II 

★(Star Print)

Calendar No. 335 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1233 

[Report No. 110–147] 

To provide and enhance intervention, rehabilitative treatment, and services 

to veterans with traumatic brain injury, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2007 

Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. STEVENS, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. CHAMBLISS, and Mr. 

LEAHY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AUGUST 29, 2007 

Reported, under authority of the order of the Senate of August 3, 2007, by 

Mr. AKAKA, with an amendment and an amendment to the title 

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

A BILL 

To provide and enhance intervention, rehabilitative treatment, and services to veterans with traumatic brain injury, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Act of 

4 2007’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Sense of Congress on Department of Veterans Affairs efforts in the rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans with traumatic brain 

injury. 

Sec. 3. Individual rehabilitation and community reintegration plans for veterans 

and others with traumatic brain injury. 

Sec. 4. Use of non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for implementation 

of rehabilitation and community reintegration plans for traumatic brain injury. 

Sec. 5. Research, education, and clinical care program on severe traumatic 

brain injury. 

Sec. 6. Pilot program on assisted living services for veterans with traumatic 

brain injury. 

Sec. 7. Age-appropriate nursing home care. 

Sec. 8. Research on traumatic brain injury. 

7 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DEPARTMENT OF VET8 ERANS AFFAIRS EFFORTS IN THE REHABILI9 TATION AND REINTEGRATION OF VETERANS 

10 WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

11 It is the sense of Congress that— 

12 (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs should 

13 have the capacity and expertise to provide veterans 

14 who have a traumatic brain injury with patient-cen15 tered health care, rehabilitation, and community in16 tegration services that are comparable to or exceed 

17 similar care and services available to persons with 

18 such injuries in the academic and private sector; 


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1 (2) rehabilitation for veterans who have a trau2 matic brain injury should be individualized, com3 prehensive, and multidisciplinary with the goals of 

4 optimizing the independence of such veterans and 

5 reintegrating them into their communities; 

6 (3) family support is integral to the rehabilita7 tion and community reintegration of veterans who 

8 have sustained a traumatic brain injury, and the De9 partment should provide the families of such vet10 erans with education and support; 

11 (4) the Department of Defense and Department 

12 of Veterans Affairs have made efforts to provide a 

13 smooth transition of medical care and rehabilitative 

14 services to individuals as they transition from the 

15 health care system of the Department of Defense to 

16 that of the Department of Veterans Affairs, but 

17 more can be done to assist veterans and their fami18 lies in the continuum of the rehabilitation, recovery, 

19 and reintegration of wounded or injured veterans 

20 into their communities; and 

21 (5) in planning for rehabilitation and commu22 nity reintegration of veterans who have a traumatic 

23 brain injury, it is necessary for the Department of 

24 Veterans Affairs to provide a system for life-long 

25 case management for such veterans. 


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1 SEC. 3. INDIVIDUAL REHABILITATION AND COMMUNITY RE2 INTEGRATION PLANS FOR VETERANS AND 

3 OTHERS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 

5 title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

6 section 1710B the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1710C. Traumatic brain injury: plans for rehabili8 tation and reintegration into the commu9 nity 

10 ‘‘(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall, for each 

11 veteran or member of the Armed Forces who receives inpa12 tient rehabilitation care from the Department for a trau13 matic brain injury— 

14 ‘‘(1) develop an individualized plan for the re15 habilitation and reintegration of such individual into 

16 the community; and 

17 ‘‘(2) provide such plan to such individual before 

18 such individual is discharged from inpatient care. 

19 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—Each plan developed 

20 under subsection (a) shall include, for the individual cov21 ered by such plan, the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) Rehabilitation objectives for improving the 

23 physical, cognitive, vocational, and psychosocial 

24 functioning of such individual with the goal of maxi25 mizing the independence and reintegration of such 

26 individual into the community. 


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1 ‘‘(2) A description of specific interventions, re2 habilitative treatments, and other services to achieve 

3 the objectives described in paragraph (2), which de4 scription shall set forth the type, frequency, dura5 tion, and location of such interventions, treatments, 

6 and services. 

7 ‘‘(3) The name of the case manager designated 

8 in accordance with subsection (d) to be responsible 

9 for the implementation of such plan. 

10 ‘‘(4) Dates on which the effectiveness of the 

11 plan will be reviewed in accordance with subsection 

12 (f). 

13 ‘‘(c) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each plan developed under 

15 subsection (a) shall be based upon a comprehensive 

16 assessment, developed in accordance with paragraph 

17 (2), of— 

18 ‘‘(A) the physical, cognitive, vocational, 

19 and psychosocial impairments of such indi20 vidual; and 

21 ‘‘(B) the family education and family sup22 port needs of such individual after discharge 

23 from inpatient care. 

24 ‘‘(2) FORMATION.—The comprehensive assess25 ment required under paragraph (1) with respect to 


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1 an individual is a comprehensive assessment of the 

2 matters set forth in that paragraph by a team, com3 posed by the Secretary for purposes of the assess4 ment, from among individuals with expertise in trau5 matic brain injury as follows: 

6 ‘‘(A) A neurologist. 

7 ‘‘(B) A rehabilitation physician. 

8 ‘‘(C) A social worker. 

9 ‘‘(D) A neuropsychologist or 

10 neuropsychiatrist. 

11 ‘‘(E) A physical therapist. 

12 ‘‘(F) A vocational rehabilitation specialist. 

13 ‘‘(G) An occupational therapist. 

14 ‘‘(H) A rehabilitation nurse. 

15 ‘‘(I) Such other health care professionals 

16 as the Secretary considers appropriate, includ17 ing— 

18 ‘‘(i) an audiologist; 

19 ‘‘(ii) a blind rehabilitation specialist; 

20 ‘‘(iii) a recreational therapist; 

21 ‘‘(iv) a speech language pathologist; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(v) a low vision optometrist. 

24 ‘‘(d) CASE MANAGER.—The Secretary shall designate 

25 a case manager for each individual described in subsection 


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1 (a) to be responsible for the implementation of the plan 

2 required by such subsection for such individual. 

3 ‘‘(e) PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION IN DE4 VELOPMENT OF PLANS.—(1) The Secretary shall involve 

5 each individual described in subsection (a), and the family 

6 of such individual, in the development of the plan for such 

7 individual under that subsection to the maximum extent 

8 practicable. 

9 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall collaborate in the develop10 ment of a plan for an individual under subsection (a) with 

11 an individual with expertise in the protection of, and advo12 cacy for, individuals with traumatic brain injury if— 

13 ‘‘(A) the individual covered by such plan re14 quests such collaboration; or 

15 ‘‘(B) if such individual is incapacitated, the 

16 family or guardian of such individual requests such 

17 collaboration. 

18 ‘‘(3) In the case of a plan required by subsection (a) 

19 for a member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty, 

20 the Secretary shall collaborate with the Secretary of De21 fense in the development of such plan. 

22 ‘‘(4) In developing vocational rehabilitation objectives 

23 required under subsection (b)(2) and in conducting the as24 sessment required under subsection (c), the Secretary 

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1 ordination with the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employ2 ment Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) PERIODIC REVIEW BY SECRETARY.—The 

5 Secretary shall periodically review the effectiveness 

6 of each plan developed under subsection (a). The 

7 Secretary shall refine each such plan as the Sec8 retary considers appropriate in light of such review. 

9 ‘‘(2) REQUEST FOR REVIEW BY VETERANS.—In 

10 addition to the periodic review required by para11 graph (1), the Secretary shall conduct a review of 

12 the plan of a veteran under paragraph (1) at the re13 quest of such veteran, or in the case that such vet14 eran is incapacitated, at the request of the guardian 

15 or the designee of such veteran.’’. 

16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

17 at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended 

18 by inserting after the item relating to section 1710B the 

19 following new item: 

‘‘1710C. Traumatic brain injury: plans for rehabilitation and reintegration into 

the community.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. USE OF NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

2 FACILITIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF REHA3 BILITATION AND COMMUNITY REINTEGRA4 TION PLANS FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 

6 title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

7 section 1710C, as added by section 3 of this Act, the fol8 lowing new section: 

9 ‘‘§ 1710D. Traumatic brain injury: use of non-Depart10 ment facilities for rehabilitation 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to section 1710(a)(4) of 

12 this title and subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary 

13 shall provide intervention, rehabilitative treatment, or 

14 services to implement a plan developed under section 

15 1710C of this title at a non-Department facility with 

16 which the Secretary has entered into an agreement for 

17 such purpose, to an individual— 

18 ‘‘(1) who is described in subsection (a) of such 

19 section; and 

20 ‘‘(2)(A) to whom the Secretary is unable to pro21 vide such intervention, treatment, or services at the 

22 frequency or for the duration prescribed in such 

23 plan; or 

24 ‘‘(B) who resides at such distance, as deter25 mined by the Secretary, from a Department medical 

26 facility as to make the implementation of such plan 


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1 through a Department facility infeasible or impracti2 cable. 

3 ‘‘(b) STANDARDS.—The Secretary may not provide 

4 intervention, treatment, or services as described in sub5 section (a) at a non-Department facility under such sub6 section unless such facility maintains standards for the 

7 provision of such intervention, treatment, or services es8 tablished by an independent, peer-reviewed organization 

9 that accredits specialized rehabilitation programs for 

10 adults with traumatic brain injury.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended 

13 by inserting after the item relating to section 1710C, as 

14 added by section 3 of this Act, the following new item: 

‘‘1710D. Traumatic brain injury: use of non-Department facilities for rehabilitation.’’. 

15 SEC. 5. RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLINICAL CARE PRO16 GRAM ON SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN IN17 JURY. 

18 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Subchapter II of chapter 

19 73 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

20 after section 7330 the following new section: 

21 ‘‘§ 7330A. Severe traumatic brain injury research, 

22 education, and clinical care program 

23 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall es24 tablish a program on research, education, and clinical care 


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1 to provide intensive neuro-rehabilitation to veterans with 

2 a severe traumatic brain injury, including veterans in a 

3 minimally conscious state who would otherwise receive 

4 nursing home care. 

5 ‘‘(b) COLLABORATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary 

6 shall establish the program required by subsection (a) in 

7 collaboration with the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury 

8 Center of the Department of Defense and academic insti9 tutions selected by the Secretary from among institutions 

10 having an expertise in research in neuro-rehabilitation. 

11 ‘‘(c) EDUCATION REQUIRED.—As part of the pro12 gram required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall con13 duct educational programs on recognizing and diagnosing 

14 mild and moderate cases of traumatic brain injury. 

15 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for each 

17 of fiscal years 2008 through 2012, $3,000,000 to carry 

18 out the program required by subsection (a).’’. 

19 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

20 at the beginning of chapter 73 of such title is amended 

21 by inserting after the item relating to section 7330 the 

22 following new item: 

‘‘7330A. Severe traumatic brain injury research, education, and clinical care 

program.’’. 

23 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

24 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 


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1 Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on the research 

2 to be conducted under the program required by section 

3 7330A of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub4 section (a). 

5 SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM ON ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES 

6 FOR VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN IN7 JURY. 

8 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 90 days after 

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

10 Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to assess 

11 the effectiveness of providing assisted living services to eli12 gible veterans to enhance the rehabilitation, quality of life, 

13 and community integration of such veterans. 

14 (b) DURATION OF PROGRAM.—The pilot program 

15 shall be carried out during the five-year period beginning 

16 on the date of the commencement of the pilot program. 

17 (c) PROGRAM LOCATIONS.— 

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

19 carried out at locations selected by the Secretary for 

20 purposes of the pilot program. Of the locations so 

21 selected— 

22 (A) at least one shall be in each health 

23 care region of the Veterans Health Administra24 tion that contains a polytrauma center of the 

25 Department of Veterans Affairs; and 


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1 (B) any other locations shall be in areas 

2 that contain high concentrations of veterans 

3 with traumatic brain injury, as determined by 

4 the Secretary. 

5 (2) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR VETERANS IN

6 RURAL AREAS.—Special consideration shall be given 

7 to provide veterans in rural areas with an oppor8 tunity to participate in the pilot program. 

9 (d) PROVISION OF ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES.— 

10 (1) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out the pilot 

11 program, the Secretary may enter into agreements 

12 for the provision of assisted living services on behalf 

13 of eligible veterans with either of the following: 

14 (A) A provider of services that has entered 

15 into a provider agreement under section 

16 1866(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

17 1395cc(a)). 

18 (B) A provider participating under a State 

19 plan under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 1396 et seq.). 

21 (2) STANDARDS.—The Secretary may not place, 

22 transfer, or admit a veteran to any facility for as23 sisted living services under this program unless the 

24 Secretary determines that the facility meets such 

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1 poses of the pilot program. Such standards shall, to 

2 the extent practicable, be consistent with the stand3 ards of Federal, State, and local agencies charged 

4 with the responsibility of licensing or otherwise regu5 lating or inspecting such facilities. 

6 (e) CONTINUATION OF CASE MANAGEMENT AND RE7 HABILITATION SERVICES.—In carrying the pilot program 

8 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall continue to pro9 vide each veteran who is receiving assisted living services 

10 under the pilot program with rehabilitative services and 

11 shall designate Department health-care employees to fur12 nish case management services for veterans participating 

13 in the pilot program. 

14 (f) REPORT.— 

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

16 the completion of the pilot program, the Secretary 

17 shall submit to the congressional veterans affairs 

18 committees a report on the pilot program. 

19 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para20 graph (1) shall include the following: 

21 (A) A description of the pilot program. 

22 (B) An assessment of the utility of the ac23 tivities under the pilot program in enhancing 

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1 nity reintegration of veterans with traumatic 

2 brain injury. 

3 (C) Such recommendations as the Sec4 retary considers appropriate regarding the ex5 tension or expansion of the pilot program. 

6 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) The term ‘‘assisted living services’’ means 

8 services of a facility in providing room, board, and 

9 personal care for and supervision of residents for 

10 their health, safety, and welfare. 

11 (2) The term ‘‘case management services’’ in12 cludes the coordination and facilitation of all services 

13 furnished to a veteran by the Department of Vet14 erans Affairs, either directly or through contract, in15 cluding assessment of needs, planning, referral (in16 cluding referral for services to be furnished by the 

17 Department, either directly or through a contract, or 

18 by an entity other than the Department), moni19 toring, reassessment, and followup. 

20 (3) The term ‘‘congressional veterans affairs 

21 committees’’ means— 

22 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

23 the Senate; and 

24 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

25 the House of Representatives. 


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1 (4) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a vet2 eran who— 

3 (A) is enrolled in the Department of Vet4 erans Affairs health care system; 

5 (B) has received treatment for traumatic 

6 brain injury from the Department of Veterans 

7 Affairs; 

8 (C) is unable to manage routine activities 

9 of daily living without supervision and assist10 ance; and 

11 (D) could reasonably be expected to receive 

12 ongoing services after the end of the pilot pro13 gram under this section under another govern14 ment program or through other means. 

15 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

16 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 

17 Affairs to carry out this section, $8,000,000 for each of 

18 fiscal years 2008 through 2013. 

19 SEC. 7. AGE-APPROPRIATE NURSING HOME CARE. 

20 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that young veterans 

21 who are injured or disabled through military service and 

22 require long-term care should have access to age-appro23 priate nursing home care. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE AGE-APPROPRIATE

2 NURSING HOME CARE.—Section 1710A of title 38, 

3 United States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub5 section (d); and 

6 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol7 lowing new subsection (c): 

8 ‘‘(c) The Secretary shall ensure that nursing home 

9 care provided under subsection (a) is provided in an age10 appropriate manner.’’. 

11 SEC. 8. RESEARCH ON TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

12 (a) INCLUSION OF RESEARCH ON TRAUMATIC BRAIN

13 INJURY UNDER ONGOING RESEARCH PROGRAMS.—The 

14 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, in carrying out re15 search programs and activities under the provisions of law 

16 referred to in subsection (b), ensure that such programs 

17 and activities include research on the sequelae of trau18 matic brain injury, including— 

19 (1) research on visually-related neurological 

20 conditions; 

21 (2) research on seizure disorders; and 

22 (3) research on means of improving the diag23 nosis, treatment, and prevention of such sequelae. 

24 (b) RESEARCH AUTHORITIES.—The provisions of law 

25 referred to in this subsection are the following: 


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1 (1) Section 3119 of title 38, United States 

2 Code, relating to rehabilitation research and special 

3 projects. 

4 (2) Section 7303 of title 38, United States 

5 Code, relating to research programs of the Veterans 

6 Health Administration. 

7 (3) Section 7327 of title 38, United States 

8 Code, relating to research, education, and clinical ac9 tivities on complex multi-trauma associated with 

10 combat injuries. 

11 (c) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out the research 

12 required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall collaborate 

13 with facilities that— 

14 (1) conduct research on rehabilitation for indi15 viduals with traumatic brain injury; and 

16 (2) receive grants for such research from the 

17 National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 

18 Research of the Department of Education. 

19 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

20 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

21 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

22 the House of Representatives a report describing in com23 prehensive detail the research to be carried out in order 

24 to fulfill the requirement in subsection (a). 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vet3 erans Traumatic Brain Injury and Health Programs Im4 provement Act of 2007’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. References to title 38, United States Code. 

TITLE I—TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY 

Sec. 101. Sense of Congress on Department of Veterans Affairs efforts in the rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans with traumatic brain injury. 

Sec. 102. Individual rehabilitation and community reintegration plans for veterans and others with traumatic brain injury. 

Sec. 103. Use of non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for implementation 

of rehabilitation and community reintegration plans for traumatic brain injury. 

Sec. 104. Research, education, and clinical care program on severe traumatic 

brain injury. 

Sec. 105. Pilot program on assisted living services for veterans with traumatic 

brain injury. 

Sec. 106. Age-appropriate nursing home care. 

Sec. 107. Research on traumatic brain injury. 

TITLE II—LANE EVANS BENEFITS IMPROVEMENTS 

Sec. 201. Extension of period of eligibility for health care for combat service in 

the Persian Gulf war or future hostilities. 

Sec. 202. Report on veterans and the provision to veterans of benefits and services 

by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 203. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital quality report card initiative. 

Sec. 204. Mental health: service-connection status and evaluations for certain veterans. 

TITLE III—HEALTH CARE MATTERS 

Sec. 301. Enrollment of priority 8 veterans in patient enrollment system. 

Sec. 302. Submittal of annual enrollment decisions to Congress. 

Sec. 303. Prohibition on collection of copayments and other fees for hospital or 

nursing home care. 

Sec. 304. Transportation grants for rural veterans service organizations. 

Sec. 305. Demonstration projects on alternatives for expanding care for veterans 

in rural areas. 

Sec. 306. Report to Congress on matters related to care for veterans who live in 

rural areas. 

Sec. 307. Veterans beneficiary travel program. 

Sec. 308. Modification of requirements for furnishing outpatient dental services to 

veterans with a service-connected dental condition or disability. 


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Sec. 309. Exemption for hospice care from long-term care copayment requirements. 

TITLE IV—HOMELESS VETERANS MATTERS 

Sec. 401. Repeal of authority for adjustments to per diem payments to homeless 

veterans service centers for receipt of other sources of income. 

Sec. 402. Demonstration program on preventing veterans at-risk of homelessness 

from becoming homeless. 

Sec. 403. Expansion and extension of authority for program of referral and counseling services for at-risk veterans transitioning from certain institutions. 

Sec. 404. Availability of grant funds to service centers for personnel. 

Sec. 405. Permanent authority for domiciliary services for homeless veterans and 

enhancement of capacity of domiciliary care programs for female veterans. 

Sec. 406. Financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran 

families in permanent housing. 

TITLE V—CONSTRUCTION MATTERS 

Sec. 501. Authorization of major medical facility project, Denver, Colorado. 

Sec. 502. Increase in authorization for major medical facility project to consolidate the medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

at the University Drive and H. John Heinz III divisions, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Sec. 503. Authorization of major medical facility project, Atlanta, Georgia. 

Sec. 504. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 505. Designation of Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 

TITLE VI—OTHER MATTERS 

Sec. 601. Reinstatement of health professionals scholarship program. 

Sec. 602. Repeal of certain report requirements. 

Sec. 603. Post 9/11 Global Operations defined. 

1 SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE. 

2 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

3 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

4 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, 

5 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 

6 other provision of title 38, United States Code. 


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1 TITLE I—TRAUMATIC BRAIN 

2 INJURY 

3 SEC. 101. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DEPARTMENT OF VET4 ERANS AFFAIRS EFFORTS IN THE REHABILI5 TATION AND REINTEGRATION OF VETERANS 

6 WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 

8 (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs is a lead9 er in the field of traumatic brain injury care and co10 ordination of such care; 

11 (2) the Department of Veterans Affairs should 

12 have the capacity and expertise to provide veterans 

13 who have a traumatic brain injury with patient-cen14 tered health care, rehabilitation, and community inte15 gration services that are comparable to or exceed 

16 similar care and services available to persons with 

17 such injuries in the academic and private sector; 

18 (3) rehabilitation for veterans who have a trau19 matic brain injury should be individualized, com20 prehensive, and interdisciplinary with the goals of 

21 optimizing the independence of such veterans and re22 integrating them into their communities; 

23 (4) family support is integral to the rehabilita24 tion and community reintegration of veterans who 

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1 partment should provide the families of such veterans 

2 with education and support; 

3 (5) the Department of Defense and Department 

4 of Veterans Affairs have made efforts to provide a 

5 smooth transition of medical care and rehabilitative 

6 services to individuals as they transition from the 

7 health care system of the Department of Defense to 

8 that of the Department of Veterans Affairs, but more 

9 can be done to assist veterans and their families in 

10 the continuum of the rehabilitation, recovery, and re11 integration of wounded or injured veterans into their 

12 communities; 

13 (6) in planning for rehabilitation and commu14 nity reintegration of veterans who have a traumatic 

15 brain injury, it is necessary for the Department of 

16 Veterans Affairs to provide a system for life-long case 

17 management for such veterans; and 

18 (7) in such system for life-long case management, 

19 it is necessary to conduct outreach and to tailor spe20 cialized traumatic brain injury case management and 

21 outreach for the unique needs of veterans with trau22 matic brain injury who reside in urban and non23 urban settings. 


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1 SEC. 102. INDIVIDUAL REHABILITATION AND COMMUNITY 

2 REINTEGRATION PLANS FOR VETERANS AND 

3 OTHERS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 is 

5 amended by inserting after section 1710B the following new 

6 section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1710C. Traumatic brain injury: plans for rehabili8 tation and reintegration into the commu9 nity 

10 ‘‘(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall, for each 

11 veteran or member of the Armed Forces who receives inpa12 tient or outpatient rehabilitation care from the Department 

13 for a traumatic brain injury— 

14 ‘‘(1) develop an individualized plan for the reha15 bilitation and reintegration of such individual into 

16 the community; and 

17 ‘‘(2) provide such plan in writing to such indi18 vidual before such individual is discharged from in19 patient care, following transition from active duty to 

20 the Department for outpatient care, or as soon as 

21 practicable following diagnosis. 

22 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—Each plan developed under 

23 subsection (a) shall include, for the individual covered by 

24 such plan, the following: 

25 ‘‘(1) Rehabilitation objectives for improving the 

26 physical, cognitive, and vocational functioning of 


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1 such individual with the goal of maximizing the inde2 pendence and reintegration of such individual into 

3 the community. 

4 ‘‘(2) Access, as warranted, to all appropriate re5 habilitative components of the traumatic brain injury 

6 continuum of care. 

7 ‘‘(3) A description of specific interventions, reha8 bilitative treatments, and other services to achieve the 

9 objectives described in paragraph (1), which descrip10 tion shall set forth the type, frequency, duration, and 

11 location of such interventions, treatments, and serv12 ices. 

13 ‘‘(4) The name of the case manager designated in 

14 accordance with subsection (d) to be responsible for 

15 the implementation of such plan. 

16 ‘‘(5) Dates on which the effectiveness of the plan 

17 will be reviewed in accordance with subsection (f). 

18 ‘‘(c) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each plan developed under 

20 subsection (a) shall be based upon a comprehensive 

21 assessment, developed in accordance with paragraph 

22 (2), of— 

23 ‘‘(A) the physical, cognitive, vocational, and 

24 neuropsychological and social impairments of 

25 such individual; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the family education and family sup2 port needs of such individual after discharge 

3 from inpatient care. 

4 ‘‘(2) FORMATION.—The comprehensive assess5 ment required under paragraph (1) with respect to an 

6 individual is a comprehensive assessment of the mat7 ters set forth in that paragraph by a team, composed 

8 by the Secretary for purposes of the assessment from 

9 among, but not limited to, individuals with expertise 

10 in traumatic brain injury, including the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) A neurologist or neuropsychiatrist. 

12 ‘‘(B) A rehabilitation physician. 

13 ‘‘(C) A social worker. 

14 ‘‘(D) A neuropsychologist. 

15 ‘‘(E) A physical therapist. 

16 ‘‘(F) A vocational rehabilitation specialist. 

17 ‘‘(G) An occupational therapist. 

18 ‘‘(H) A speech language pathologist. 

19 ‘‘(I) A rehabilitation nurse. 

20 ‘‘(J) An educational therapist. 

21 ‘‘(K) An audiologist. 

22 ‘‘(L) A blind rehabilitation specialist. 

23 ‘‘(M) A recreational therapist. 

24 ‘‘(N) A low vision optometrist. 

25 ‘‘(O) An orthotist or prostetist. 


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1 ‘‘(P) An assistive technologist or rehabilita2 tion engineer. 

3 ‘‘(Q) An ophthalmologist. 

4 ‘‘(R) An otolaryngology physician. 

5 ‘‘(S) A dietician. 

6 ‘‘(d) CASE MANAGER.—(1) The Secretary shall des7 ignate a case manager for each individual described in sub8 section (a) to be responsible for the implementation of the 

9 plan, and coordination of such care, required by such sub10 section for such individual. 

11 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall ensure that such case manager 

12 has specific expertise in the care required by the individual 

13 to whom such case manager is designated, regardless of 

14 whether such case manager obtains such expertise through 

15 experience, education, or training. 

16 ‘‘(e) PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION IN DEVEL17 OPMENT OF PLANS.—(1) The Secretary shall involve each 

18 individual described in subsection (a), and the family or 

19 legal guardian of such individual, in the development of 

20 the plan for such individual under that subsection to the 

21 maximum extent practicable. 

22 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall collaborate in the development 

23 of a plan for an individual under subsection (a) with a 

24 State protection and advocacy system if— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the individual covered by such plan re2 quests such collaboration; or 

3 ‘‘(B) in the case such individual is incapaci4 tated, the family or guardian of such individual re5 quests such collaboration. 

6 ‘‘(3) In the case of a plan required by subsection (a) 

7 for a member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty, 

8 the Secretary shall collaborate with the Secretary of Defense 

9 in the development of such plan. 

10 ‘‘(4) In developing vocational rehabilitation objectives 

11 required under subsection (b)(1) and in conducting the as12 sessment required under subsection (c), the Secretary shall 

13 act through the Under Secretary for Health in coordination 

14 with the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Serv15 ice of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

16 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.— 

17 ‘‘(1) PERIODIC REVIEW BY SECRETARY.—The 

18 Secretary shall periodically review the effectiveness of 

19 each plan developed under subsection (a). The Sec20 retary shall refine each such plan as the Secretary 

21 considers appropriate in light of such review. 

22 ‘‘(2) REQUEST FOR REVIEW BY VETERANS.—In 

23 addition to the periodic review required by paragraph 

24 (1), the Secretary shall conduct a review of the plan 

25 of a veteran under paragraph (1) at the request of 


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1 such veteran, or in the case that such veteran is inca2 pacitated, at the request of the guardian or the des3 ignee of such veteran. 

4 ‘‘(g) STATE DESIGNATED PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY

5 SYSTEM DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘State protec6 tion and advocacy system’ means a system established in 

7 a State under subtitle C of the Developmental Disabilities 

8 Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15041 

9 et seq.) to protect and advocate for the rights of persons 

10 with development disabilities.’’. 

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

12 the beginning of chapter 17 is amended by inserting after 

13 the item relating to section 1710B the following new item: 

‘‘1710C. Traumatic brain injury: plans for rehabilitation and reintegration into 

the community.’’. 

14 SEC. 103. USE OF NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF15 FAIRS FACILITIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF 

16 REHABILITATION AND COMMUNITY RE17 INTEGRATION PLANS FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN 

18 INJURY. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 is 

20 amended by inserting after section 1710C, as added by sec21 tion 102 of this Act, the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1710D. Traumatic brain injury: use of non-Depart2 ment facilities for rehabilitation 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to section 1710(a)(4) of 

4 this title and subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary 

5 shall provide rehabilitative treatment or services to imple6 ment a plan developed under section 1710C of this title at 

7 a non-Department facility with which the Secretary has en8 tered into an agreement for such purpose, to an indi9 vidual— 

10 ‘‘(1) who is described in section 1710C(a) of this 

11 title; and 

12 ‘‘(2)(A) to whom the Secretary is unable to pro13 vide such treatment or services at the frequency or for 

14 the duration prescribed in such plan; or 

15 ‘‘(B) for whom the Secretary determines that it 

16 is optimal with respect to the recovery and rehabilita17 tion of such individual . 

18 ‘‘(b) STANDARDS.—The Secretary may not provide 

19 treatment or services as described in subsection (a) at a 

20 non-Department facility under such subsection unless such 

21 facility maintains standards for the provision of such treat22 ment or services established by an independent, peer-re23 viewed organization that accredits specialized rehabilita24 tion programs for adults with traumatic brain injury. 

25 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITIES OF STATE PROTECTION AND ADVO26 CACY SYSTEMS.—With respect to the provision of rehabiliVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:05 Sep 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1233.RS S1233

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1 tative treatment or services described in subsection (a) in 

2 a non-Department facility, a State designated protection 

3 and advocacy system established under subtitle C of the De4 velopmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act 

5 of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15041 et seq.) shall have the authorities 

6 described under such subtitle.’’. 

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

8 the beginning of chapter 17 is amended by inserting after 

9 the item relating to section 1710C, as added by section 102 

10 of this Act, the following new item: 

‘‘1710D. Traumatic brain injury: use of non-Department facilities for rehabilitation.’’. 

11 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1710(a)(4) is 

12 amended by inserting ‘‘the requirement in section 1710D 

13 of this title that the Secretary provide certain intervention, 

14 rehabilitative treatment, or services,’’ after ‘‘extended care 

15 services,’’. 

16 SEC. 104. RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLINICAL CARE 

17 PROGRAM ON SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN IN18 JURY. 

19 (a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Subchapter II of chapter 

20 73 is amended by inserting after section 7330 the following 

21 new section: 


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1 ‘‘§ 7330A. Severe traumatic brain injury research, edu2 cation, and clinical care program 

3 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall estab4 lish a program on research, education, and clinical care 

5 to provide intensive neuro-rehabilitation to veterans with 

6 a severe traumatic brain injury, including veterans in a 

7 minimally conscious state who would otherwise receive only 

8 long-term residential care. 

9 ‘‘(b) COLLABORATION REQUIRED.—The Secretary 

10 shall establish the program required by subsection (a) in 

11 collaboration with the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury 

12 Center and academic institutions selected by the Secretary 

13 from among institutions having an expertise in research in 

14 neuro-rehabilitation. 

15 ‘‘(c) EDUCATION REQUIRED.—As part of the program 

16 required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall, in collabora17 tion with the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, 

18 conduct educational programs on recognizing and diag19 nosing mild and moderate cases of traumatic brain injury. 

20 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for each of 

22 fiscal years 2008 through 2012, $10,000,000 to carry out 

23 the program required by subsection (a).’’. 

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

25 the beginning of chapter 73 is amended by inserting after 

26 the item relating to section 7330 the following new item: 


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‘‘7330A. Severe traumatic brain injury research, education, and clinical care program.’’. 

1 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the date 

2 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af3 fairs shall submit to Congress a report on the research to 

4 be conducted under the program required by section 7330A 

5 of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 

6 SEC. 105. PILOT PROGRAM ON ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES 

7 FOR VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN IN8 JURY. 

9 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 90 days after 

10 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet11 erans Affairs shall, in collaboration with the Defense and 

12 Veterans Brain Injury Center, carry out a pilot program 

13 to assess the effectiveness of providing assisted living serv14 ices to eligible veterans to enhance the rehabilitation, qual15 ity of life, and community integration of such veterans. 

16 (b) DURATION OF PROGRAM.—The pilot program shall 

17 be carried out during the five-year period beginning on the 

18 date of the commencement of the pilot program. 

19 (c) PROGRAM LOCATIONS.— 

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

21 carried out at locations selected by the Secretary for 

22 purposes of the pilot program. Of the locations so se23 lected— 


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1 (A) at least one shall be in each health care 

2 region of the Veterans Health Administration 

3 that contains a polytrauma center of the Depart4 ment of Veterans Affairs; and 

5 (B) any other locations shall be in areas 

6 that contain high concentrations of veterans with 

7 traumatic brain injury, as determined by the 

8 Secretary. 

9 (2) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR VETERANS IN

10 RURAL AREAS.—Special consideration shall be given 

11 to provide veterans in rural areas with an oppor12 tunity to participate in the pilot program. 

13 (d) PROVISION OF ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES.— 

14 (1) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out the pilot 

15 program, the Secretary may enter into agreements for 

16 the provision of assisted living services on behalf of el17 igible veterans with a provider participating under a 

18 State plan or waiver under title XIX of such Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.). 

20 (2) STANDARDS.—The Secretary may not place, 

21 transfer, or admit a veteran to any facility for as22 sisted living services under this program unless the 

23 Secretary determines that the facility meets such 

24 standards as the Secretary may prescribe for purposes 

25 of the pilot program. Such standards shall, to the exVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:05 Sep 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1233.RS S1233

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1 tent practicable, be consistent with the standards of 

2 Federal, State, and local agencies charged with the re3 sponsibility of licensing or otherwise regulating or in4 specting such facilities. 

5 (e) CONTINUATION OF CASE MANAGEMENT AND REHA6 BILITATION SERVICES.—In carrying the pilot program 

7 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall continue to provide 

8 each veteran who is receiving assisted living services under 

9 the pilot program with rehabilitative services and shall des10 ignate Department health-care employees to furnish case 

11 management services for veterans participating in the pilot 

12 program. 

13 (f) REPORT.— 

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

15 the completion of the pilot program, the Secretary 

16 shall submit to the congressional veterans affairs com17 mittees a report on the pilot program. 

18 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para19 graph (1) shall include the following: 

20 (A) A description of the pilot program. 

21 (B) An assessment of the utility of the ac22 tivities under the pilot program in enhancing 

23 the rehabilitation, quality of life, and commu24 nity reintegration of veterans with traumatic 

25 brain injury. 


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1 (C) Such recommendations as the Secretary 

2 considers appropriate regarding the extension or 

3 expansion of the pilot program. 

4 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) The term ‘‘assisted living services’’ means 

6 services of a facility in providing room, board, and 

7 personal care for and supervision of residents for 

8 their health, safety, and welfare. 

9 (2) The term ‘‘case management services’’ in10 cludes the coordination and facilitation of all services 

11 furnished to a veteran by the Department of Veterans 

12 Affairs, either directly or through contract, including 

13 assessment of needs, planning, referral (including re14 ferral for services to be furnished by the Department, 

15 either directly or through a contract, or by an entity 

16 other than the Department), monitoring, reassess17 ment, and followup. 

18 (3) The term ‘‘congressional veterans affairs 

19 committees’’ means— 

20 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

21 the Senate; and 

22 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

23 the House of Representatives. 

24 (4) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a veteran 

25 who— 


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1 (A) is enrolled in the Department of Vet2 erans Affairs health care system; 

3 (B) has received treatment for traumatic 

4 brain injury from the Department of Veterans 

5 Affairs; 

6 (C) is unable to manage routine activities 

7 of daily living without supervision and assist8 ance; and 

9 (D) could reasonably be expected to receive 

10 ongoing services after the end of the pilot pro11 gram under this section under another govern12 ment program or through other means. 

13 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

14 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 

15 Affairs to carry out this section, $8,000,000 for each of fis16 cal years 2008 through 2013. 

17 SEC. 106. AGE-APPROPRIATE NURSING HOME CARE. 

18 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that young veterans who 

19 are injured or disabled through military service and require 

20 long-term care should have access to age-appropriate nurs21 ing home care. 

22 (b) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE AGE-APPROPRIATE

23 NURSING HOME CARE.—Section 1710A is amended— 

24 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

25 (d); and 


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1 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following 

2 new subsection (c): 

3 ‘‘(c) The Secretary shall ensure that nursing home care 

4 provided under subsection (a) is provided in an age-appro5 priate manner.’’. 

6 SEC. 107. RESEARCH ON TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

7 (a) INCLUSION OF RESEARCH ON TRAUMATIC BRAIN

8 INJURY UNDER ONGOING RESEARCH PROGRAMS.—The 

9 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, in carrying out research 

10 programs and activities under the provisions of law referred 

11 to in subsection (b), ensure that such programs and activi12 ties include research on the sequelae of mild to severe forms 

13 of traumatic brain injury, including— 

14 (1) research on visually-related neurological con15 ditions; 

16 (2) research on seizure disorders; 

17 (3) research on means of improving the diag18 nosis, rehabilitative treatment, and prevention of such 

19 sequelae; 

20 (4) research to determine the most effective cog21 nitive and physical therapies for the sequelae of trau22 matic brain injury; and 

23 (5) research on dual diagnosis of post-traumatic 

24 stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. 


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1 (b) RESEARCH AUTHORITIES.—The provisions of law 

2 referred to in this subsection are the following: 

3 (1) Section 3119 of title 38, United States Code, 

4 relating to rehabilitation research and special 

5 projects. 

6 (2) Section 7303 of such title, relating to re7 search programs of the Veterans Health Administra8 tion. 

9 (3) Section 7327 of such title, relating to re10 search, education, and clinical activities on complex 

11 multi-trauma associated with combat injuries. 

12 (c) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out the research re13 quired by subsection (a), the Secretary shall collaborate 

14 with facilities that— 

15 (1) conduct research on rehabilitation for indi16 viduals with traumatic brain injury; and 

17 (2) receive grants for such research from the Na18 tional Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Re19 search of the Department of Education. 

20 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

21 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 

22 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

23 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representa24 tives a report describing in comprehensive detail the re25 search to be carried out pursuant to subsection (a). 


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1 TITLE II—LANE EVANS BENEFITS 

2 IMPROVEMENTS 

3 SEC. 201. EXTENSION OF PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY FOR 

4 HEALTH CARE FOR COMBAT SERVICE IN THE 

5 PERSIAN GULF WAR OR FUTURE HOS6 TILITIES. 

7 Section 1710(e)(3)(C) is amended by striking ‘‘2 

8 years’’ and inserting ‘‘5 years’’. 

9 SEC. 202. REPORT ON VETERANS AND THE PROVISION TO 

10 VETERANS OF BENEFITS AND SERVICES BY 

11 THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 5 is amended by inserting 

13 after section 530 the following new section: 

14 ‘‘§ 530A. Report on veterans and the provision to vet15 erans of benefits and services by the De16 partment 

17 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORT REQUIRED.—(1) Not later than 

18 90 days after the end of the fiscal year in which this section 

19 is enacted and every fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary 

20 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

21 report on veterans and the provision to veterans of benefits 

22 and services under the laws administered by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(2) Each report required by paragraph (1) shall pro24 vide the information specified in subsection (c), current as 


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1 of the last day of the fiscal year for which the report is 

2 submitted. 

3 ‘‘(b) QUARTERLY REPORT REQUIRED.—(1) Not later 

4 than 60 days after the end of the first quarter following 

5 the date on which this section is enacted and quarterly 

6 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 

7 committees of Congress a report on the claims of veterans 

8 for service-connected compensation under section 1114 of 

9 this title. 

10 ‘‘(2) Each report required by paragraph (1) shall pro11 vide the information specified in subparagraphs (A) and 

12 (F) of subsection (c)(2), current as of the last day of the 

13 quarter for which the report is submitted. 

14 ‘‘(c) COVERED INFORMATION.—The information speci15 fied in this subsection for a report under subsection (a) is 

16 information on veterans and the provision to veterans of 

17 benefits and services under the laws administered by the 

18 Secretary as follows: 

19 ‘‘(1) For each covered tour of duty category, ag20 gregated personal information on veterans provided 

21 benefits and services under the laws administered by 

22 the Secretary, including demographic information as 

23 follows: 

24 ‘‘(A) Sex. 

25 ‘‘(B) Age. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Marital status (whether married, sin2 gle, separated, or divorced). 

3 ‘‘(D) Residence (by State, territory, or 

4 country). 

5 ‘‘(E) Armed Force, as of the date of dis6 charge or separation. 

7 ‘‘(F) Service as a member of a regular com8 ponent of the Armed Forces or as a Reserve (in9 cluding whether National Guard or Reserve). 

10 ‘‘(G) Separation status. 

11 ‘‘(2) For each covered tour of duty category, ag12 gregated information on the compensation, pension, 

13 and other benefits and services provided by the De14 partment to veterans, or provided with respect to such 

15 veterans as the case may be, including the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) The claims of such veterans for service17 connected compensation under section 1114 of 

18 this title, including the following set forth by: 

19 ‘‘(i) The number of such claims re20 ceived. 

21 ‘‘(ii) The number of such claims proc22 essed. 

23 ‘‘(iii) The number of such claims pend24 ing. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) The number of such claims grant2 ed. 

3 ‘‘(v) The number of such claims denied. 

4 ‘‘(vi) The number of such claims with 

5 a combined disability rating of 10 percent 

6 or more. 

7 ‘‘(B) The amount of such compensation 

8 paid to such veterans, stated as an average 

9 monthly amount of such veterans receiving such 

10 compensation set forth by the following: 

11 ‘‘(i) Such veterans with a disability 

12 rating of zero percent. 

13 ‘‘(ii) Such veterans with a disability 

14 rating of 10 percent. 

15 ‘‘(iii) Such veterans with a disability 

16 rating of 20 percent. 

17 ‘‘(iv) Such veterans with a disability 

18 rating of 30 percent. 

19 ‘‘(v) Such veterans with a disability 

20 rating of 40 percent. 

21 ‘‘(vi) Such veterans with a disability 

22 rating of 50 percent. 

23 ‘‘(vii) Such veterans with a disability 

24 rating of 60 percent. 


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1 ‘‘(viii) Such veterans with a disability 

2 rating of 70 percent. 

3 ‘‘(ix) Such veterans with a disability 

4 rating of 80 percent. 

5 ‘‘(x) Such veterans with a disability 

6 rating of 90 percent. 

7 ‘‘(xi) Such veterans with a disability 

8 rating of 100 percent. 

9 ‘‘(xii) Such veterans paid special 

10 monthly compensation under any of sub11 sections (k) through (s) of section 1114 of 

12 this title. 

13 ‘‘(C) The claims for dependency and indem14 nity compensation under chapter 13 of this title, 

15 with respect to such veterans, including the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(i) The number of such claims re18 ceived. 

19 ‘‘(ii) The number of such claims proc20 essed. 

21 ‘‘(iii) The number of such claims pend22 ing. 

23 ‘‘(iv) The number of such claims grant24 ed. 

25 ‘‘(v) The number of such claims denied. 


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1 ‘‘(D) The amount of such dependency and 

2 indemnity compensation paid with respect to 

3 survivors of such veterans, stated as an average 

4 monthly amount. 

5 ‘‘(E) The number of such survivors who 

6 have one or more dependent children under the 

7 age of 18 and who receive additional benefits 

8 under section 1311(f) of this title by reason 

9 thereof. 

10 ‘‘(F) The claims for pension under chapter 

11 15 of this title, for or with respect to such vet12 erans, including the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) The number of such claims re14 ceived. 

15 ‘‘(ii) The number of such claims proc16 essed. 

17 ‘‘(iii) The number of such claims pend18 ing. 

19 ‘‘(iv) The number of such claims grant20 ed. 

21 ‘‘(v) The number of such claims denied. 

22 ‘‘(G) The amount of such pension paid for 

23 or with respect to such veterans, stated as an av24 erage monthly amount set forth by whether such 

25 veterans have— 


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1 ‘‘(i) no eligible dependents; 

2 ‘‘(ii) one or more dependents; 

3 ‘‘(iii) benefits paid at the house bound 

4 rate; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) benefits paid at the rate for aid 

6 and attendance. 

7 ‘‘(3) For each covered tour of duty category, ag8 gregated information on the use of vet centers by vet9 erans, including the number of veterans using services 

10 of vet centers set forth by whether such veterans are 

11 members of the National Guard or the Reserves. 

12 ‘‘(4) For each covered tour of duty category, ag13 gregated information on the provision to veterans of 

14 health care services by the Veterans Health Adminis15 tration, set forth by the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) Whether the services provided were in17 patient or outpatient services. 

18 ‘‘(B) Aggregate information about such vet19 erans served, including the number of such vet20 erans set forth by the following: 

21 ‘‘(i) Sex. 

22 ‘‘(ii) Age. 

23 ‘‘(iii) Armed Force, as of the date of 

24 discharge or separation. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) Service as a member of a regular 

2 component of the Armed Forces or as a Re3 serve (including whether National Guard or 

4 Reserve). 

5 ‘‘(C) Where such services were provided, in6 cluding whether such services were provided in a 

7 hospital, vet center, or a specialty care facility 

8 such as a polytrauma center. 

9 ‘‘(5) For each covered tour of duty category, ag10 gregated information on mental health disorders of 

11 veterans, including the number of veterans who after 

12 December 31, 2002, have been diagnosed or treated for 

13 one or more of the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) Post-traumatic stress disorder. 

15 ‘‘(B) Depressive disorders. 

16 ‘‘(C) Neurotic disorders. 

17 ‘‘(D) Substance use disorders. 

18 ‘‘(E) Acute reaction to stress. 

19 ‘‘(F) Such other mental disorders as the 

20 Secretary considers appropriate. 

21 ‘‘(d) PROTECTION OF IDENTITIES.—The Secretary 

22 shall take appropriate actions in preparing and submitting 

23 reports under this section to ensure that no personally iden24 tifying information on any particular veteran is included 

25 or otherwise improperly released in such reports. 


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1 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) The term ‘appropriate committees of Con3 gress’ means— 

4 ‘‘(A) the Committees on Armed Services, 

5 Appropriations, and Veterans’ Affairs of the 

6 Senate; and 

7 ‘‘(B) the Committees on Armed Services, 

8 Appropriations, and Veterans’ Affairs of the 

9 House of Representatives. 

10 ‘‘(2) The term ‘duty in the Post 9/11 Global Op11 erations theater’ means service in the active military, 

12 naval, or air service during the Post 9/11 Global Op13 erations in a location (including the airspace above) 

14 as follows: 

15 ‘‘(A) Afghanistan. 

16 ‘‘(B) Iraq. 

17 ‘‘(C) Any geographic location specified for 

18 an award of the Global War on Terrorism Expe19 ditionary Medal to members of the Armed 

20 Forces. 

21 ‘‘(3) The term ‘covered tour of duty category’ 

22 means the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) Deployment in only in Afghanistan. 

24 ‘‘(B) Deployment in only in Iraq. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Deployment in both Afghanistan and 

2 Iraq. 

3 ‘‘(D) Duty in the Post 9/11 Global Oper4 ations theater other than in Afghanistan or Iraq. 

5 ‘‘(E) Any other duty not covered by sub6 paragraphs (A) through (D). 

7 ‘‘(4) The term ‘vet center’ means a center for the 

8 provision of readjustment counseling and related 

9 mental health services under section 1712A of this 

10 title.’’. 

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

12 the beginning of chapter 5 is amended by inserting after 

13 the item related to section 530 the following new item: 

‘‘530A. Annual report on veterans and the provision to veterans of benefits and 

services by the Department.’’. 

14 SEC. 203. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOSPITAL 

15 QUALITY REPORT CARD INITIATIVE. 

16 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to estab17 lish the Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative under title 

18 38, United States Code, to ensure that information on the 

19 quality and performance of hospitals administered by the 

20 Secretary of Veterans Affairs is readily available and acces21 sible in order to— 

22 (1) inform patients and consumers about health 

23 care quality in such hospitals; 


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1 (2) assist health care providers of the Depart2 ment of Veterans Affairs in identifying opportunities 

3 for quality improvement and cost containment; and 

4 (3) increase the understanding and general 

5 awareness of the public of hospital quality issues. 

6 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subchapter III of chapter 17 is 

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

8 ‘‘§ 1730A. Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after the 

10 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

11 establish and implement a Hospital Quality Report Card 

12 Initiative (in this section referred to as the ‘Initiative’) to 

13 report on health care quality in VA hospitals. 

14 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ON QUALITY AND

15 PERFORMANCE OF VA HOSPITALS.—(1)(A) Under the ini16 tiative, the Secretary shall make available to the public the 

17 most current information on the quality and performance 

18 of each VA hospital on the Internet web site or in the pro19 motional literature of each such VA hospital. Such informa20 tion shall include quality measures that allow for an assess21 ment of the following, with respect to health care provided 

22 by VA hospitals: 

23 ‘‘(i) Effectiveness. 

24 ‘‘(ii) Safety. 

25 ‘‘(iii) Timeliness. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) Efficiency. 

2 ‘‘(v) Patient satisfaction. 

3 ‘‘(B) In reporting information pursuant to subpara4 graph (A), the Secretary may display or provide links to 

5 reports or analyses on VA hospital quality and performance 

6 from all available objective sources, which may include the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(i) The Joint Commission on Accreditation of 

9 Healthcare Organizations. 

10 ‘‘(ii) The Office of the Inspector General. 

11 ‘‘(iii) The Office of the Medical Inspector. 

12 ‘‘(iv) Offices of the Department involved in the 

13 collection and dissemination of data on the perform14 ance of individual hospitals. 

15 ‘‘(v) National and local media entities. 

16 ‘‘(vi) Professional journals. 

17 ‘‘(vii) Such other sources as the Secretary con18 siders appropriate. 

19 ‘‘(C) In reporting information as provided for under 

20 subparagraph (A), the Secretary may risk adjust quality 

21 measures to account for differences relating to— 

22 ‘‘(i) the characteristics of the reporting VA hos23 pital, such as licensed bed size, geography, and teach24 ing hospital status; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) patient characteristics, such as health sta2 tus, severity of illness, and socioeconomic status. 

3 ‘‘(D) Under the Initiative, the Secretary may verify 

4 information reported under this paragraph to ensure accu5 racy and validity. 

6 ‘‘(E) The Secretary shall disclose the nature and scope 

7 of information reported under this paragraph to all VA hos8 pitals that are the subject of any such information. 

9 ‘‘(F)(i) The Secretary shall inform the Committee on 

10 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet11 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives of the nature 

12 and scope of information to be reported under this para13 graph. 

14 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall ensure that information on 

15 health care quality is provided in a manner that is condu16 cive for comparisons with other local hospitals or regional 

17 hospitals, as appropriate. 

18 ‘‘(iii) The Secretary shall establish procedures for mak19 ing information under this paragraph available to the pub20 lic in accordance with the requirements of subparagraph 

21 (A). 

22 ‘‘(G) The analytic methodologies and limitations on 

23 information sources utilized by the Secretary to develop and 

24 disseminate information under this paragraph may be 

25 identified and acknowledged in a notice or disclaimer, and 


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1 may include the appropriate and inappropriate uses of 

2 such information. 

3 ‘‘(H) Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary 

4 may compare quality measures data submitted by each VA 

5 hospital to the Secretary with quality measures data sub6 mitted to the Secretary in the prior year or years by each 

7 such VA hospital in order to identify actions that could lead 

8 to false or artificial improvements in the quality measure9 ments of such VA hospitals. 

10 ‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall develop and implement ef11 fective safeguards to protect against the unauthorized use 

12 or disclosure of VA hospital data that is reported under this 

13 section. 

14 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall develop and implement effec15 tive safeguards to protect against the dissemination of in16 consistent, incomplete, invalid, inaccurate, or subjective VA 

17 hospital data. 

18 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall ensure that identifiable pa19 tient data shall not be released to the public. 

20 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF VA HOSPITAL.—In this section, 

21 the term ‘VA hospital’ means a Department of Veterans Af22 fairs Medical Center administered by the Secretary.’’. 

23 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

24 the beginning of chapter 17 is amended by inserting after 

25 the item relating to section 1730 the following new item: 

‘‘1730A. Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative.’’. 


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1 SEC. 204. MENTAL HEALTH: SERVICE-CONNECTION STATUS 

2 AND EVALUATIONS FOR CERTAIN VETERANS. 

3 (a) PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE-CONNECTION OF MEN4 TAL ILLNESS FOR CERTAIN VETERANS.—Section 1702 is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘psychosis’’ and inserting ‘‘men7 tal illness’’; and 

8 (2) in the heading, by striking ‘‘psychosis’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘mental illness’’. 

10 (b) PROVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATIONS

11 FOR CERTAIN VETERANS.—Upon the request of a veteran 

12 described in section 1710(e)(3)(C) of title 38, United States 

13 Code, the Secretary shall provide to such veteran a prelimi14 nary mental health evaluation as soon as practicable, but 

15 not later than 30 days after such request. 

16 TITLE III—HEALTH CARE 

17 MATTERS 

18 SEC. 301. ENROLLMENT OF PRIORITY 8 VETERANS IN PA19 TIENT ENROLLMENT SYSTEM. 

20 Section 17.36(c) of title 38, Code of Federal Regula21 tions, shall have no further force or effect. 

22 SEC. 302. SUBMITTAL OF ANNUAL ENROLLMENT DECISIONS 

23 TO CONGRESS. 

24 Section 1705 is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing new subsection: 


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1 ‘‘(d)(1) In operating the system of annual patient en2 rollment in accordance with subsection (a), the Secretary 

3 shall, not later than August 1 of each year, publish in the 

4 Federal Register notice of which categories of veterans the 

5 Secretary has determined will be eligible to be enrolled in 

6 the next fiscal year beginning after such publication. 

7 ‘‘(2)(A) If, in a notice published in accordance with 

8 paragraph (1), the Secretary proposes to restrict the cat9 egories of veterans to be eligible to be enrolled in the system 

10 of annual patient enrollment in a fiscal year, the Secretary 

11 shall, on the same date that such notice is published, submit 

12 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

13 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep14 resentatives a report setting forth an estimate of the dif15 ference between— 

16 ‘‘(i) the cost to the Department in such fiscal 

17 year of enrolling in such system any veterans who 

18 would otherwise be enrolled if not for the operation of 

19 such restriction, and 

20 ‘‘(ii) the cost to the Department in such fiscal 

21 year of enrolling veterans as proposed by the Sec22 retary in such notice. 

23 ‘‘(B) The Secretary may not implement any restric24 tion on the categories of veterans eligible to be enrolled in 

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1 port on such restriction under subparagraph (A) is sub2 mitted under that subparagraph.’’. 

3 SEC. 303. PROHIBITION ON COLLECTION OF COPAYMENTS 

4 AND OTHER FEES FOR HOSPITAL OR NURS5 ING HOME CARE. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1710 is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection 

8 (i); and 

9 (2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following 

10 new subsection (h): 

11 ‘‘(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec12 tion, a veteran who is catastrophically disabled shall not 

13 be required to make any payment otherwise required under 

14 subsection (f) or (g) for the receipt of hospital care or nurs15 ing home care under this section.’’. 

16 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by sub17 section (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2007. 

18 SEC. 304. TRANSPORTATION GRANTS FOR RURAL VET19 ERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. 

20 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af22 fairs shall establish a grant program to provide inno23 vative transportation options to veterans in remote 

24 rural areas. 


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1 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded under this 

2 section may be used by State veterans’ service agen3 cies, veterans service organizations, and qualified 

4 community transportation organizations to— 

5 (A) assist veterans in remote rural areas to 

6 travel to Department of Veterans Affairs medical 

7 centers; and 

8 (B) otherwise assist in providing medical 

9 care to veterans in remote rural areas. 

10 (3) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 

11 under this section may not exceed $50,000. 

12 (4) NO MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The recipient 

13 of a grant under this section shall not be required to 

14 provide matching funds as a condition for receiving 

15 such grant. 

16 (b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe reg17 ulations for— 

18 (1) evaluating grant applications under this sec19 tion; and 

20 (2) otherwise administering the program estab21 lished by this section. 

22 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) The term ‘‘qualified community transpor24 tation organizations’’ means a public or private non25 profit organization that is eligible for a grant under 


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1 sections 5307 and 5311 of title 49, United States 

2 Code. 

3 (2) The term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ 

4 means any organization recognized by the Secretary 

5 of Veterans Affairs for the representation of veterans 

6 under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 

7 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

8 authorized to be appropriated $6,000,000 for each of the 

9 fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to carry out this section. 

10 SEC. 305. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS ON ALTERNATIVES 

11 FOR EXPANDING CARE FOR VETERANS IN 

12 RURAL AREAS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

14 through the Director of the Office of Rural Health, shall 

15 carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for 

16 expanding care for veterans in rural areas, including the 

17 following: 

18 (1) Establishing a partnership between the De19 partment of Veterans Affairs and the Department of 

20 Health and Human Services to coordinate care for 

21 veterans in rural areas at community health centers. 

22 (2) Expanding coordination between the Depart23 ment of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Serv24 ice to expand care for Native American veterans. 


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1 (b) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary of 

2 Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the demonstration 

3 projects authorized under subsection (a) are located at not 

4 less than three facilities that are geographically distributed 

5 throughout the United States. 

6 (c) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

7 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af8 fairs shall submit a report on the results of the demonstra9 tion projects conducted under subsection (a) to— 

10 (1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the 

11 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and 

12 (2) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the 

13 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep14 resentatives. 

15 SEC. 306. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON MATTERS RELATED TO 

16 CARE FOR VETERANS WHO LIVE IN RURAL 

17 AREAS. 

18 (a) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary of Veterans Af19 fairs shall submit to Congress each year, together with docu20 ments submitted to Congress in support of the budget of the 

21 President for the fiscal year beginning in such year (as sub22 mitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States 

23 Code), an assessment, current as of the fiscal year ending 

24 in the year before such report is submitted, of the following: 


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1 (1) The implementation of the provisions of this 

2 Act, including the amendments made by sections 309 

3 and 310. 

4 (2) The establishment and function of the Office 

5 of Rural Health under section 7308 of title 38, United 

6 States Code. 

7 (3) The feasibility and advisability of estab8 lishing a partnership between the Department of Vet9 erans Affairs and the Centers for Medicare and Med10 icaid Services of the Department of Health and 

11 Human Services to coordinate care for veterans in 

12 rural areas at critical access hospitals (as designated 

13 or certified under section 1820 of the Social Security 

14 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i–4)). 

15 (4) Plans for the Department to employ the use 

16 of telemedicine to serve rural veterans. 

17 (b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIAL RE18 PORT.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to 

19 Congress, together with the first report submitted under sub20 section (a), an assessment of the following: 

21 (1) The fee-basis health-care program required by 

22 subsection (b) of section 212 of the Veterans Benefits, 

23 Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 

24 (Public Law 109–461; 120 Stat. 3422). 


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1 (2) The outreach program required by section 

2 213 of such Act. 

3 SEC. 307. VETERANS BENEFICIARY TRAVEL PROGRAM. 

4 (a) REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO ADJUST AMOUNTS

5 DEDUCTED FROM PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES FOR BENE6 FICIARY TRAVEL.—Section 111(c) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking paragraph (5); and 

8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, except as 

9 provided in paragraph (5) of this subsection,’’. 

10 (b) DETERMINATION OF MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT

11 RATE.—Section 111(g) is amended— 

12 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol13 lows: 

14 ‘‘(1) Subject to paragraph (3), in determining the 

15 amount of allowances or reimbursement to be paid under 

16 this section, the Secretary shall use the mileage reimburse17 ment rate for the use of privately owned vehicles by Govern18 ment employees on official business (when a Government 

19 vehicle is available), as prescribed by the Administrator of 

20 General Services under section 5707(b) of title 5.’’; 

21 (2) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4); and 

22 (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol23 lowing new paragraph (3): 

24 ‘‘(3) Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 

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1 bursement to be paid under this section using a mileage 

2 reimbursement rate in excess of that prescribed under para3 graph (1).’’. 

4 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 14 months after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af6 fairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

7 the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

8 House of Representatives a report containing an estimate 

9 of the additional costs incurred by the Department of Vet10 erans Affairs because of this section, including— 

11 (1) any costs resulting from increased utilization 

12 of healthcare services by veterans eligible for travel al13 lowances or reimbursements under section 111 of title 

14 38, United States Code; and 

15 (2) the additional costs that would be incurred 

16 by the Department should the Secretary exercise the 

17 authority described in subsection (g)(3) of such sec18 tion. 

19 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this 

20 section shall apply with respect to travel expenses incurred 

21 after the expiration of the 90-day period that begins on the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 308. MODIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR FUR2 NISHING OUTPATIENT DENTAL SERVICES TO 

3 VETERANS WITH A SERVICE-CONNECTED 

4 DENTAL CONDITION OR DISABILITY. 

5 Section 1712(a)(1)(B)(iv) is amended by striking ‘‘90- 

6 day’’ and inserting ‘‘180-day’’. 

7 SEC. 309. EXEMPTION FOR HOSPICE CARE FROM LONG8 TERM CARE COPAYMENT REQUIREMENTS. 

9 Section 1710 is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the 

11 following new paragraph: 

12 ‘‘(6) This subsection does not apply to hospital 

13 care or nursing home care that constitute hospice 

14 care.’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (g), by adding at the end the 

16 following new paragraph: 

17 ‘‘(4) This subsection does not apply to medical 

18 services that constitute hospice care.’’. 

19 TITLE IV—HOMELESS VETERANS 

20 MATTERS 

21 SEC. 401. REPEAL OF AUTHORITY FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO 

22 PER DIEM PAYMENTS TO HOMELESS VET23 ERANS SERVICE CENTERS FOR RECEIPT OF 

24 OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME. 

25 Section 2012(a)(2) is amended— 

26 (1) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (D); 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (A)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘The rate’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the 

4 rate’’; 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘adjusted by the Secretary 

6 under subparagraph (B)’’; and 

7 (C) by designating the second sentence as 

8 subparagraph (B) and indenting the margin of 

9 such subparagraph, as so designated, two ems 

10 from the left margin; and 

11 (3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘to make 

12 the adjustment under subparagraph (B)’’. 

13 SEC. 402. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM ON PREVENTING 

14 VETERANS AT-RISK OF HOMELESSNESS FROM 

15 BECOMING HOMELESS. 

16 (a) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.—The Secretary of 

17 Veterans Affairs shall carry out a demonstration program 

18 for the purpose of— 

19 (1) identifying members of the Armed Forces on 

20 active duty who are at risk of becoming homeless after 

21 they are discharged or released from active duty; and 

22 (2) providing referral, counseling, and sup23 portive services, as appropriate, to help prevent such 

24 members, upon becoming veterans, from becoming 

25 homeless. 


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1 (b) PROGRAM LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall carry 

2 out the demonstration program in at least three locations. 

3 (c) IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA.—In developing and 

4 implementing the criteria to identify members of the Armed 

5 Forces, who upon becoming veterans, are at-risk of becom6 ing homeless, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consult 

7 with the Secretary of Defense and such other officials and 

8 experts as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

9 (d) CONTRACTS.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

10 may enter into contracts to provide the referral, counseling, 

11 and supportive services required under the demonstration 

12 program with entities or organizations that meet such re13 quirements as the Secretary may establish. 

14 (e) SUNSET.—The authority of the Secretary under 

15 subsection (a) shall expire on September 30, 2011. 

16 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

17 authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for the purpose 

18 of carrying out the provisions of this section. 

19 SEC. 403. EXPANSION AND EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR 

20 PROGRAM OF REFERRAL AND COUNSELING 

21 SERVICES FOR AT-RISK VETERANS 

22 TRANSITIONING FROM CERTAIN INSTITU23 TIONS. 

24 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—Subsection (a) of section 

25 2023 is amended by striking ‘‘a demonstration program for 


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1 the purpose of determining the costs and benefits of pro2 viding’’ and inserting ‘‘a program of’’. 

3 (b) SCOPE OF PROGRAM.—Subsection (b) of such sec4 tion is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘DEMONSTRATION’’ in the sub6 section heading; 

7 (2) by striking ‘‘demonstration’’; and 

8 (3) by striking ‘‘in at least six locations’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘in at least 12 locations’’. 

10 (c) EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY.—Subsection (d) of 

11 such section is amended by striking ‘‘shall cease’’ and all 

12 that follows and inserting ‘‘shall cease on September 30, 

13 2011.’’. 

14 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

15 (1) Subsection (c)(1) of such section is amended 

16 by striking ‘‘demonstration’’. 

17 (2) The heading of such section is amended to 

18 read as follows: 

19 ‘‘§ 2023. Referral and counseling services: veterans at 

20 risk of homelessness who are 

21 transitioning from certain institutions’’. 

22 (3) Section 2022(f)(2)(C) of such title is amend23 ed by striking ‘‘demonstration’’. 


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1 (e) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

2 the beginning of chapter 20 is amended by striking the item 

3 relating to section 2023 and inserting the following: 

‘‘2023. Referral and counseling services: veterans at risk of homelessness who are 

transitioning from certain institutions.’’. 

4 SEC. 404. AVAILABILITY OF GRANT FUNDS TO SERVICE CEN5 TERS FOR PERSONNEL. 

6 Section 2011 is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing new subsection: 

8 ‘‘(i) AVAILABILITY OF GRANT FUNDS FOR SERVICE

9 CENTER PERSONNEL.—A grant under this section for a 

10 service center for homeless veterans may be used to provide 

11 funding for staff as necessary in order for the center to meet 

12 the service availability requirements of subsection (g)(1).’’. 

13 SEC. 405. PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR DOMICILIARY SERV14 ICES FOR HOMELESS VETERANS AND EN15 HANCEMENT OF CAPACITY OF DOMICILIARY 

16 CARE PROGRAMS FOR FEMALE VETERANS. 

17 Subsection (b) of section 2043 is amended to read as 

18 follows: 

19 ‘‘(b) ENHANCEMENT OF CAPACITY OF DOMICILIARY

20 CARE PROGRAMS FOR FEMALE VETERANS.—The Secretary 

21 shall take appropriate actions to ensure that the domi22 ciliary care programs of the Department are adequate, with 

23 respect to capacity and with respect to safety, to meet the 

24 needs of veterans who are women.’’. 


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1 SEC. 406. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SUPPORTIVE SERV2 ICES FOR VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN FAMI3 LIES IN PERMANENT HOUSING. 

4 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to facili5 tate the provision of supportive services for very low-income 

6 veteran families in permanent housing. 

7 (b) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter V of chapter 20 of 

9 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following new section: 

11 ‘‘§ 2044. Financial assistance for supportive services 

12 for very low-income veteran families in 

13 permanent housing 

14 ‘‘(a) DISTRIBUTION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) 

15 The Secretary shall provide financial assistance to eligible 

16 entities approved under this section to provide and coordi17 nate the provision of supportive services described in sub18 section (b) for very low-income veteran families occupying 

19 permanent housing. 

20 ‘‘(2) Financial assistance under this section shall con21 sist of grants for each such family for which an approved 

22 eligible entity is providing or coordinating the provision 

23 of supportive services. 

24 ‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary shall provide such grants to 

25 each eligible entity that is providing or coordinating the 

26 provision of supportive services. 


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1 ‘‘(B) The Secretary is authorized to establish intervals 

2 of payment for the administration of such grants and estab3 lish a maximum amount to be awarded, in accordance with 

4 the services being provided and their duration. 

5 ‘‘(4) In providing financial assistance under para6 graph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to entities pro7 viding or coordinating the provision of supportive services 

8 for very low-income veteran families who are transitioning 

9 from homelessness to permanent housing. 

10 ‘‘(5) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent 

11 practicable, financial assistance under this subsection is eq12 uitably distributed across geographic regions, including 

13 rural communities and tribal lands. 

14 ‘‘(6) Each entity receiving financial assistance under 

15 this section to provide supportive services to a very low16 income veteran family shall notify that family that such 

17 services are being paid for, in whole or in part, by the De18 partment. 

19 ‘‘(7) The Secretary may require entities receiving fi20 nancial assistance under this section to submit a report to 

21 the Secretary that describes the projects carried out with 

22 such financial assistance. 

23 ‘‘(b) SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—The supportive services 

24 referred to in subsection (a) are the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) Services provided by an eligible entity or a 

2 subcontractor of an eligible entity that address the 

3 needs of very low-income veteran families occupying 

4 permanent housing, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) outreach services; 

6 ‘‘(B) case management services; 

7 ‘‘(C) assistance in obtaining any benefits 

8 from the Department which the veteran may be 

9 eligible to receive, including, but not limited to, 

10 vocational and rehabilitation counseling, em11 ployment and training service, educational as12 sistance, and health care services; and 

13 ‘‘(D) assistance in obtaining and coordi14 nating the provision of other public benefits pro15 vided in federal, State, or local agencies, or any 

16 organization defined in subsection (f), includ17 ing— 

18 ‘‘(i) health care services (including ob19 taining health insurance); 

20 ‘‘(ii) daily living services; 

21 ‘‘(iii) personal financial planning; 

22 ‘‘(iv) transportation services; 

23 ‘‘(v) income support services; 

24 ‘‘(vi) fiduciary and representative 

25 payee services; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) legal services to assist the vet2 eran family with issues that interfere with 

3 the family’s ability to obtain or retain 

4 housing or supportive services; 

5 ‘‘(viii) child care; 

6 ‘‘(ix) housing counseling; and 

7 ‘‘(x) other services necessary for main8 taining independent living. 

9 ‘‘(2) Services described in paragraph (1) that are 

10 delivered to very low-income veteran families who are 

11 homeless and who are scheduled to become residents of 

12 permanent housing within 90 days pending the loca13 tion or development of housing suitable for permanent 

14 housing. 

15 ‘‘(3) Services described in paragraph (1) for very 

16 low-income veteran families who have voluntarily 

17 chosen to seek other housing after a period of tenancy 

18 in permanent housing, that are provided, for a period 

19 of 90 days after such families exit permanent housing 

20 or until such families commence receipt of other hous21 ing services adequate to meet their current needs, but 

22 only to the extent that services under this paragraph 

23 are designed to support such families in their choice 

24 to transition into housing that is responsive to their 

25 individual needs and preferences. 


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1 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) 

2 An eligible entity seeking financial assistance under sub3 section (a) shall submit to the Secretary an application 

4 therefor in such form, in such manner, and containing such 

5 commitments and information as the Secretary determines 

6 to be necessary to carry out this section. 

7 ‘‘(2) Each application submitted by an eligible entity 

8 under paragraph (1) shall contain— 

9 ‘‘(A) a description of the supportive services pro10 posed to be provided by the eligible entity and the 

11 identified needs for those services; 

12 ‘‘(B) a description of the types of very low-in13 come veteran families proposed to be provided such 

14 services; 

15 ‘‘(C) an estimate of the number of very low-in16 come veteran families proposed to be provided such 

17 services; 

18 ‘‘(D) evidence of the experience of the eligible en19 tity in providing supportive services to very low-in20 come veteran families; and 

21 ‘‘(E) a description of the managerial capacity of 

22 the eligible entity— 

23 ‘‘(i) to coordinate the provision of sup24 portive services with the provision of permanent 


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1 housing by the eligible entity or by other organi2 zations; 

3 ‘‘(ii) to assess continuously the needs of very 

4 low-income veteran families for supportive serv5 ices; 

6 ‘‘(iii) to coordinate the provision of sup7 portive services with the services of the Depart8 ment; 

9 ‘‘(iv) to tailor supportive services to the 

10 needs of very low-income veteran families; and 

11 ‘‘(v) to seek continuously new sources of as12 sistance to ensure the long-term provision of sup13 portive services to very low-income veteran fami14 lies. 

15 ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall establish criteria for the selec16 tion of eligible entities to be provided financial assistance 

17 under this section. 

18 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) The Secretary 

19 shall provide training and technical assistance to partici20 pating eligible entities regarding the planning, develop21 ment, and provision of supportive services to very low-in22 come veteran families occupying permanent housing, 

23 through the Technical Assistance grants program in section 

24 2064 of this title. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may provide the training described 

2 in paragraph (1) directly or through grants or contracts 

3 with appropriate public or nonprofit private entities. 

4 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.—(1) From amounts appropriated to 

5 the Department for Medical Services, there shall be avail6 able to carry out subsection (a), (b), and (c) amounts as 

7 follows: 

8 ‘‘(A) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. 

9 ‘‘(B) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009. 

10 ‘‘(C) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

11 ‘‘(2) Not more than $750,000 may be available under 

12 paragraph (1) in any fiscal year to provide technical assist13 ance under subsection (d). 

14 ‘‘(3) There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 

15 for each of the fiscal year 2008 through 2010 to carry out 

16 the provisions of subsection (d). 

17 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) The term ‘consumer cooperative’ has the 

19 meaning given such term in section 202 of the Hous20 ing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q). 

21 ‘‘(2) The term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

22 ‘‘(A) a private nonprofit organization; or 

23 ‘‘(B) a consumer cooperative. 


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1 ‘‘(3) The term ‘homeless’ has the meaning given 

2 that term in section 103 of the McKinney-Vento 

3 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302). 

4 ‘‘(4) The term ‘permanent housing’ means com5 munity-based housing without a designated length of 

6 stay. 

7 ‘‘(5) The term ‘private nonprofit organization’ 

8 means any of the following: 

9 ‘‘(A) Any incorporated private institution 

10 or foundation— 

11 ‘‘(i) no part of the net earnings of 

12 which inures to the benefit of any member, 

13 founder, contributor, or individual; 

14 ‘‘(ii) which has a governing board that 

15 is responsible for the operation of the sup16 portive services provided under this section; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(iii) which is approved by the Sec19 retary as to financial responsibility. 

20 ‘‘(B) A for-profit limited partnership, the 

21 sole general partner of which is an organization 

22 meeting the requirements of clauses (i), (ii), and 

23 (iii) of subparagraph (A). 

24 ‘‘(C) A corporation wholly owned and con25 trolled by an organization meeting the requireVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:05 Sep 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1233.RS S1233

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1 ments of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subpara2 graph (A). 

3 ‘‘(D) A tribally designated housing entity 

4 (as defined in section 4 of the Native American 

5 Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 

6 of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)). 

7 ‘‘(6)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), 

8 the term ‘very low-income veteran family’ means a 

9 veteran family whose income does not exceed 50 per10 cent of the median income for an area specified by the 

11 Secretary for purposes of this section, as determined 

12 by the Secretary in accordance with this paragraph. 

13 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall make appropriate ad14 justments to the income requirement under subpara15 graph (A) based on family size. 

16 ‘‘(C) The Secretary may establish an income 

17 ceiling higher or lower than 50 percent of the median 

18 income for an area if the Secretary determines that 

19 such variations are necessary because the area has 

20 unusually high or low construction costs, fair market 

21 rents (as determined under section 8 of the United 

22 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f)), or 

23 family incomes. 

24 ‘‘(7) The term ‘veteran family’ includes a veteran 

25 who is a single person and a family in which the 


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1 head of household or the spouse of the head of house2 hold is a veteran.’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec4 tions at the beginning of chapter 20 of such title is 

5 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec6 tion 2043 the following new item: 

‘‘2044. Financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran 

families in permanent housing.’’. 

7 (c) STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS OF PERMANENT HOUS8 ING PROGRAM.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal years 2008 and 

10 2009, the Secretary shall conduct a study of the effec11 tiveness of the permanent housing program under sec12 tion 2044 of title 38, United States Code, as added 

13 by subsection (b), in meeting the needs of very low14 income veteran families, as that term is defined in 

15 that section. 

16 (2) COMPARISON.—In the study required by 

17 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall compare the results 

18 of the program referred to in that subsection with 

19 other programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

20 dedicated to the delivery of housing and services to 

21 veterans. 

22 (3) CRITERIA.—In making the comparison re23 quired in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall examine 

24 the following: 


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1 (A) The satisfaction of veterans targeted by 

2 the programs described in paragraph (2). 

3 (B) The health status of such veterans. 

4 (C) The housing provided such veterans 

5 under such programs. 

6 (D) The degree to which such veterans are 

7 encouraged to productive activity by such pro8 grams. 

9 (4) REPORT.—Not later than March 31, 2010, 

10 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Vet11 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

12 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a re13 port on the results of the study required by paragraph 

14 (1). 

15 TITLE V—CONSTRUCTION 

16 MATTERS 

17 SEC. 501. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 

18 PROJECT, DENVER, COLORADO. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

20 may carry out a major medical facility project for a re21 placement facility for the Department of Veterans Affairs 

22 Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, in an amount not to ex23 ceed $548,000,000. 

24 (b) AUTHORITY FOR USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.—The 

25 Secretary of Veterans Affairs may obligate and expend any 


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1 unobligated amount in the ‘‘Construction, Major Projects’’ 

2 account of the Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase 

3 a site for, and for the construction of, the Department of 

4 Veterans Affairs replacement facility authorized in sub5 section (a). 

6 SEC. 502. INCREASE IN AUTHORIZATION FOR MAJOR MED7 ICAL FACILITY PROJECT TO CONSOLIDATE 

8 THE MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE DEPART9 MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AT THE UNI10 VERSITY DRIVE AND H. JOHN HEINZ III DIVI11 SIONS, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. 

12 Section 802(12) of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, 

13 and Information Technology Act of 2006 (Public Law 109– 

14 461; 120 Stat. 3443) is amended by striking 

15 ‘‘$189,205,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$248,000,000’’. 

16 SEC. 503. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 

17 PROJECT, ATLANTA, GEORGIA. 

18 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out a 

19 major medical facility project for modernization of inpa20 tient wards at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 

21 Center, Atlanta, Georgia, in an amount not to exceed 

22 $20,534,000. 

23 SEC. 504. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

24 There is authorized to be appropriated for the Sec25 retary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2008 for the ConVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:05 Sep 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1233.RS S1233

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1 struction, Major Projects, account $627,329,000 for the 

2 projects authorized in sections 501 and 503 and for the 

3 project covered by section 502. 

4 SEC. 505. DESIGNATION OF CHARLIE NORWOOD DEPART5 MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CEN6 TER. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Charlie Norwood volunteered for service in 

9 the United States Army Dental Corps in a time of 

10 war, providing dental and medical services in the Re11 public of Vietnam in 1968, earning the Combat Med12 ical Badge and two awards of the Bronze Star. 

13 (2) Captain Norwood, under combat conditions, 

14 helped develop the Dental Corps operating procedures, 

15 that are now standard, of delivering dentists to for16 ward-fire bases, and providing dental treatment for 

17 military service dogs. 

18 (3) Captain Norwood provided dental, emergency 

19 medical, and surgical care for United States per20 sonnel, Vietnamese civilians, and prisoners-of-war. 

21 (4) Dr. Norwood provided military dental care 

22 at Fort Gordon, Georgia, following his service in Viet23 nam, then provided private-practice dental care for 

24 the next 25 years for patients in the greater Augusta, 

25 Georgia, area, including care for military personnel, 


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1 retirees, and dependents under Department of Defense 

2 programs and for low-income patients under Georgia 

3 Medicaid. 

4 (5) Congressman Norwood, upon being sworn 

5 into the United States House of Representatives in 

6 1995, pursued the advancement of health and dental 

7 care for active duty and retired military personnel 

8 and dependents, and for veterans, through his public 

9 advocacy for strengthened Federal support for mili10 tary and veterans’ health care programs and facili11 ties. 

12 (6) Congressman Norwood co-authored and 

13 helped pass into law the Keep our Promises to Amer14 ica’s Military Retirees Act, which restored lifetime 

15 healthcare benefits to veterans who are military retir16 ees through the creation of the Department of Defense 

17 TRICARE for Life Program. 

18 (7) Congressman Norwood supported and helped 

19 pass into law the Retired Pay Restoration Act pro20 viding relief from the concurrent receipt rule penal21 izing disabled veterans who were also military retir22 ees. 

23 (8) Throughout his congressional service from 

24 1995 to 2007, Congressman Norwood repeatedly de25 feated attempts to reduce Federal support for the DeVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:05 Sep 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1233.RS S1233

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1 partment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Au2 gusta, Georgia, and succeeded in maintaining and in3 creasing Federal funding for the center. 

4 (9) Congressman Norwood maintained a life 

5 membership in The American Legion, the Veterans of 

6 Foreign Wars, and the Military Order of the World 

7 Wars. 

8 (10) Congressman Norwood’s role in protecting 

9 and improving military and veteran’s health care 

10 was recognized by the Association of the United States 

11 Army through the presentation of the Cocklin Award 

12 in 1998, and through his induction into the Associa13 tion’s Audie Murphy Society in 1999. 

14 (b) DESIGNATION.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans 

16 Affairs Medical Center located at 1 Freedom Way in 

17 Augusta, Georgia, shall after the date of the enact18 ment of this Act be known and designated as the 

19 ‘‘Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs 

20 Medical Center’’. 

21 (2) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, 

22 regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of 

23 the United States to the medical center referred to in 

24 paragraph (1) shall be considered to be a reference to 


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1 the Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs 

2 Medical Center. 

3 TITLE VI—OTHER MATTERS 

4 SEC. 601. REINSTATEMENT OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS 

5 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 

6 Section 7618 is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 

7 1998’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2012’’. 

8 SEC. 602. REPEAL OF CERTAIN REPORT REQUIREMENTS. 

9 (a) REPORTS REPEALED.— 

10 (1)(A) Section 7324 is repealed. 

11 (B) The table of sections at the beginning of 

12 chapter 73 is amended by striking the item related to 

13 section 7324. 

14 (2) Paragraph (5) of section 7451(e) is repealed. 

15 (3)(A) Subsection (f) of section 7451 is repealed. 

16 (B) Subsection (g) of such section is redesignated 

17 as subsection (f). 

18 (4)(A) Section 8107 is repealed. 

19 (B) The table of sections at the beginning of 

20 chapter 81 is amended by striking the item related to 

21 section 8107. 

22 (5) Subsection (g) of section 8153 is repealed. 

23 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.— 


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1 (1) Section 7451(c)(1) is amended by striking ‘‘, 

2 in the next annual report required by subsection 

3 (g),’’. 

4 (2) Section 7452 is amended— 

5 (A) in subsection (b)— 

6 (i) by striking paragraph (2); and 

7 (ii) by striking ‘‘(1) Under regula8 tions’’ and inserting ‘‘Under regulations’’; 

9 and 

10 (B) in subsection (e), by striking the last 

11 sentence. 

12 SEC. 603. POST 9/11 GLOBAL OPERATIONS DEFINED. 

13 Section 101 is amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing new paragraph: 

15 ‘‘(34) The term ‘Post 9/11 Global Operations’ means 

16 the period of the Persian Gulf War beginning on September 

17 11, 2001, and ending on the date thereafter prescribed by 

18 Presidential proclamation or by law.’’. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘To amend title 38, 

United States Code, to improve health care programs for 

veterans, and for other purposes.’’. 


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Calendar No. 335 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1233 

[Report No. 110

–147] 

A BILL 

To provide and enhance intervention, rehabilitative 

matic brain injury, and for other purposes. treatment, and services to veterans with trauAUGUST 29, 2007 

Reported, under authority of the order of the Senate of 

ment to the title August 3, 2007, with an amendment and an amendVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:05 Sep 21, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\S1233.RS S1233

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