I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4276 

To extend and modify a pilot program on assisted living services for veterans 

with traumatic brain injury. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 18, 2014 

Mr. CASSIDY (for himself and Mr. MCCARTHY of California) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To extend and modify a pilot program on assisted living 

services for veterans with traumatic brain injury. 

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 Traumatic 

5 Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT PRO7 GRAM ON ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES FOR 

8 VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

9 (a) EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Subsection (a) of 

10 section 1705 of the National Defense Authorization Act 


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1 for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 38 U.S.C. 

2 1710C note) is amended by striking ‘‘a five-year’’ and in3 serting ‘‘an eight-year’’. 

4 (b) MODIFICATION OF LOCATIONS.—Subsection (b) 

5 of such section is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para7 graph (3); and 

8 (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

9 following new paragraphs: 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The pilot program shall be 

11 carried out at locations selected by the Secretary for 

12 purposes of the pilot program. 

13 ‘‘(2) LOCATED IN SAME REGION AS

14 POLYTRAUMA CENTERS.—Of the locations selected 

15 under paragraph (1), at least one location shall be 

16 in each health care region of the Veterans Health 

17 Administration of the Department of Veterans Af18 fairs that contains a polytrauma center of the De19 partment of Veterans Affairs.’’. 

20 (c) MODIFICATION OF REPORT REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 Subsection (e) of such section is amended to read as fol22 lows: 

23 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) QUARTERLY REPORTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During each 90-day 

2 period occurring during the period beginning 

3 January 1, 2016, and ending January 1, 2018, 

4 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

5 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

6 House of Representatives a report on the pilot 

7 program. 

8 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted 

9 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(i) The number of individuals that 

12 participated in the pilot program during 

13 the quarter preceding the submission of 

14 the report. 

15 ‘‘(ii) The number of individuals that 

16 successfully completed the pilot program 

17 during the quarter preceding the submis18 sion of the report. 

19 ‘‘(iii) The degree to which pilot pro20 gram participants and family members of 

21 pilot program participants were satisfied 

22 with the pilot program. 

23 ‘‘(iv) The interim findings and conclu24 sions of the Secretary with respect to the 


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1 success of the pilot program and rec2 ommendations for improvement. 

3 ‘‘(2) FINAL REPORT.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 

5 days after the completion of the pilot program, 

6 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

7 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

8 House of Representatives a final report on the 

9 pilot program. 

10 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—The final report re11 quired by subparagraph (A) shall include the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(i) A description of the pilot pro14 gram. 

15 ‘‘(ii) An assessment of the utility of 

16 the activities under the pilot program in 

17 enhancing the rehabilitation, quality of life, 

18 and community reintegration of veterans 

19 with traumatic brain injury, including com20 plex mild traumatic brain injury. 

21 ‘‘(iii) An evaluation of the pilot pro22 gram in light of independent living pro23 grams carried out by the Secretary under 

24 title 38, United States Code, including— 


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1 ‘‘(I) whether the pilot program 

2 duplicates services provided under 

3 such independent living programs; 

4 ‘‘(II) the ways in which the pilot 

5 program provides different services; 

6 ‘‘(III) how the pilot program 

7 could be better defined or shaped; and 

8 ‘‘(IV) whether the pilot program 

9 should be incorporated into such inde10 pendent living programs. 

11 ‘‘(iv) Such recommendations as the 

12 Secretary considers appropriate regarding 

13 improving the pilot program.’’. 

14 (d) MODIFICATION OF DEFINITIONS.— 

15 (1) COMMUNITY-BASED BRAIN INJURY RESI16 DENTIAL REHABILITATIVE CARE SERVICES.—Such 

17 section is further amended— 

18 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

19 ‘‘ASSISTED LIVING’’ and inserting ‘‘COMMU20 NITY-BASED BRAIN INJURY RESIDENTIAL

21 REHABILITATIVE CARE’’; 

22 (B) in subsection (c), in the subsection 

23 heading, by striking ‘‘ASSISTED LIVING’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘COMMUNITY-BASED BRAIN INJURY

25 RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATIVE CARE’’; 


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1 (C) by striking ‘‘assisted living’’ each place 

2 it appears, and inserting ‘‘community-based 

3 brain injury rehabilitative care’’; and 

4 (D) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ‘‘and 

5 personal care’’ and inserting ‘‘rehabilitation, 

6 and personal care’’. 

7 (2) ELIGIBLE VETERAN.—Subsection (f)(3) of 

8 such section is amended— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘; 

10 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

11 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

12 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

14 subparagraph: 

15 ‘‘(E) has a traumatic brain injury that is 

16 classified as complex-mild to severe.’’. 

17 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Vet19 erans Affairs for fiscal year 2015 $46,000,000 to carry 

20 out the pilot program under section 1705 of the National 

21 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public 

22 Law 110–181; 38 U.S.C. 1710C note), as amended by this 

23 section. The amount so authorized to be appropriated shall 

24 be available for obligation for the three-year period begin25 ning on October 1, 2014. 


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1 (f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section shall take effect on October 1, 2014. 

3 SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO RECOVERY BY UNITED STATES 

4 OF COST OF CERTAIN CARE AND SERVICES 

5 PROVIDED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

6 AFFAIRS. 

7 Section 1729(h) of title 38, United States Code, is 

8 amended by adding at the end the following new para9 graph: 

10 ‘‘(4)(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) or section 

11 7332 of this title, the Secretary may make available to 

12 third parties medical records of a veteran described in 

13 paragraph (2) without the written consent of the veteran 

14 if— 

15 ‘‘(i) the care or services furnished to the vet16 eran for which recovery or collection is sought under 

17 this section relates to drug abuse, alcoholism or alco18 hol abuse, infection with the human immuno19 deficiency virus, or sickle cell anemia; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) by not later than 30 days after receiving 

21 such care or services, the Secretary does not receive 

22 from the veteran a notification described in subpara23 graph (B). 

24 ‘‘(B) A notification described in this subparagraph is 

25 a notification by a veteran that the veteran does not conVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:42 Mar 21, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4276.IH H4276

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1 sent to a disclosure of medical records of the veteran 

2 under subparagraph (A).’’. 

Æ 


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