II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1849 

To require a five-year strategic plan for the Office of Rural Health of 

the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs for improving access to, and the quality of, health care services 

for veterans in rural areas. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 10, 2011 

Mr. FRANKEN (for himself and Mr. BOOZMAN) introduced the following bill; 

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

A BILL 

To require a five-year strategic plan for the Office of Rural 

Health of the Veterans Health Administration of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs for improving access 

to, and the quality of, health care services for veterans 

in rural areas. 

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 ‘‘Rural Veterans Health 

5 Care Improvement Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR OFFICE OF 

2 RURAL HEALTH OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

3 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

4 (a) STRATEGIC PLAN REQUIRED.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di7 rector of the Office of Rural Health of the Veterans 

8 Health Administration of the Department of Vet9 erans Affairs shall develop a strategic plan for the 

10 Office of Rural Health for improving access to, and 

11 the quality of, health care services for veterans in 

12 rural areas that covers the five-year period com13 mencing on the date of the issuance of the plan by 

14 the Director. 

15 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Director of the Of16 fice of Rural Health shall develop the plan in con17 sultation with the following: 

18 (A) The Director of the Health Care Re19 tention and Recruitment Office of the Depart20 ment. 

21 (B) The Director of the Office of Quality 

22 and Performance of the Department. 

23 (C) The Director of the Office of Care Co24 ordination Services of the Department. 


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1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The plan required by subsection (a) 

2 shall include, for the period covered by the plan, the fol3 lowing: 

4 (1) Goals and objectives for the recruitment 

5 and retention by the Veterans Health Administra6 tion of health care personnel in rural areas. 

7 (2) Goals and objectives for ensuring timeliness 

8 and improving quality in the delivery of health care 

9 services by the Veterans Health Administration in 

10 rural areas through contract and fee-basis providers. 

11 (3) Goals and objectives for the implementation, 

12 expansion, and enhanced use of telemedicine services 

13 by the Veterans Health Administration in rural 

14 areas, including through coordination with other ap15 propriate offices of the Department. 

16 (4) Goals and objectives for ensuring the full 

17 and effective use of mobile outpatient clinics by the 

18 Veterans Health Administration for the provision of 

19 health care services in rural areas, including goals 

20 and objectives for the use of such clinics on a fully 

21 mobile basis and for encouraging health care pro22 viders who provide services through such clinics to 

23 do so in rural areas. 


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1 (5) Procedures for soliciting from each Vet2 erans Health Administration facility that serves a 

3 rural area the following: 

4 (A) A statement of the clinical capacity of 

5 such facility. 

6 (B) The procedures of such facility in the 

7 event of a medical, surgical, or mental health 

8 emergency outside the scope of the clinical ca9 pacity of such facility. 

10 (C) The procedures and mechanisms of 

11 such facility for the provision and coordination 

12 of health care for women veterans, including 

13 procedures and mechanisms for coordination 

14 with local hospitals and health care facilities, 

15 oversight of primary care and fee-basis care, 

16 and management of specialty care. 

17 (6) Goals and objectives for the modification of 

18 the funding allocation mechanisms of the Office of 

19 Rural Health in order to ensure that the Office dis20 tributes funds to components of the Department to 

21 best achieve the goals and objectives of the Office 

22 and in a timely manner. 

23 (7) Goals and objectives for the coordination of, 

24 and sharing of resources with respect to, the provi25 sion of health care services to veterans in rural areas 


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1 between the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 

2 Department of Defense, the Indian Health Service 

3 of the Department of Health and Human Services, 

4 and other Federal agencies, as appropriate and pru5 dent. 

6 (8) Specific milestones for the achievement of 

7 the goals and objectives developed for the plan. 

8 (9) Procedures for ensuring the effective imple9 mentation of the plan. 

10 (c) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 

11 days after the date of the issuance of the plan required 

12 by subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

13 transmit the plan to Congress, together with such com14 ments and recommendations in connection with the plan 

15 as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

Æ 


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