I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2441 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 12, 2021 

Mrs. AXNE (for herself, Mrs. HINSON, Mr. RYAN, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. 

FEENSTRA, and Mr. CASE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

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. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sgt. Ketchum Rural 

3 Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021’’. 

4 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF RURAL ACCESS NETWORK FOR 

5 GROWTH ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM OF THE 

6 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

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

8 shall establish and maintain three new centers of the 

9 RANGE Program. 

10 (b) LOCATIONS.—The centers established under sub11 section (a) shall be located in areas determined by the Sec12 retary based on— 

13 (1) the need for additional mental health care 

14 for rural veterans in such areas; and 

15 (2) interest expressed by personnel at facilities 

16 of the Department in such areas. 

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

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

19 (d) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be appro20 priated $1,200,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

21 2024 to carry out this section. 

22 SEC. 3. GAO STUDY OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE FURNISHED 

23 BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

24 TO RURAL VETERANS. 

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

26 the United States shall conduct a study to assess whether 


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1 the Department of Veterans Affairs has sufficient re2 sources to serve rural veterans who need covered mental 

3 health care. Such study shall include assessments of— 

4 (1) whether the mental health care furnished by 

5 the Secretary (through resources including the 

6 RANGE Program, Enhanced RANGE Program, 

7 mental health residential rehabilitation treatment 

8 programs, inpatient mental health services, and 

9 PRR centers) is sufficient to meet the covered men10 tal health care needs of rural veterans; 

11 (2) how best to expand and to appropriately lo12 cate resources described in paragraph (1); 

13 (3) whether to require the establishment of a 

14 PRR center at a medical facility of the Department 

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

16 Psychosis Registry; 

17 (4) the demand by rural veterans for mental 

18 health resources specified in paragraph (1); 

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

20 mental health resources specified in paragraph (1); 

21 and 

22 (6) how many rural veterans died by suicide or 

23 overdose— 

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

25 resources specified in paragraph (1); and 


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1 (B) during the term of the study. 

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

3 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comp4 troller General shall submit to the Committees on Vet5 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 

6 a report containing the results of the study under this sec7 tion. 

8 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this Act: 

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

11 means mental health care that is more intensive 

12 than traditional outpatient therapy. 

13 (2) The term ‘‘PRR center’’ means a psycho14 social rehabilitation and recovery center of the De15 partment of Veterans Affairs. 

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

17 Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement 

18 Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

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

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

21 such an area in a Tribal or insular area), as deter22 mined through the use of the Rural-Urban Com23 muting Areas coding system of the Department of 

24 Agriculture. 

Æ 


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