IB 

Union Calendar No. 143 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2256 

[Report No. 114–191] 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to submit an annual report on the Veterans Health Administration and the furnishing of hospital care, medical services, and nursing 

home care by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 12, 2015 

Mr. BENISHEK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

JULY 7, 2015 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 12, 2015] 


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A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report 

on the Veterans Health Administration and the furnishing of hospital care, medical services, and nursing 

home care by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 


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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 a the ‘‘Veterans Information 

5 Modernization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORT ON VETERANS HEALTH ADMINIS7 TRATION AND FURNISHING OF HOSPITAL 

8 CARE, MEDICAL SERVICES, AND NURSING 

9 HOME CARE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 

11 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

12 the following new section: 

13 ‘‘§ 7330B. Annual report on Veterans Health Adminis14 tration and furnishing of hospital care, 

15 medical services, and nursing home care 

16 ‘‘(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than March 1 of 

17 each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 

18 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa19 tives a report on the furnishing of hospital care, medical 

20 services, and nursing home care under the laws adminis21 tered by the Secretary and on the administration of the pro22 vision of such care and services by the Veterans Health Ad23 ministration during the calendar year preceding the cal24 endar year during which the report is submitted. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each report required by 

2 subsection (a) shall include each of the following for the year 

3 covered by the report: 

4 ‘‘(1) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Vet5 erans Health Administration program in increasing 

6 the access of veterans eligible for hospital care, med7 ical services, and nursing home care furnished by the 

8 Secretary to such care. 

9 ‘‘(2) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Vet10 erans Health Administration in improving the qual11 ity of health care provided to such veterans, without 

12 increasing the costs incurred by the Government or 

13 such veterans, which includes the relevant informa14 tion for each medical center and Veterans Integrated 

15 Service Network of the Department set forth sepa16 rately. 

17 ‘‘(3) An assessment of— 

18 ‘‘(A) the workload of physicians and other 

19 employees of the Veterans Health Administra20 tion; 

21 ‘‘(B) patient demographics and utilization 

22 rates; 

23 ‘‘(C) physician compensation; 


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1 ‘‘(D) the productivity of physicians and 

2 other employees of the Veterans Health Adminis3 tration; 

4 ‘‘(E) the percentage of hospital care, med5 ical services, and nursing home care provided to 

6 such veterans in Department facilities and in 

7 non-Department facilities and any changes in 

8 such percentages compared to the year preceding 

9 the year covered by the report; 

10 ‘‘(F) pharmaceutical prices; and 

11 ‘‘(G) third party health billings owed to the 

12 Department, including the total amount of such 

13 billings and the total amounts collected, set forth 

14 separately for claims greater than $1000 and for 

15 claims equal to or less than $1000. 

16 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘hospital 

17 care’, ‘medical services’, ‘nursing home care’, and ‘non-De18 partment facilities’ have the meanings given such terms in 

19 section 1701 of this title.’’. 

20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

21 the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after 

22 the item relating to section 7330A the following new item: 

‘‘7330B. Annual report on Veterans Health Administration and furnishing of hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF HOMELESS VET2 ERAN FOR PURPOSES OF BENEFITS UNDER 

3 THE LAWS ADMINISTERED BY THE SEC4 RETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

5 Section 2002(1) of title 38, United States Code, is 

6 amended by inserting ‘‘or (b)’’ after ‘‘section 103(a)’’. 

7 SEC. 4. IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING OF BIOLOGICAL 

8 IMPLANTS USED IN DEPARTMENT OF VET9 ERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITIES. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 

11 38, United States Code, as amended by section 2, is further 

12 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

13 ‘‘§ 7330C. Identification and tracking of biological im14 plants 

15 ‘‘(a) STANDARD IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR BIO16 LOGICAL IMPLANTS.—(1) The Secretary shall adopt the 

17 unique device identification system developed for medical 

18 devices by the Food and Drug Administration pursuant to 

19 section 519(f) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 

20 (21 U.S.C. 360i(f)), or implement a comparable standard 

21 identification system, for use in identifying biological im22 plants intended for use in medical procedures conducted in 

23 medical facilities of the Department. 

24 ‘‘(2) In adopting or implementing a standard identi25 fication system for biological implants under paragraph 

26 (1), the Secretary shall permit a vendor to use any of the 


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1 accredited entities identified by the Food and Drug Admin2 istration as an issuing agency pursuant to section 830.100 

3 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 

4 regulation. 

5 ‘‘(b) BIOLOGICAL IMPLANT TRACKING SYSTEM.—(1) 

6 The Secretary shall implement a system for tracking the 

7 biological implants referred to in subsection (a) from 

8 human donor or animal source to implantation. 

9 ‘‘(2) The tracking system implemented under para10 graph (1) shall be compatible with the identification system 

11 adopted or implemented under subsection (a). 

12 ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall implement inventory controls 

13 compatible with the tracking system implemented under 

14 paragraph (1) so that all patients who have received, in 

15 a medical facility of the Department, a biological implant 

16 subject to a recall can be notified of the recall, if based on 

17 the evaluation of appropriate medical personnel of the De18 partment of the risks and benefits, the Secretary determines 

19 such notification is appropriate. 

20 ‘‘(c) CONSISTENCY WITH FOOD AND DRUG ADMINIS21 TRATION REGULATIONS.—To the extent that a conflict 

22 arises between this section and a provision of the Federal 

23 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) or 

24 sections 351 or 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

25 U.S.C. 262) (including any regulations issued under such 


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1 Acts), the provision the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 

2 Act or Public Health Service Act (including any regulations 

3 issued under such Acts) shall apply. 

4 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION OF BIOLOGICAL IMPLANT.—In this 

5 section, the term ‘biological implant’ means any animal or 

6 human cell, tissue, or cellular or tissue-based product— 

7 ‘‘(1) under the meaning given the term human 

8 cells, tissues, or cellular or tissue-based products in 

9 section 1271.3 of title 21, Code of Federal Regula10 tions, or any successor regulation; or 

11 ‘‘(2) that is regulated as a device under section 

12 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 

13 Act.’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

15 the beginning of such chapter, as amended by section 2, is 

16 further amended by inserting after the item relating to sec17 tion 7330B, as added by section 2, the following new item: 

‘‘7330C. Identification and tracking of biological implants.’’. 

18 (c) IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINES.— 

19 (1) STANDARD IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—With respect to biologi21 cal implants described in paragraph (1) of sub22 section (d) of section 7330C of title 38, United 

23 States Code, as added by subsection (a), the Sec24 retary of Veterans Affairs shall adopt or imple25 ment a standard identification system for bioVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Jul 07, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2256.RH H2256

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1 logical implants, as required by subsection (a) of 

2 such section, by not later than the date that is 

3 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

4 Act. 

5 (B) IMPLANTS REGULATED AS DEVICES.— 

6 With respect to biological implants described in 

7 paragraph (2) of subsection (d) of such section, 

8 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall adopt or 

9 implement such standard identification system 

10 in compliance with the compliance dates estab11 lished by the Food and Drug Administration 

12 pursuant to section 519(f) of the Federal Food, 

13 Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360i(f)). 

14 (2) TRACKING SYSTEM.—The Secretary of Vet15 erans Affairs shall implement the biological implant 

16 tracking system required by section 7330C(b), as 

17 added by subsection (a), by not later than the date 

18 that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

19 this Act. 

20 (d) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the biological implant 

22 tracking system required by section 7330C(b) of title 

23 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), 

24 is not operational by the date that is 180 days after 

25 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 


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1 Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on 

2 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep3 resentatives a written explanation for why the system 

4 is not operational for each month until such time as 

5 the system is operational. 

6 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each explanation submitted 

7 under paragraph (1) shall include a description of the 

8 following: 

9 (A) Each impediment to the implementa10 tion of the system described in such paragraph. 

11 (B) Steps being taken to remediate each 

12 such impediment. 

13 (C) Target dates for a solution to each such 

14 impediment. 

15 SEC. 5. PROCUREMENT OF BIOLOGICAL IMPLANTS USED IN 

16 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MED17 ICAL FACILITIES. 

18 (a) PROCUREMENT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 81 of 

20 such title is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing new section: 

22 ‘‘§ 8129. Procurement of biological implants 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Secretary may procure bi24 ological implants of human origin only from vendors that 

25 meet the following conditions: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The vendor uses the standard identification 

2 system adopted or implemented by the Secretary 

3 under section 7330C(a) of this title and has safe4 guards to ensure that a distinct identity code has 

5 been in place at each step of distribution of each bio6 logical implant from its donor. 

7 ‘‘(B) The vendor is registered as required by the 

8 Food and Drug Administration under subpart B of 

9 part 1271 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, or 

10 any successor regulation, and in the case of a vendor 

11 that uses a tissue distribution intermediary or a tis12 sue processor, the vendor provides assurances that the 

13 tissue distribution intermediary or tissue processor is 

14 registered as required by the Food and Drug Admin15 istration. 

16 ‘‘(C) The vendor ensures that donor eligibility 

17 determinations and such other records as the Sec18 retary may require accompany each biological im19 plant at all times, regardless of the country of origin 

20 of the donor of the biological material. 

21 ‘‘(D) The vendor agrees to cooperate with all bio22 logical implant recalls conducted on the vendor’s own 

23 initiative, on the initiative of the original product 

24 manufacturer used by the vendor, by the request of the 


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1 Food and Drug Administration, or by a statutory 

2 order of the Food and Drug Administration. 

3 ‘‘(E) The vendor agrees to notify the Secretary of 

4 any adverse event or reaction report it provides to the 

5 Food and Drug Administration, as required by sec6 tion 1271.350 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, 

7 or any successor regulation, or any successor regula8 tion, or of any warning letter from the Food and 

9 Drug Administration issued to the vendor or a tissue 

10 processor or tissue distribution intermediary it uses 

11 by not later than 60 days after the vendor receives 

12 such report or warning letter. 

13 ‘‘(F) The vendor agrees to retain all records asso14 ciated with the procurement of a biological implant 

15 by the Department for at least 10 years after the date 

16 of the procurement of the biological implant. 

17 ‘‘(G) The vendor provides assurances that the bi18 ological implants provided by the vendor are acquired 

19 only from tissue processors that maintain active ac20 creditation with the American Association of Tissue 

21 Banks or a similar national accreditation specific to 

22 biological implants. 

23 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may procure biological implants 

24 of non-human origin only from vendors that meet the fol25 lowing conditions: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The vendor uses the standard identification 

2 system adopted or implemented by the Secretary 

3 under section 7330C(a) of this title. 

4 ‘‘(B) The vendor is a registered establishment as 

5 required by the Food and Drug Administration under 

6 sections 807.20 and 807.40 of title 21, Code of Federal 

7 Regulations, or any successor regulation, (or is not 

8 required to register pursuant to section 807.65(a) of 

9 such title) and in the case of a vendor that is not the 

10 original product manufacturer of such implants the 

11 vendor provides assurances that the original product 

12 manufacturer is registered as required by the Food 

13 and Drug Administration. 

14 ‘‘(C) The vendor agrees to cooperate with all bio15 logical implant recalls conducted on the vendor’s own 

16 initiative, on the initiative of the original product 

17 manufacturer used by the vendor, by the request of the 

18 Food and Drug Administration, or by a statutory 

19 order of the Food and Drug Administration. 

20 ‘‘(D) The vendor agrees to notify the Secretary of 

21 any adverse event report it provides to the Food and 

22 Drug Administration as required in part 803 of title 

23 21, Code of Federal Regulations, or any warning let24 ter from the Food and Drug Administration issued to 

25 the vendor or the original product manufacturer it 


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1 uses by not later than 60 days after the vendor re2 ceives such report or warning letter. 

3 ‘‘(E) The vendor agrees to retain all records as4 sociated with the procurement of a biological implant 

5 by the Department for at least 10 years after the date 

6 of the procurement of the biological implant. 

7 ‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary shall procure biological im8 plants under the Federal Supply Schedules of the General 

9 Services Administration unless such implants are not avail10 able under such Schedules. 

11 ‘‘(B) With respect to biological implants listed on the 

12 Federal Supply Schedules, the Secretary shall accommodate 

13 reasonable vendor requests to undertake outreach efforts to 

14 educate medical professionals of the Department about the 

15 use and efficacy of such biological implants. 

16 ‘‘(C) In the case of biological implants that are un17 available for procurement under the Federal Supply Sched18 ules, the Secretary shall procure such implants using com19 petitive procedures in accordance with applicable law and 

20 the Federal Acquisition Regulation. 

21 ‘‘(4) Section 8123 of this title shall not apply to the 

22 procurement of biological implants. 

23 ‘‘(b) PENALTIES.—In addition to any applicable pen24 alty under any other provision of law, any procurement 

25 employee of the Department who is found responsible for 


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1 a biological implant procurement transaction with intent 

2 to avoid or with reckless disregard of the requirements of 

3 this section shall be ineligible to hold a certificate of ap4 pointment as a contracting officer or to serve as the rep5 resentative of an ordering officer, contracting officer, or 

6 purchase card holder. 

7 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) The term ‘biological implant’ shall have the 

9 meaning given such term in section 7330C(d) of this 

10 title. 

11 ‘‘(2) The term ‘distinct identity code’ means a 

12 code that— 

13 ‘‘(A) relates a biological implant to the 

14 human donor of the implant and to all records 

15 pertaining to the implant; 

16 ‘‘(B) includes information designed to fa17 cilitate effective tracking, using such code, from 

18 the donor to the recipient and from the recipient 

19 to the donor; and 

20 ‘‘(C) satisfies the requirements of section 

21 1271.290 of title 21, Code of Federal Regula22 tions, or any successor regulation. 

23 ‘‘(3) The term ‘tissue distribution intermediary’ 

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1 sue for further distribution and performs no other tis2 sue banking functions. 

3 ‘‘(4) The term ‘tissue processor’ means an entity 

4 processing human tissue for use in biological im5 plants including activities performed on tissue other 

6 than donor screening, donor testing, tissue recovery 

7 and collection functions, storage, or distribution.’’. 

8 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec9 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended by 

10 adding at the end of the items relating to such sub11 chapter the following new item: 

‘‘8129. Procurement of biological implants.’’. 

12 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 8129 of title 38, 

13 United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take 

14 effect on the date that is 180 days after the date on which 

15 the tracking system required under subsection (b) of section 

16 7330C of such title, as added by section 4(a) is imple17 mented. 

18 (c) SPECIAL RULE FOR CRYOPRESERVED PROD19 UCTS.—During the three-year period beginning on the effec20 tive date of section 8129 of title 38, United States Code, 

21 as added by subsection (a), biological implants produced 

22 and labeled before that date may be procured by the Depart23 ment of Veterans Affairs without relabeling under the 

24 standard identification system adopted or implemented 

25 under section 7330C of such title, as added by section 4(a). 


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1 SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF ROUNDING DOWN OF PERCENTAGE 

2 INCREASES OF RATES OF CERTAIN EDU3 CATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 

4 (a) MONTGOMERY GI BILL.—Section 3015(h)(2) of 

5 title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2014’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘fiscal year 2020’’; and 

8 (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2013’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’. 

10 (b) SURVIVORS AND DEPENDENTS EDUCATIONAL AS11 SISTANCE.—Section 3564(b) of such title is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2014’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘fiscal year 2020’’; and 

14 (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2013’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’. 

16 SEC. 7. VETERANS EXPEDITED RECOVERY COMMISSION. 

17 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Vet18 erans Expedited Recovery Commission (in this section re19 ferred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

20 (b) DUTIES.—The Commission shall perform the fol21 lowing duties: 

22 (1) Examine the efficacy of the evidence-based 

23 therapy model used by the Secretary of Veterans Af24 fairs for treating mental health illnesses of veterans 

25 and identify areas to improve wellness-based out26 comes. 


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1 (2) Conduct a patient-centered survey within 

2 each of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks to 

3 examine— 

4 (A) the experience of veterans with the De5 partment of Veterans Affairs when seeking med6 ical assistance for mental health issues through 

7 the health care system of the Department; 

8 (B) the experience of veterans with non-De9 partment medical facilities and health profes10 sionals for treating mental health issues; 

11 (C) the preferences of veterans regarding 

12 available treatments for mental health issues and 

13 which methods the veterans believe to be most ef14 fective; 

15 (D) the experience, if any, of veterans with 

16 respect to the complementary alternative treat17 ment therapies described in subparagraphs (A) 

18 through (I) in paragraph (3); 

19 (E) the prevalence of prescribing prescrip20 tion medication among veterans seeking treat21 ment through the health care system of the De22 partment as remedies for addressing mental 

23 health issues; and 

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1 ments for veterans for addressing mental health 

2 issues, including by identifying ways to reduce 

3 barriers to and gaps in such benefits and treat4 ments. 

5 (3) Examine available research on complemen6 tary alternative treatment therapies for mental health 

7 issues and identify what benefits could be made with 

8 the inclusion of such treatments for veterans, includ9 ing with respect to— 

10 (A) music therapy; 

11 (B) equine therapy; 

12 (C) training and caring for service dogs; 

13 (D) yoga therapy; 

14 (E) acupuncture therapy; 

15 (F) meditation therapy; 

16 (G) outdoor sports therapy; 

17 (H) hyperbaric oxygen therapy; 

18 (I) accelerated resolution therapy; and 

19 (J) other therapies the Commission deter20 mines appropriate. 

21 (4) Study the potential increase of claims relat22 ing to mental health issues submitted to the Secretary 

23 by veterans who served in Operation Enduring Free24 dom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New 

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1 able within the Department to ensure that quality 

2 health care demands relating to such claims can be 

3 delivered in a timely manner. 

4 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

5 (1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be 

7 composed of 10 members, appointed as follows: 

8 (i) Two members appointed by the 

9 Speaker of the House of Representatives, at 

10 least one of whom shall be a veteran. 

11 (ii) Two members appointed by the 

12 Minority Leader of the House of Represent13 atives, at least one of whom shall be a vet14 eran. 

15 (iii) Two members appointed by the 

16 Majority Leader of the Senate, at least one 

17 of whom shall be a veteran. 

18 (iv) Two members appointed by the 

19 Minority Leader of the Senate, at least one 

20 of whom shall be a veteran. 

21 (v) Two members appointed by the 

22 President, at least one of whom shall be a 

23 veteran. 

24 (B) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the 

25 Commission shall be— 


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1 (i) individuals who are of recognized 

2 standing and distinction within the medical 

3 community with a background in treating 

4 mental health; 

5 (ii) individuals with experience work6 ing with the military and veteran popu7 lation; and 

8 (iii) individuals who do not have a fi9 nancial interest in any of the complemen10 tary alternative treatments reviewed by the 

11 Commission. 

12 (2) CHAIRMAN.—The President shall designate a 

13 member of the Commission to be the chairman. 

14 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT.—Members of the 

15 Commission shall be appointed for the life of the 

16 Commission. 

17 (4) VACANCY.—A vacancy in the Commission 

18 shall be filled in the manner in which the original 

19 appointment was made. 

20 (5) APPOINTMENT DEADLINE.—The appointment 

21 of members of the Commission in this section shall be 

22 made not later than 90 days after the date of the en23 actment of this Act. 

24 (d) POWERS OF COMMISSION.— 

25 (1) MEETING.— 


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1 (A) INITIAL MEETING.—The Commission 

2 shall hold its first meeting not later than 30 

3 days after a majority of members are appointed 

4 to the Commission. 

5 (B) MEETING.—The Commission shall regu6 larly meet at the call of the Chairman. Such 

7 meetings may be carried out through the use of 

8 telephonic or other appropriate telecommuni9 cation technology if the Commission determines 

10 that such technology will allow the members to 

11 communicate simultaneously. 

12 (2) HEARING.—The Commission may hold such 

13 hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take 

14 such testimony, and receive evidence as the Commis15 sion considers advisable to carry out the responsibil16 ities of the Commission. 

17 (3) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

18 The Commission may secure directly from any de19 partment or agency of the Federal Government such 

20 information as the Commission considers necessary to 

21 carry out the duties of the Commission. 

22 (4) INFORMATION FROM NONGOVERNMENTAL OR23 GANIZATIONS.—In carrying out subsection (b), the 

24 Commission may seek guidance through consultation 

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1 profit groups, faith-based organizations, private and 

2 public institutions of higher education, and other or3 ganizations as the Commission determines appro4 priate. 

5 (5) COMMISSION RECORDS.—The Commission 

6 shall keep an accurate and complete record of the ac7 tions and meetings of the Commission. Such record 

8 shall be made available for public inspection and the 

9 Comptroller General of the United States may audit 

10 and examine such record. 

11 (6) PERSONNEL MATTERS.—Upon request of the 

12 chairman of the Commission, the head of any depart13 ment or agency of the Federal Government may de14 tail, on a reimbursable basis, any personnel of that 

15 department or agency to assist the Commission in 

16 carrying out the duties of the Commission. 

17 (7) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS; TRAVEL EX18 PENSES.—Each member shall serve without pay, ex19 cept that each member shall receive travel expenses to 

20 perform the duties of the Commission under sub21 section (b), including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 

22 at rates authorized under subchapter I of chapter 57 

23 of title 5, United States Code. 

24 (8) STAFF.—The Chairman, in accordance with 

25 rules agreed upon by the Commission, may appoint 


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1 and fix the compensation of a staff director and such 

2 other personnel as may be necessary to enable the 

3 Commission to carry out its functions, without regard 

4 to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov5 erning appointments in the competitive service, with6 out regard to the provision of chapter 51 and sub7 chapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to clas8 sification and General Schedule pay rates, except that 

9 no rate of pay fixed under this subsection may exceed 

10 the equivalent of that payable for a position at a level 

11 IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

12 title 5, United States Code. 

13 (9) PERSONNEL AS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—The executive director 

15 and any personnel of the Commission are em16 ployees under section 2105 of title 5, United 

17 States Code, for purpose of chapters 63, 81, 83, 

18 84, 85, 87, 89, and 90 of such title. 

19 (B) MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.—Sub20 paragraph (A) shall not be construed to apply to 

21 members of the Commission. 

22 (10) CONTRACTING.—The Commission may, to 

23 such extent and in such amounts as are provided in 

24 appropriations Acts, enter into contracts to enable the 


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1 Commission to discharge the duties of the Commission 

2 under this section. 

3 (11) EXPERT AND CONSULTANT SERVICE.—The 

4 Commission may procure the services of experts and 

5 consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, 

6 United States Code, at rates not to exceed the daily 

7 rate paid to a person occupying a position at level IV 

8 of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 

9 5, United States Code. 

10 (12) POSTAL SERVICE.—The Commission may 

11 use the United States mails in the same manner and 

12 under the same conditions as departments and agen13 cies of the United States. 

14 (13) PHYSICAL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT.— 

15 Upon the request of the Commission, the Adminis16 trator of General Services shall provide to the Com17 mission, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative 

18 support services necessary for the Commission to 

19 carry out its responsibilities under this section. These 

20 administrative services may include human resource 

21 management, budget, leasing, accounting, and payroll 

22 services. 

23 (e) REPORT.— 

24 (1) INTERIM REPORTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

2 after the date on which the Commission first 

3 meets, and each 30-day period thereafter ending 

4 on the date on which the Commission submits 

5 the final report under paragraph (2), the Com6 mission shall submit to the Committees on Vet7 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

8 and the Senate and the President a report detail9 ing the level of cooperation the Secretary of Vet10 erans Affairs (and the heads of other depart11 ments or agencies of the Federal Government) 

12 has provided to the Commission. 

13 (B) OTHER REPORTS.—In carrying out the 

14 duties pursuant to subsection (b), at times that 

15 the Commission determines appropriate, the 

16 Commission shall submit to the Committees on 

17 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

18 and the Senate and any other appropriate enti19 ties an interim report with respect to the find20 ings identified by the Commission. 

21 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

22 after the first meeting of the Commission, the Com23 mission shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ 

24 Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Sen25 ate, the President, and the Secretary of Veterans AfVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Jul 07, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2256.RH H2256

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1 fairs a final report on the findings of the Commis2 sion. Such report shall include the following: 

3 (A) Recommendations to implement in a 

4 feasible, timely, and cost-effective manner the so5 lutions and remedies identified within the find6 ings of the Commission pursuant to subsection 

7 (b). 

8 (B) An analysis of the evidence-based ther9 apy model used by the Secretary of Veterans Af10 fairs for treating veterans with mental health 

11 care issues, and an examination of the preva12 lence and efficacy of prescription drugs as a 

13 means for treatment. 

14 (C) The findings of the patient-centered sur15 vey conducted within each of the Veterans Inte16 grated Service Networks pursuant to subsection 

17 (b)(2). 

18 (D) An examination of complementary al19 ternative treatments described in subsection 

20 (b)(3) and the potential benefits of incorporating 

21 such treatments in the therapy model used by the 

22 Secretary for treating veterans with mental 

23 health issues. 

24 (3) PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

25 on which the Commission submits the final report 


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1 under subsection (b), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

2 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 

3 the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 

4 on the following: 

5 (A) An action plan for implementing the 

6 recommendations established by the Commission 

7 on such solutions and remedies for improving 

8 wellness-based outcomes for veterans with mental 

9 health care issues. 

10 (B) A feasible timeframe on when com11 plementary alternative treatments described in 

12 subsection (b)(3) can be implemented Depart13 ment-wide. 

14 (C) With respect to each recommendation 

15 established by the Commission, including regard16 ing any complementary alternative treatment, 

17 that the Secretary determines is not appropriate 

18 or feasible to implement, a justification for each 

19 such determination and an alternative solution 

20 to improve the efficacy of the therapy model used 

21 by the Secretary for treating veterans with men22 tal health issues. 

23 (f) TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.—The Commission 

24 shall terminate 30 days after the Commission submits the 

25 final report under subsection (e)(2). 


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Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend title 

38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report on the Veterans 

Health Administration, to provide for the identification 

and tracking of biological implants used in Department 

of Veterans Affairs facilities, and for other purposes.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 143 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2256 

[Report No. 114–191] 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct 

partment of Veterans Affairs. ical services, and nursing home care by the Detration and the furnishing of hospital care, medannual report on the Veterans Health Administhe Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an 

JULY 7, 2015 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 

dered to be printed of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and orVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Jul 07, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H2256.RH H2256

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