I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1036 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the position of Director 

of Physical Therapy Service within the Veterans Health Administration 

and to establish a fellowship program for physical therapists in the 

areas of geriatrics, amputee rehabilitation, polytrauma care, and rehabilitation research. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2009 

Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN (for herself, Mr. HARE, Mr. MICHAUD, Mr. SESTAK, 

and Mr. FILNER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the 

position of Director of Physical Therapy Service within 

the Veterans Health Administration and to establish a 

fellowship program for physical therapists in the areas 

of geriatrics, amputee rehabilitation, polytrauma care, 

and rehabilitation research. 

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 Physical 

5 Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2009’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDING. 

2 The Congress finds that chronic conditions of the 

3 aging veteran population and the complex impairments as4 sociated with returning veterans from Operation Enduring 

5 Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 

6 Iraq have increased the need to recruit and retain physical 

7 therapists in the Veterans Health Administration. 

8 SEC. 3. CREATION OF DIRECTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY 

9 SERVICE. 

10 Paragraph (6) of section 7306(a) of title 38, United 

11 States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘a Director of Phys12 ical Therapy Service,’’ after ‘‘a Director of Podiatric Serv13 ice,’’. 

14 SEC. 4. QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT OF PHYSICAL 

15 THERAPISTS. 

16 Section 7402(b) of title 38, United States Code, is 

17 amended by redesignating paragraphs (10) through (14) 

18 as paragraphs (11) through (15), respectively, and by in19 serting after paragraph (9) the following new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(10) PHYSICAL THERAPIST.—To be eligible to 

21 be appointed to a physical therapist position, a per22 son must— 

23 ‘‘(A)(i) hold the degree of doctor of phys24 ical therapy or other post baccalaureate degree 

25 in physical therapy from an accredited college 

26 or university approved by the Secretary; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) have completed a degree in physical 

2 therapy from an accredited college or university 

3 approved by the Secretary and be employed on 

4 the date of the enactment of this paragraph by 

5 the Administration as a physical therapist; and 

6 ‘‘(B) be licensed to practice physical ther7 apy in a State.’’. 

8 SEC. 5. CREATION OF A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR PHYS9 ICAL THERAPISTS IN THE AREAS OF GERI10 ATRICS, AMPUTEE REHABILITATION, 

11 POLYTRAUMA, AND REHABILITATION RE12 SEARCH. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 76 of title 38, United 

14 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing new subchapter: 

16 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER VIII—FELLOWSHIPS FOR PHYS17 ICAL THERAPISTS IN GERIATRICS, AMPU18 TEE REHABILITATION, POLYTRAUMA CARE, 

19 AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH 

20 ‘‘§ 7691. Authority for program 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby established a 

22 program to be known as the Department of Veterans Af23 fairs Geriatric, Amputee, Polytrauma, and Rehabilitation 

24 Research Fellowships Program. 


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1 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of such program is to 

2 assist in the recruitment of qualified physical therapists 

3 for positions in the Veterans Health Administration spe4 cializing in the areas of geriatrics, amputee rehabilitation, 

5 polytrauma care, and rehabilitation research.’’. 

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

7 at the beginning of such chapter 76 is amended by adding 

8 at the end the following: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER VIII—FELLOWSHIPS FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN GERIATRICS, 

AMPUTEE REHABILITATION, POLYTRAUMA CARE, AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH

‘‘Sec. 7691. Authority for program.’’. 

Æ 


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