I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5428 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to educate certain staff of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs and to inform veterans about the Injured 

and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 27, 2010 

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

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to educate certain 

staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to inform veterans about the Injured and Amputee Veterans 

Bill of Rights, 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. INJURED AND AMPUTEE VETERANS BILL OF 

4 RIGHTS. 

5 (a) DISPLAY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

6 shall ensure that the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill 

7 of Rights described in subsection (d) is printed on signage 

8 in accessible formats and displayed prominently and conVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:05 Jun 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5428.IH H5428

PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 5428 IH

1 spicuously in each prosthetics and orthotics clinic of the 

2 Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 (b) EDUCATION OF DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

4 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that em5 ployees of the Department of Veterans Affairs who work 

6 at prosthetics and orthotics clinics and who work as pa7 tient advocates with veterans who receive care at such clin8 ics, including Federal recovery coordinators and case man9 agers, receive training on the Injured and Amputee Vet10 erans Bill of Rights described in subsection (d). 

11 (c) OUTREACH TO VETERANS.—The Secretary of 

12 Veterans Affairs shall conduct outreach to inform veterans 

13 about the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights 

14 described in subsection (d) by— 

15 (1) ensuring that such Bill of Rights is avail16 able on the Internet Web site of the Department of 

17 Veterans Affairs; and 

18 (2) conducting other types of outreach targeted 

19 at specific groups of veterans, which may include 

20 outreach conducted on other Internet Web sites or 

21 through veterans service organizations. 

22 (d) INJURED AND AMPUTEE VETERANS BILL OF

23 RIGHTS.—The Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of 

24 Rights described in this subsection is a statement that inVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:05 Jun 02, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5428.IH H5428

PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 5428 IH

1 jured and amputee veterans should have, at a minimum, 

2 the following rights: 

3 (1) The right to access the highest quality pros4 thetic and orthotic care, including the right to the 

5 most appropriate technology and best qualified prac6 titioners. 

7 (2) The right to continuity of care in the transi8 tion from the Department of Defense health pro9 gram to the Department of Veterans Affairs health 

10 care system, including comparable benefits relating 

11 to prosthetic and orthotic services. 

12 (3) The right to select the practitioner that best 

13 meets their orthotic and prosthetic needs, whether or 

14 not that practitioner is an employee of the Depart15 ment of Veterans Affairs, a private practitioner who 

16 has entered into a contract with the Secretary of 

17 Veterans Affairs to provide prosthetic and orthotic 

18 services, or a private practitioner with specialized ex19 pertise. 

20 (4) The right to consistent and portable health 

21 care, including the right to obtain comparable serv22 ices and technology at any medical facility of the 

23 Department of Veterans Affairs across the country. 

24 (5) The right to timely and efficient prosthetic 

25 and orthotic care, including a speedy authorization 


PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 5428 IH

1 process with expedited authorization available for 

2 veterans visiting from another area of the country. 

3 (6) The right to play a meaningful role in reha4 bilitation decisions, including the right to receive a 

5 second opinion regarding prosthetic and orthotic 

6 treatment options. 

7 (7) The right to receive appropriate treatment, 

8 including the right to receive both a primary pros9 thesis or orthosis and a functional spare. 

10 (8) The right to be treated with respect and 

11 dignity and have an optimal quality of life both dur12 ing and after rehabilitation. 

13 (9) The right to transition and readjust to civil14 ian life in an honorable manner, including by having 

15 ample access to vocational rehabilitation, employ16 ment programs, and housing assistance. 

17 (e) MONITORING AND RESOLUTION OF COM18 PLAINTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

20 Affairs, acting through the veteran liaison at each 

21 medical center of the Department of Veterans Af22 fairs, shall collect information relating to the alleged 

23 mistreatment of injured and amputee veterans. 

24 (2) QUARTERLY REPORTS.—For each fiscal 

25 quarter, the veteran liaison at each medical center of 


PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 5428 IH

1 the Department shall submit to the Chief Consultant 

2 of Prosthetics and Sensory Aids of the Department 

3 a report on any information collected under para4 graph (1) during that quarter. 

5 (3) INVESTIGATION AND ADDRESSING OF COM6 PLAINTS.—The Chief Consultant, in cooperation 

7 with appropriate employees of a medical center of 

8 the Department, shall investigate and address any 

9 information collected under paragraph (1) at that 

10 medical center. 

Æ 


PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS