II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4009 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to offer annual preventative health evaluations to veterans with 

a spinal cord injury or disorder and increase access to assistive technologies, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 21, 2024 

Mr. MORAN (for himself and Mr. TESTER) 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 direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to offer annual preventative 

health evaluations to veterans with a spinal cord injury 

or disorder and increase access to assistive technologies, 

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. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Spinal Trau5 ma Access to New Devices Act’’ or the ‘‘Veterans STAND 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROVISION OF PREVENTATIVE HEALTH EVALUA2 TIONS FOR VETERANS WITH A SPINAL CORD 

3 INJURY OR DISORDER. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 

5 title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

6 section 1712C the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1713. Preventative health evaluations for veterans 

8 with a spinal cord injury or disorder 

9 ‘‘(a) HEALTH EVALUATIONS.—The Secretary shall 

10 furnish (through direct provision of service, referral, or a 

11 telehealth program operated by the Department) a pre12 ventative health evaluation annually to any veteran with 

13 a spinal cord injury or disorder who elects to undergo the 

14 evaluation. 

15 ‘‘(b) ASSESSMENTS.—The evaluation described in 

16 subsection (a) shall include the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) An assessment of any circumstance or con18 dition the veteran is experiencing that indicates a 

19 risk for any health complication related to a spinal 

20 cord injury or disorder, including a risk of 

21 comorbidities. 

22 ‘‘(2) An assessment regarding chronic pain and, 

23 if applicable, the management of chronic pain. 

24 ‘‘(3) An assessment regarding dietary manage25 ment and weight management. 


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1 ‘‘(4) An assessment regarding prosthetic equip2 ment, including which prosthetic equipment the vet3 eran needs, how well any existing prosthetic equip4 ment is functioning considering the needs of the vet5 eran, and any safety concerns regarding the pros6 thetic equipment in use by or recommended to the 

7 veteran. 

8 ‘‘(5) An assessment for the provision of any as9 sistive technology that could help maximize the inde10 pendence and mobility of the veteran. 

11 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) SPINAL CORD INJURY AND DISORDER PRO13 GRAM MANAGERS.—In maintaining, prescribing, or 

14 amending any guidance, rules, or regulations issued 

15 by the Department regarding the requirements set 

16 out in this section, the Secretary shall consult with 

17 the spinal cord injury and disorder program man18 agers of the Department, clinicians employed by the 

19 Department as specialists in spinal cord injuries and 

20 disorders, and the organizations named in or ap21 proved under section 5902 of this title. 

22 ‘‘(2) MANUFACTURERS AND OTHER ENTI23 TIES.—In issuing any guidance, rules, or regulations 

24 regarding the requirements set out in this section, 

25 the Secretary may consult with manufacturers of asVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:24 Apr 05, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4009.IS S4009

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1 sistive technologies and other entities relevant to the 

2 provision of assistive technologies if the guidance, 

3 rules, or regulations would directly affect such man4 ufacturers or entities. 

5 ‘‘(d) INFORMATION ON EVALUATION.—The Secretary 

6 shall ensure, to the extent possible, that any veteran 

7 known by the Secretary to have a spinal cord injury or 

8 disorder receives information annually about the evalua9 tion available under this section and the benefits to the 

10 veteran of choosing to undergo the evaluation. 

11 ‘‘(e) USE OF EVALUATION IN PERFORMANCE RE12 VIEWS.—In reviewing the performance metrics of a Vet13 erans Integrated Service Network for any year beginning 

14 after the date that is one year after the date of the enact15 ment of the Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to New De16 vices Act, the Secretary shall consider the provision of 

17 evaluations under this section. 

18 ‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

19 of the enactment of the Veterans Spinal Trauma Access 

20 to New Devices Act, and every two years thereafter, the 

21 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Af22 fairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af23 fairs of the House of Representatives a report that in24 cludes the following: 

25 ‘‘(1) For the period covered by the report— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the number of veterans who received 

2 hospital care or medical services from the De3 partment and used an assistive technology; 

4 ‘‘(B) the number of veterans who received 

5 hospital care or medical services from the De6 partment and were assessed for the provision of 

7 an assistive technology; and 

8 ‘‘(C) the number of veterans who received 

9 hospital care or medical services from the De10 partment and were prescribed an assistive tech11 nology. 

12 ‘‘(2) For the two-year period immediately prior 

13 to year the report is submitted, the year-to-year 

14 change in the percentage of veterans with a spinal 

15 cord injury or disorder who received an evaluation 

16 under this section. 

17 ‘‘(g) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEFINED.—In this 

18 section, the term ‘assistive technology’ means a powered 

19 medical device or electronic tool used to treat or alleviate 

20 symptoms or conditions caused by a spinal cord injury or 

21 disorder, including the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) A personal mobility device, including a 

23 powered exoskeleton device. 

24 ‘‘(2) A speech generating device.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

2 at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended 

3 by inserting after the item relating to section 1712C the 

4 following new item: 

‘‘1713. Preventative health evaluations for veterans with a spinal cord injury or 

disorder.’’. 

Æ 


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