A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to include licensed hearing aid specialists as eligible for appointment in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to appoint licensed hearing aid specialists in the Veterans Health Administration.

Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report on: (1) timely access of veterans to hearing health services through the VA, and (2) contracting policies of the VA with respect to providing hearing health services to veterans in non-VA facilities.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2311 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2311

To amend title 38, United States Code, to include licensed hearing aid 
    specialists as eligible for appointment in the Veterans Health 
  Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 8, 2014

 Mr. Tester (for himself, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Begich, and Mr. 
Walsh) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to include licensed hearing aid 
    specialists as eligible for appointment in the Veterans Health 
  Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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. APPOINTMENT OF LICENSED HEARING AID SPECIALISTS IN VETERANS 
              HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Licensed Hearing Aid Specialists.--
            (1) Appointment.--Section 7401(3) of title 38, United 
        States Code, is amended by inserting ``licensed hearing aid 
        specialists,'' after ``Audiologists,''.
            (2) Qualifications.--Section 7402(b)(14) of such title is 
        amended by inserting ``licensed hearing aid specialist,'' after 
        ``licensed physical therapist,''.
    (b) Annual Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report 
        on the following:
                    (A) Timely access of veterans to hearing health 
                services through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
                    (B) Contracting policies of the Department with 
                respect to providing hearing health services to 
                veterans in facilities that are not facilities of the 
                Department.
            (2) Timely access to services.--Each report shall, with 
        respect to the matter specified in paragraph (1)(A) for the 
        one-year period preceding the submittal of such report, include 
        the following:
                    (A) The staffing levels of audiologists, hearing 
                aid specialists, and health technicians in audiology in 
                the Veterans Health Administration.
                    (B) A description of the metrics used by the 
                Secretary in measuring performance with respect to 
                appointments and care relating to hearing health.
                    (C) The average time that a veteran waits to 
                receive an appointment, beginning on the date on which 
                the veteran makes the request, for the following:
                            (i) A disability rating evaluation for a 
                        hearing-related disability.
                            (ii) A hearing aid evaluation.
                            (iii) Dispensing of hearing aids.
                            (iv) Any follow-up hearing health 
                        appointment.
                    (D) The percentage of veterans whose total wait 
                time for appointments described in subparagraph (C), 
                including an initial and follow-up appointment, if 
                applicable, is--
                            (i) less than 15 days;
                            (ii) between 15 days and 28 days;
                            (iii) between 29 days and 42 days;
                            (iv) between 43 days and 56 days; or
                            (v) more than 56 days.
            (3) Contracting policies.--Each report shall, with respect 
        to the matter specified in paragraph (1)(B) for the one-year 
        period preceding the submittal of such report, include the 
        following:
                    (A) The number of veterans that the Secretary 
                refers to non-Department audiologists for hearing 
                health care appointments.
                    (B) Of the veterans described in subparagraph (A), 
                the number of veterans that the Secretary refers to 
                non-Department hearing aid specialists for follow-up 
                appointments for a hearing aid evaluation, the 
                dispensing of hearing aids, or any other purpose 
                relating to hearing health.
                    (C) The policies of the Veterans Health 
                Administration regarding the referral of veterans to 
                non-Department hearing aid specialists and a 
                description of the manner in which such policies will 
                be applied under the Patient-Centered Community Care 
                program of the Department.
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