of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring 
Freedom more likely than other veterans to live in 
rural areas. 
(3) Veterans living in rural areas are reported 
to be in poorer health than veterans living in urban 
areas. 
(4) Veterans living in rural areas often need to 
travel extremely long distances to receive medical 
care and the other services to which they are enti-
tled. 
(5) The medical facilities of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs include 821 community-based out-
patient clinics, 300 veterans centers, and 152 hos-
pitals. 
(6) Rural veterans represent 41 percent of the 
total number of veterans enrolled in the Department 
of Veterans Affairs patient enrollment system under 
section 1705 of title 38, United States Code. 
(7) A higher percentage of veterans residing in 
rural areas reported having at least one disability 
compared with veterans residing in urban areas. 
(8) Each year more than 150,000 members of 
the Armed Forces are discharged or separated from 
service in the Armed Forces and transition to vet-
eran status. 
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(9) Navigating the transition from the health 
care system of Department of Defense to the health 
care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
involves the coordination of data and information be-
tween Department of Defense and the Department 
of Veterans Affairs. 
(10) It is important to develop electronic health 
records that can be accessed by both the Depart-
ment of Defense and the Department of Veterans 
Affairs whether a patient is a member of the Armed 
Forces or a veteran to ensure the greater availability 
of health care information for members of the 
Armed Forces and veterans. 
SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION GRANTS FOR RURAL VETERANS 
SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall establish a grant program to provide in-
novative transportation options to veterans in highly 
rural areas. 
(2) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Grants awarded under 
this section may be used by State veterans service 
agencies and veterans service organizations to— 
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(A) assist veterans in highly rural areas to 
travel to Department of Veterans Affairs med-
ical centers; and 
(B) otherwise assist in providing medical 
care to veterans in highly rural areas. 
(3) MAXIMUM
AMOUNT.—The amount of a 
grant under this section may not exceed $50,000. 
(4) NO MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The recipi-
ent of a grant under this section may not be re-
quired to provide matching funds as a condition for 
receiving such grant. 
(5) RECOVERY OF UNUSED GRANT FUNDS.—If 
a recipient of a grant does not use the full amount 
of funds received under this section by not later 
than September 30 of the fiscal year in which such 
grant was awarded, the United States shall be enti-
tled to recover from such recipient the total of all 
unused grant amounts made under this section to 
such recipient. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 
regulations for— 
(1) evaluating grant applications under this sec-
tion; and 
(2) otherwise administering the program estab-
lished by this section. 
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(c) REPORTS.—Not later than February 1 of each 
year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report con-
taining information related to each grant awarded under 
this section during the preceding year, including— 
(1) the name of the grant recipient; and 
(2) the amount of the grant. 
(d) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION DEFINI-
TION.—In this section, the term ‘‘veterans service organi-
zation’’ means any organization recognized by the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs for the representation of vet-
erans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. OUTREACH REQUIREMENT. 
(a) OUTREACH REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall conduct outreach, including under 
chapter 63 of title 38, United States Code, to educate vet-
erans and their family members about the availability of 
transportation to assist veterans living in rural areas in 
traveling to Department of Veterans Affairs medical facili-
ties, including transportation available pursuant to a 
grant made under section 2. 
(b) OUTREACH DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘outreach’’ shall have the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 6301(b)(1) of title 38, United States Code. 
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SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 
ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEMS OR 
CAPABILITIES 
AT 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITIES LO-
CATED IN RURAL AREAS. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs, in cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, shall 
carry out a pilot program under section 1635(f) of the 
National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2008 
(Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 462; 10 U.S.C. 1071 
note) at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities 
located in rural areas and selected by the Secretary. Such 
pilot program shall be designed to— 
(1) implement at such medical facilities elec-
tronic health record systems or capabilities that 
allow for full interoperability of personal health care 
information between the Department of Defense and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
(2) ensure that veterans served by such medical 
facilities are afforded the technological advances to 
improve the quality of health care they receive; 
(3) provide physicians and other personnel at 
such medical facilities with access to the complete 
personal health care information of members of the 
Armed Forces who are discharged or released from 
service in the Armed Forces; and 
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