expected to double, increasing the demand for 
        eye care services.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGIC SERVICE IN VETERANS HEALTH 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Establishment of Ophthalmologic Service.--Section 7305 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as paragraphs 
        (7) and (8), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(6) An Ophthalmologic Service.''.
    (b) Director.--Paragraph (6) of section 7306(a) of such title is 
amended by inserting ``a Director of Ophthalmologic Service,'' after 
``Podiatric Service,''.
    (c) Implementation.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure 
that an individual is serving as the Director of Ophthalmologic Service 
under section 7306(a)(6) of such title, as amended by subsection (b), 
by not later than the date that is 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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