I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1741 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program 

to improve access to health care for rural veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 20, 2005 

Mr. OSBORNE (for himself, Mr. KIND, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. ROSS, Mr. 

PAUL, Mr. OTTER, Mr. CASE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. 

SHIMKUS, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. PETERSON

of Pennsylvania, Mr. PORTER, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. WAMP, Mrs. CAPPS, 

Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, 

Mr. NORWOOD, Mrs. EMERSON, and Mrs. MUSGRAVE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a 

pilot program to improve access to health care for rural 

veterans, 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 ‘‘Rural Veterans Access 

5 to Care Act of 2005’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR IMPROVED ACCESS TO 

2 HEALTH CARE FOR RURAL VETERANS. 

3 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Veterans Af4 fairs shall conduct a pilot program for a means to improve 

5 access to medical services for highly rural or geographi6 cally remote veterans through expanded use of the Sec7 retary ’s contract authority under section 1703 of title 38, 

8 United States Code, and other authorities available to the 

9 Secretary to improve such access. 

10 (b) AREAS FOR CONDUCT OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The 

11 pilot program shall be conducted in three geographic serv12 ice regions, referred to as Veterans Integrated Service 

13 Networks, of the Veterans Health Administration. The 

14 Secretary shall select the Veterans Integrated Service Net15 work designated as Number 23 as one of the regions for 

16 the conduct of the pilot program and shall select the other 

17 two from those Veterans Integrated Service Networks that 

18 have a substantial population of highly rural or geographi19 cally remote veterans (as determined under subsection 

20 (f)). 

21 (c) MEDICAL SERVICES UNDER PILOT PROGRAM.— 

22 Under the pilot program, the Secretary shall provide, 

23 through the use of the Secretary’s contract authority 

24 under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, and 

25 other authorities available to the Secretary, for the treat-
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1 ment of covered veterans by health-care providers outside 

2 the Department of Veterans Affairs for the following: 

3 (1) Acute or chronic symptom management. 

4 (2) Nontherapeutic medical services. 

5 (3) Other medical services as determined appro6 priate in the case of any veteran by the director of 

7 the appropriate geographic service region of the De8 partment, after consultation with the Department 

9 physician responsible for primary care of the vet10 eran. 

11 (d) FUNDS FOR PILOT PROGRAM.—For any fiscal 

12 year during which the pilot program is conducted, the Sec13 retary shall allocate for the pilot program 0.9 percent of 

14 the total amount appropriated for that fiscal year for Med15 ical Services. Such allocation shall be made before any 

16 other allocation of such funds is made, and any remaining 

17 allocation of such funds for any such fiscal year shall be 

18 made without regard to the allocation under the preceding 

19 sentence. 

20 (e) COVERED VETERANS.—For the purposes of this 

21 section, covered veterans are veterans— 

22 (1) who are enrolled in the veterans health care 

23 system under section 1705 of this title or have a 

24 service-connected disability; and 
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1 (2) who, pursuant to subsection (f), are consid2 ered to be highly rural or geographically remote vet3 erans. 

4 (f) HIGHLY RURAL OR GEOGRAPHICALLY REMOTE

5 VETERANS.—The Secretary shall prescribe by regulation 

6 standards for determination of which veterans are consid7 ered to be highly rural or geographically remote veterans 

8 for the purposes of this section. The Secretary shall in9 clude as such a veteran any veteran for whom the driving 

10 distance to reach a Department health-care facility is 60 

11 miles or greater. The Secretary may provide for a lesser 

12 driving distance in the case of any veteran if the Secretary 

13 determines that driving 60 miles or more imposes a hard14 ship on such veteran or otherwise is not in the best inter15 est of the veteran. 

16 (g) PERIOD OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The pilot program 

17 shall be conducted during fiscal years 2006, 2007, and 

18 2008. 

19 (h) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Feb20 ruary 1, 2009, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 

21 report on the operation of the pilot program. The Sec22 retary shall include in the report such recommendations 

23 as the Secretary considers appropriate concerning exten24 sion of the pilot program or other means to improve access 
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1 to medical services for highly rural or geographically re2 mote veterans. 

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