II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2607 

To extend and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs on assisted living services for veterans with traumatic brain 

injury, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 15, 2014 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. HELLER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To extend and modify the pilot program of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs on assisted living services for 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Assisted Living Pilot 

5 Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Ex6 tension Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have re2 sulted in a generation of veterans with traumatic 

3 brain injuries. 

4 (2) Since 2001, more than 265,000 members of 

5 the Armed Forces have suffered traumatic brain in6 juries. 

7 (3) Since 2001, more than 26,000 members of 

8 the Armed Forces have suffered moderate or severe 

9 head wounds. 

10 (4) Advances in medicine have kept members of 

11 the Armed Forces alive who have suffered head 

12 wounds that might have killed them in previous con13 flicts. 

14 (5) The pilot program of the Department of 

15 Veterans Affairs to assess the effectiveness of pro16 viding assisted living services to eligible veterans to 

17 enhance the rehabilitation, quality of life, and com18 munity integration of such veterans required by sec19 tion 1705(a) of the National Defense Authorization 

20 Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 38 

21 U.S.C. 1710C note) has provided to veterans who 

22 have moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries, 

23 often coupled with other significant physical and 

24 psychological challenges, a level of comprehensive, 


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1 coordinated care in residential facilities across the 

2 United States since 2008. 

3 (6) The model of care practiced under the pilot 

4 program specified in paragraph (5) has yielded im5 pressive results and helped rehabilitate dozens of 

6 veterans from severe injuries that are notoriously 

7 difficult to treat. 

8 (7) The Department of Veterans Affairs does 

9 not offer to veterans any alternatives to the pilot 

10 program specified in paragraph (5) that replicate— 

11 (A) the comprehensiveness of the rehabili12 tative care provided under such program; 

13 (B) the benefit of providing care under 

14 such program in a residential setting; and 

15 (C) the significant positive impact on vet16 erans of the sustained, longer-term care pro17 vided under such program. 

18 SEC. 3. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT PRO19 GRAM ON ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES FOR 

20 VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 

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

22 section 1705 of the National Defense Authorization Act 

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

24 1710C note) is amended by striking ‘‘a five-year’’ and in25 serting ‘‘an eight-year’’. 


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

2 of such section is amended— 

3 (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para4 graph (3); and 

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

6 following new paragraphs: 

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

8 carried out at locations selected by the Secretary for 

9 purposes of the pilot program. 

10 ‘‘(2) LOCATED IN SAME REGION AS

11 POLYTRAUMA CENTERS.—Of the locations selected 

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

13 in each health care region of the Veterans Health 

14 Administration of the Department of Veterans Af15 fairs that contains a polytrauma center of the De16 partment of Veterans Affairs.’’. 

17 (c) MODIFICATION OF REPORT REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 Subsection (e) of such section is amended to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two 

23 years after the date of the enactment of the As24 sisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with 

25 Traumatic Brain Injury Extension Act, and not 


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1 later than September 30 each year thereafter 

2 until 2018, the Secretary shall submit to the 

3 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate 

4 and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

5 House of Representatives a report on the pilot 

6 program. 

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

8 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(i) The number of individuals that 

11 participated in the pilot program during 

12 the year preceding the submission of the 

13 report. 

14 ‘‘(ii) The number of individuals that 

15 successfully completed the pilot program 

16 during the year preceding the submission 

17 of the report. 

18 ‘‘(iii) The degree to which pilot pro19 gram participants and family members of 

20 pilot program participants were satisfied 

21 with the pilot program. 

22 ‘‘(iv) The interim findings and conclu23 sions of the Secretary with respect to the 

24 success of the pilot program and rec25 ommendations for improvement. 


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1 ‘‘(2) FINAL REPORT.— 

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

3 days after the completion of the pilot program, 

4 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

5 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Com6 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

7 Representatives a final report on the pilot pro8 gram. 

9 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—The final report re10 quired by subparagraph (A) shall include the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(i) A description of the pilot pro13 gram. 

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

15 the activities under the pilot program in 

16 enhancing the rehabilitation, quality of life, 

17 and community reintegration of veterans 

18 with traumatic brain injury, including com19 plex mild traumatic brain injury. 

20 ‘‘(iii) Such recommendations as the 

21 Secretary considers appropriate regarding 

22 improving the pilot program.’’. 

23 (d) MODIFICATION OF DEFINITIONS.— 


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1 (1) COMMUNITY-BASED BRAIN INJURY RESI2 DENTIAL REHABILITATIVE CARE SERVICES.—Such 

3 section is further amended— 

4 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

5 ‘‘ASSISTED LIVING’’ and inserting ‘‘COMMU6 NITY-BASED BRAIN INJURY RESIDENTIAL

7 REHABILITATIVE CARE’’; 

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

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

10 inserting ‘‘COMMUNITY-BASED BRAIN INJURY

11 RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATIVE CARE’’; 

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

13 it appears, and inserting ‘‘community-based 

14 brain injury rehabilitative care’’; and 

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

16 personal care’’ and inserting ‘‘rehabilitation, 

17 and personal care’’. 

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

19 such section is amended— 

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

21 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

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

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

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

25 subparagraph: 


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

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

3 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

4 authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Vet5 erans Affairs for fiscal year 2015 $46,000,000 to carry 

6 out the pilot program under section 1705 of the National 

7 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public 

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

9 section. The amount so authorized to be appropriated shall 

10 be available for obligation for the three-year period begin11 ning on the date that is one year after the date of the 

12 enactment of this Act. 

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

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

Æ 


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