II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2736 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish centers to provide 

enhanced services to veterans with amputations and prosthetic devices, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 4, 2006 

Mr. CRAIG (for himself and Mr. AKAKA) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish 

centers to provide enhanced services to veterans with 

amputations and prosthetic devices, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. AMPUTATION AND PROSTHETIC REHABILITA4 TION CENTERS FOR VETERANS. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

7 Affairs shall establish not less than five centers to 


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1 provide rehabilitation services to veterans with am2 putations or prosthetic devices. 

3 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of each center es4 tablished pursuant to paragraph (1) are— 

5 (A) to provide regional clinical facilities of 

6 the Department of Veterans Affairs with special 

7 expertise in prosthetics, rehabilitation with the 

8 use of prosthetics, treatment, and coordination 

9 of care for veterans who have an amputation of 

10 any functional part of the body; and 

11 (B) to provide information and supportive 

12 services to all facilities of the Department of 

13 Veterans Affairs concerning the care and treat14 ment of veterans with a prosthetic device. 

15 (3) DESIGNATION.—Each center established 

16 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be known as an 

17 ‘‘Amputation and Prosthetic Rehabilitation Center’’ 

18 (in this section referred to as a ‘‘Center’’). 

19 (b) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In identifying ap20 propriate facilities for the location of the Centers estab21 lished pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall en22 sure, to the maximum extent practicable, that such Cen23 ters are geographically located so as to be accessible to 

24 as many veterans as possible in the United States. 


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1 (c) STAFF AND RESOURCES.—Each Center shall in2 clude the following: 

3 (1) A modern, well-equipped, and appropriately 

4 certified laboratory facility capable of providing 

5 state-of-the-art and complex prosthetic devices to all 

6 veterans with an amputation, including veterans 

7 with an amputation incurred in Operation Iraqi 

8 Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. 

9 (2) Certified and experienced prosthetists, in10 cluding prosthetists with certifications in new fab11 rication techniques. 

12 (3) An accredited Physical Medicine and Reha13 bilitation (PM&R) service with staff who are well14 trained in current prosthetic services and emerging 

15 trends for treatment of amputations. 

16 (4) A modern gait laboratory, permanently lo17 cated within such Center. 

18 (d) NO DUPLICATION OF SERVICES OF POLYTRAUMA

19 CENTERS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, to the 

21 extent practicable, ensure that the services provided 

22 by the Centers established pursuant to subsection 

23 (a) do not duplicate the services provided by the 

24 polytrauma centers of the Department of Veterans 


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1 Affairs designated as Tier I or Tier II Polytrauma 

2 centers. 

3 (2) CONSTRUCTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not 

4 be construed to prohibit the location of a Center so 

5 as to facilitate the ready support of a polytrauma 

6 center, referred to in that paragraph. 

Æ 


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