I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4977 

To establish a commission to examine the evidence-based therapy treatment 

model used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for treating mental 

illnesses of veterans and the potential benefits of incorporating complementary alternative treatments available in non-Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities within the community. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 26, 2014 

Mr. BILIRAKIS (for himself and Mr. RUIZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish a commission to examine the evidence-based 

therapy treatment model used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for treating mental illnesses of veterans 

and the potential benefits of incorporating complementary alternative treatments available in non-Department 

of Veterans Affairs medical facilities within the community. 

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 ‘‘Creating Options for 

5 Veterans Expedited Recovery Act’’ or the ‘‘COVER Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Vet3 erans Expedited Recovery Commission (in this Act re4 ferred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

5 (b) DUTIES.—The Commission shall perform the fol6 lowing duties: 

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

8 therapy model used by the Secretary of Veterans Af9 fairs for treating mental health illnesses of veterans 

10 and identify areas to improve wellness-based out11 comes. 

12 (2) Conduct a patient-centered survey within 

13 each of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks to 

14 examine— 

15 (A) the experience of veterans with the De16 partment of Veterans Affairs when seeking 

17 medical assistance for mental health issues 

18 through the health care system of the Depart19 ment; 

20 (B) the experience of veterans with non21 Department medical facilities and health profes22 sionals for treating mental health issues; 

23 (C) the preferences of veterans regarding 

24 available treatments for mental health issues 

25 and which methods the veterans believe to be 

26 most effective; 


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

2 respect to the complementary alternative treat3 ment therapies described in subparagraphs (A) 

4 through (I) in paragraph (3); 

5 (E) the prevalence of prescribing prescrip6 tion medication among veterans seeking treat7 ment through the health care system of the De8 partment as remedies for addressing mental 

9 health issues; and 

10 (F) the outreach efforts of the Secretary 

11 regarding the availability of benefits and treat12 ments for veterans for addressing mental health 

13 issues, including by identifying ways to reduce 

14 barriers to and gaps in such benefits and treat15 ments. 

16 (3) Examine available research on complemen17 tary alternative treatment therapies for mental 

18 health issues and identify what benefits could be 

19 made with the inclusion of such treatments for vet20 erans, including with respect to— 

21 (A) music therapy; 

22 (B) equine therapy; 

23 (C) training and caring for service dogs; 

24 (D) yoga therapy; 

25 (E) acupuncture therapy; 


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1 (F) meditation therapy; 

2 (G) outdoor sports therapy; 

3 (H) hyperbaric oxygen therapy; 

4 (I) accelerated resolution therapy; and 

5 (J) other therapies the Commission deter6 mines appropriate. 

7 (4) Study the potential increase in the approval 

8 by the Secretary of claims for compensation relating 

9 to mental health issues for veterans who served Op10 eration Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Free11 dom, and Operation New Dawn. 

12 SEC. 3. MEMBERSHIP. 

13 (a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be 

15 composed of 10 members, appointed as follows: 

16 (A) Two members appointed by the Speak17 er of the House of Representatives, at least one 

18 of whom shall be a veteran. 

19 (B) Two members appointed by the Minor20 ity Leader of the House of Representatives, at 

21 least one of whom shall be a veteran. 

22 (C) Two members appointed by the Major23 ity Leader of the Senate, at least one of whom 

24 shall be a veteran. 


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1 (D) Two members appointed by the Minor2 ity Leader of the Senate, at least one of whom 

3 shall be a veteran. 

4 (E) Two members appointed by the Presi5 dent, at least one of whom shall be a veteran. 

6 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Com7 mission shall be— 

8 (A) individuals who are of recognized 

9 standing and distinction within the medical 

10 community with a background in treating men11 tal health; and 

12 (B) individuals with experience working 

13 with the military and veteran population. 

14 (b) CHAIRMAN.—The President shall designate a 

15 member of the Commission to be the chairman. 

16 (c) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT.—Members of the 

17 Commission shall be appointed for the life of the Commis18 sion. 

19 (d) VACANCY.—A vacancy in the Commission shall 

20 be filled in the manner in which the original appointment 

21 was made. 

22 (e) APPOINTMENT DEADLINE.—The appointment of 

23 members of the Commission in this section shall be made 

24 not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 

25 of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. POWERS OF COMMISSION. 

2 (a) MEETING.— 

3 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—The Commission shall 

4 hold its first meeting not later than 30 days after 

5 a majority of members are appointed to the Commis6 sion. 

7 (2) MEETING.—The Commission shall regularly 

8 meet at the call of the Chairman. Such meetings 

9 may be carried out through the use of telephonic or 

10 other appropriate telecommunication technology if 

11 the Commission determines that such technology will 

12 allow the members to communicate simultaneously. 

13 (b) HEARING.—The Commission may hold such hear14 ings, sit and act at such times and places, take such testi15 mony, and receive evidence as the Commission considers 

16 advisable to carry out the responsibilities of the Commis17 sion. 

18 (c) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The 

19 Commission may secure directly from any department or 

20 agency of the Federal Government such information as the 

21 Commission considers necessary to carry out the duties 

22 of the Commission. 

23 (d) INFORMATION FROM NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGA24 NIZATIONS.—In carrying out section 2(b), the Commission 

25 may seek guidance through consultation with foundations, 

26 veterans service organizations, nonprofit groups, faithVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:43 Jul 02, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4977.IH H4977

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1 based organizations, private and public institutions of 

2 higher education, and other organizations as the Commis3 sion determines appropriate. 

4 (e) COMMISSION RECORDS.—The Commission shall 

5 keep an accurate and complete record of the actions and 

6 meetings of the Commission. Such record shall be made 

7 available for public inspection and the Comptroller Gen8 eral of the United States may audit and examine such 

9 record. 

10 (f) PERSONNEL MATTERS.—Upon request of the 

11 chairman of the Commission, the head of any department 

12 or agency of the Federal Government may detail, on a re13 imbursable basis, any personnel of that department or 

14 agency to assist the Commission in carrying out the duties 

15 of the Commission. 

16 (g) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS; TRAVEL EX17 PENSES.—Each member shall serve without pay, except 

18 that each member shall receive travel expenses to perform 

19 the duties of the Commission under section 2(b) of this 

20 Act, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates au21 thorized under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 

22 United States Code. 

23 (h) STAFF.—The Chairman, in accordance with rules 

24 agreed upon by the Commission, may appoint and fix the 

25 compensation of a staff director and such other personnel 


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1 as may be necessary to enable the Commission to carry 

2 out its functions, without regard to the provisions of title 

3 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the 

4 competitive service, without regard to the provision of 

5 chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title 

6 relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, 

7 except that no rate of pay fixed under this subsection may 

8 exceed the equivalent of that payable for a position at a 

9 level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

10 title 5, United States Code. 

11 (i) PERSONNEL AS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The executive director and 

13 any personnel of the Commission are employees 

14 under section 2105 of title 5, United States Code, 

15 for purpose of chapters 63, 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 

16 and 90 of such title. 

17 (2) MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.—Para18 graph (1) shall not be construed to apply to mem19 bers of the Commission. 

20 (j) CONTRACTING.—The Commission may, to such 

21 extent and in such amounts as are provided in appropria22 tions Acts, enter into contracts to enable the Commission 

23 to discharge the duties of the Commission under this Act. 

24 (k) EXPERT AND CONSULTANT SERVICE.—The Com25 mission may procure the services of experts and consultVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:43 Jul 02, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4977.IH H4977

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1 ants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, United 

2 States Code, at rates not to exceed the daily rate paid 

3 to a person occupying a position at level IV of the Execu4 tive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 

5 Code. 

6 (l) POSTAL SERVICE.—The Commission may use the 

7 United States mails in the same manner and under the 

8 same conditions as departments and agencies of the 

9 United States. 

10 (m) PHYSICAL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT.—Upon 

11 the request of the Commission, the Administrator of Gen12 eral Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reim13 bursable basis, the administrative support services nec14 essary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities 

15 under this Act. These administrative services may include 

16 human resource management, budget, leasing, accounting, 

17 and payroll services. 

18 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

19 (a) INTERIM REPORTS.— 

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

21 the date on which the Commission first meets, and 

22 each 30-day period thereafter ending on the date on 

23 which the Commission submits the final report 

24 under subsection (b), the Commission shall submit 

25 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 


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1 of Representatives and the Senate and the President 

2 a report detailing the level of cooperation the Sec3 retary of Veterans Affairs (and the heads of other 

4 departments or agencies of the Federal Government) 

5 has provided to the Commission. 

6 (2) OTHER REPORTS.—In carrying out the du7 ties pursuant to section 2(b), at times that the Com8 mission determines appropriate, the Commission 

9 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

10 of the House of Representatives and the Senate and 

11 any other appropriate entities an interim report with 

12 respect to the findings identified by the Commission. 

13 (b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

14 the first meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall 

15 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

16 House of Representatives and the Senate, the President, 

17 and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a final report on 

18 the findings of the Commission. Such report shall include 

19 the following: 

20 (1) Recommendations to implement in a fea21 sible, timely, and cost-effective manner the solutions 

22 and remedies identified within the findings of the 

23 Commission pursuant to section 2(b). 

24 (2) An analysis of the evidence-based therapy 

25 model used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for 


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1 treating veterans with mental health care issues, and 

2 an examination of the prevalence and efficacy of pre3 scription drugs as a means for treatment. 

4 (3) The findings of the patient-centered survey 

5 conducted within each of the Veterans Integrated 

6 Service Networks pursuant to section 2(b)(2). 

7 (4) An examination of complementary alter8 native treatments described in section 2(b)(3) and 

9 the potential benefits of incorporating such treat10 ments in the therapy model used by the Secretary 

11 for treating veterans with mental health issues. 

12 (c) PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date on 

13 which the Commission submits the final report under sub14 section (b), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 

15 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

16 Representatives and the Senate a report on the following: 

17 (1) An action plan for implementing the rec18 ommendations established by the Commission on 

19 such solutions and remedies for improving wellness20 based outcomes for veterans with mental health care 

21 issues. 

22 (2) A feasible timeframe on when complemen23 tary alternative treatments described in section 

24 2(b)(3) can be implemented Department-wide. 


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1 (3) If the Secretary determines that imple2 menting the recommendations established by the 

3 Commission, including with respect to such com4 plementary alternative treatments, is not appropriate 

5 or feasible, a justification for such determination 

6 and an alternative solution to improve the efficacy of 

7 the therapy model used by the Secretary for treating 

8 veterans with mental health issues. 

9 SEC. 6. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION. 

10 The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the 

11 Commission submits the final report under section 5(b). 

Æ 


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