I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6373 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 

Mr. BERGMAN (for himself, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. BOST, and Ms. BROWNLEY) 

introduced the following bill; which was 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 Section 1706 of title 38, United States Code, is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following new sub6 section: 

7 ‘‘(d)(1) In managing the provision of hospital care 

8 and medical services under section 1710(a) of this title, 

9 the Secretary shall furnish (through direct provision of 

10 service, referral, or a telehealth program operated by the 

11 Department) a preventative health evaluation annually to 

12 any veteran with a spinal cord injury or disorder who 

13 elects to undergo the evaluation. 

14 ‘‘(2) The evaluation described in paragraph (1) shall 

15 include the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) An assessment of any circumstance or 

17 condition the veteran is experiencing that indicates 

18 a risk for any health complication related to the spi19 nal cord injury or disorder, including a risk of 

20 comorbidities. 

21 ‘‘(B) An assessment regarding chronic pain 

22 and, if applicable, the management of chronic pain. 

23 ‘‘(C) An assessment regarding dietary manage24 ment and weight management. 

25 ‘‘(D) An assessment regarding prosthetic equip26 ment, including which prosthetic equipment the vetVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Nov 22, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6373.IH H6373

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1 eran needs, how well any existing prosthetic equip2 ment is functioning considering the needs of the vet3 eran, and any safety concerns regarding the pros4 thetic equipment in use by or recommended to the 

5 veteran. 

6 ‘‘(E) An assessment for the provision of any as7 sistive technology that could help maximize the inde8 pendence and mobility of the veteran. 

9 ‘‘(3)(A) In maintaining, prescribing, or amending any 

10 guidance, rules, or regulations issued by the Department 

11 regarding the requirements set out in this subsection, the 

12 Secretary shall consult with the spinal cord injury and dis13 order program managers of the Department, clinicians 

14 employed by the Department as specialists in spinal cord 

15 injuries and disorders, and the organizations named in or 

16 approved under section 5902 of this title. 

17 ‘‘(B) Before issuing any guidance, rules, or regula18 tions regarding the requirements set out in this sub19 section, the Secretary shall consult with manufacturers of 

20 assistive technologies and other entities relevant to the 

21 provision of assistive technologies if the guidance, rules, 

22 or regulations would directly affect such manufacturers or 

23 entities. 

24 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall ensure, to the extent pos25 sible, that any veteran known by the Secretary to have 


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1 a spinal cord injury or disorder receives information annu2 ally about the evaluation available under this subsection 

3 and the benefits to the veteran of choosing to undergo the 

4 evaluation. 

5 ‘‘(4) Not later than one year after the date of the 

6 enactment of the Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to New 

7 Devices Act, and every two years thereafter, the Secretary 

8 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 

9 the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that 

10 includes the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) For the period covered by the report, the 

12 number of veterans who— 

13 ‘‘(i) received medical care or hospital serv14 ices from the Department and used an assistive 

15 technology; 

16 ‘‘(ii) received medical care or hospital serv17 ices from the Department and were assessed for 

18 the provision of an assistive technology; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) received medical care or hospital 

20 services from the Department and were pre21 scribed an assistive technology. 

22 ‘‘(B) The year-to-year change (for the period 

23 covered by the report, including the two years imme24 diately prior to year the report is submitted) in the 

25 percent of veterans with a spinal cord injury or disVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Nov 22, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6373.IH H6373

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1 order who received an evaluation under this sub2 section. 

3 ‘‘(5) In reviewing the performance metrics of a Vet4 erans Integrated Service Network for any year beginning 

5 after the date that is one year after the date of the enact6 ment of the Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to New De7 vices Act, the Secretary shall consider the provision of 

8 evaluations under paragraph (1). 

9 ‘‘(6) In this subsection, the term ‘assistive tech10 nology’ means a powered medical device or electronic tool 

11 used to treat or alleviate symptoms or conditions caused 

12 by a spinal cord injury or disorder, including the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) A personal mobility device, including a 

14 powered exoskeleton device. 

15 ‘‘(B) A speech generating device.’’. 

Æ 


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