I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 914 
To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
to jointly operate the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 12, 2015 
Ms. GRAHAM (for herself and Mr. BUCK) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to 
the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to jointly operate the Federal Recovery 
Coordination Program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. IMPROVEMENT OF FEDERAL RECOVERY COOR-
DINATOR PROGRAM. 
(a) PROVISION OF COLLABORATIVE RECOVERY CO-
ORDINATOR TRAINING.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall provide collaborative recovery coordinator train-
ing at a qualified nursing or medical school selected by 
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the Secretary (hereinafter in this section referred to as 
the ‘‘qualified nursing or medical school’’), to lead system-
atic evidence review of care coordination and consensus 
conference to build the model on evidence-based guide-
lines. 
(b) 
LITERATURE
REVIEW; 
CONSENSUS
CON-
FERENCE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The qualified nursing or 
medical school is hereby designated to lead literature 
review and development of evidence-based guidelines 
for recovery coordination, development of training 
modules for care coordination and software that is 
compatible with Department of Veterans Affairs sys-
tems for recovery coordination. The qualified nurs-
ing or medical school is hereby designated to lead a 
consensus conference on evidence-based care coordi-
nation. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated $1,200,000 
to carry out this subsection. 
(c) CARE
COORDINATION
SOFTWARE
DEVELOP-
MENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall— 
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(A) enter into a subcontract with an ap-
propriate entity for the development of care co-
ordination software; 
(B) carry out a conference for recovery co-
ordinator tool validation; and 
(C) carry out a software pilot program. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated $1,200,000 
to carry out this subsection. 
(d) RECOVERY COORDINATOR TRAINING.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The qualified nursing or 
medical school is authorized to train 45 recovery co-
ordinators. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 
each of fiscal years 2016, 2017, and 2018, there is 
authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for training 
authorized under this subsection. 
SEC. 2. JOINT OPERATION OF FEDERAL RECOVERY CO-
ORDINATION PROGRAM. 
(a) FEDERAL
RECOVERY
COORDINATION
PRO-
GRAM.—In carrying out the Federal Recovery Coordina-
tion Program (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Pro-
gram’’), the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall ensure that— 
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(1) the program is operated jointly by the Sec-
retaries; 
(2) the administration of the Program is not 
delegated to an individual outside the respective of-
fice of each Secretary; 
(3) the program assists— 
(A) members of the Armed Forces with se-
vere or catastrophic injuries or illnesses who are 
unlikely to return to active duty and will most 
likely be medically separated under chapter 61 
of title 10, United States Code; and 
(B) members of the Armed Forces and vet-
erans whose individual circumstances (including 
illness, injury, mental health, family situation, 
and unique benefit needs) are determined by 
the Secretary concerned to cause difficulties to 
the member or veteran in transitioning to civil-
ian life; 
(4) in referring members and veterans de-
scribed in paragraph (3) to the Program, the Sec-
retary of each military department and the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs makes such referrals at 
the earliest time feasible, including by the date that 
is 180 days before the last day of the month in 
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which a member is expected to be retired or sepa-
rated from the Armed Forces; and 
(5) each department and agency of the Federal 
Government, including the Department of Defense 
and the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides a 
Federal Recovery Coordinator of the Program with 
the information, coordination, and cooperation nec-
essary for the Coordinator to assist members and 
veterans participating in the Program, including the 
maximum amount of information, coordination, and 
cooperation available to allow the Coordinator to— 
(A) ensure the efficient recovery, transi-
tion, and reintegration of such members and 
veterans; 
(B) act as a liaison between such members 
and veterans and the team of care providers 
and other personnel involved with the recovery, 
transition, and reintegration of the member or 
veteran, regardless of whether such team is 
under the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs; and 
(C) work closely with case and care-man-
agement programs that assist such members 
and veterans. 
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(b) 
PLAN
AND
MEMORANDUM
OF
UNDER-
STANDING.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— 
(1) jointly develop a plan to carry out sub-
section (a); 
(2) enter into a memorandum of understanding 
to jointly carry out the plan beginning 90 days after 
the date on which the memorandum is entered into; 
and 
(3) jointly submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees such plan and memorandum. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
on which the memorandum of understanding under para-
graph (2) of subsection (b) goes into effect, the Secretary 
of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
a report describing and evaluating the implementation of 
such memorandum and plan under paragraph (1) of such 
subsection. 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means the following: 
(1) The Committees on Armed Services of the 
House of Representatives and Senate. 
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