117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2441 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the 

Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and to 

direct the Comptroller General of the United States to 

conduct a study to assess certain mental health care 

resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs available 

to veterans who live in rural areas. 
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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 ‘‘Sgt. Ketchum Rural 

5 Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF RURAL ACCESS NETWORK FOR 

7 GROWTH ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM OF THE 

8 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

9 (a) EXPANSION.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

10 shall establish and maintain three new centers of the 

11 RANGE Program. 

12 (b) LOCATIONS.—The centers established under sub13 section (a) shall be located in areas determined by the Sec14 retary based on— 

15 (1) the need for additional mental health care 

16 for rural veterans in such areas; and 

17 (2) interest expressed by personnel at facilities 

18 of the Department in such areas. 

19 (c) TIMELINE.—The Secretary shall establish the 

20 centers under subsection (a) during fiscal year 2022. 

21 (d) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be appro22 priated $1,200,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

23 2024 to carry out this section. 
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1 SEC. 3. GAO STUDY OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE FURNISHED 

2 BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

3 TO RURAL VETERANS. 

4 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Comptroller General of 

5 the United States shall conduct a study to assess whether 

6 the Department of Veterans Affairs has sufficient re7 sources to serve rural veterans who need covered mental 

8 health care. Such study shall include assessments of— 

9 (1) whether the mental health care furnished by 

10 the Secretary (through resources including the 

11 RANGE Program, Enhanced RANGE Program, 

12 mental health residential rehabilitation treatment 

13 programs, inpatient mental health services, and 

14 PRR centers) is sufficient to meet the covered men15 tal health care needs of rural veterans; 

16 (2) how best to expand and to appropriately lo17 cate resources described in paragraph (1); 

18 (3) whether to require the establishment of a 

19 PRR center at a medical facility of the Department 

20 that serves 1,000 or more veterans on the National 

21 Psychosis Registry; 

22 (4) the demand by rural veterans for mental 

23 health resources specified in paragraph (1); 

24 (5) the average wait time for a rural veteran for 

25 mental health resources specified in paragraph (1); 

26 and 
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1 (6) how many rural veterans died by suicide or 

2 overdose— 

3 (A) while on a wait list for mental health 

4 resources specified in paragraph (1); and 

5 (B) during the term of the study. 

6 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 18 months 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp8 troller General shall submit to the Committees on Vet9 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 

10 a report containing the results of the study under this sec11 tion. 

12 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) The term ‘‘covered mental health care’’ 

15 means mental health care that is more intensive 

16 than traditional outpatient therapy. 

17 (2) The term ‘‘PRR center’’ means a psycho18 social rehabilitation and recovery center of the De19 partment of Veterans Affairs. 

20 (3) The term ‘‘RANGE Program’’ means the 

21 Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement 

22 Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

23 (4) The term ‘‘rural veteran’’ means a veteran 

24 who lives in a rural or highly rural area (including 

25 such an area in a Tribal or insular area), as deter-
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1 mined through the use of the Rural-Urban Com2 muting Areas coding system of the Department of 

3 Agriculture. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 18, 2021. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2441 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to exerans who live in rural areas. Department of Veterans Affairs available to vet- assess certain mental health care resources of the eral of the United States to conduct a study to erans Affairs, and to direct the Comptroller Gen- hancement Program of the Department of Vet- pand the Rural Access Network for Growth En-