I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2505 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program 
to utilize tele-health platforms to assist in the treatment of veterans 
living in rural areas who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder 
or traumatic brain injury. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 19, 2009 
Mr. TEAGUE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
a pilot program to utilize tele-health platforms to assist 
in the treatment of veterans living in rural areas who 
suffer from post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic 
brain injury. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reaching Rural Vet-
erans through Telehealth Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING NEED TO USE 
TELE-HEALTH 
PLATFORMS 
IN 
TREATING 
VETERANS LIVING IN RURAL AREAS SUF-
FERING FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS-
ORDER OR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) members of the Armed Forces serving in 
Iraq or Afghanistan are being exposed to conditions 
in combat operations that increase the risk of the 
members developing post-traumatic stress disorder 
or incurring a traumatic brain injury; 
(2) veterans living in rural areas need better ac-
cess to treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder 
and traumatic brain injury; and 
(3) the use of tele-health platforms in the treat-
ment of post-traumatic stress disorder and trau-
matic brain injury can reduce the need for travel by 
providers and veterans and their families, thereby 
also reducing costs, time, stress, and other factors 
associated with travel. 
SEC. 3. TELE-HEALTH PILOT PROJECT FOR TREATMENT OF 
VETERANS LIVING IN RURAL AREAS WHO 
SUFFER FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS-
ORDER OR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 
(a) PILOT PROJECT.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall award grants for the establishment three pilot 
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projects to use tele-health platforms to work, in collabora-
tion with State behavioral health systems, other Federal 
agencies, and other entities as applicable, to serve the 
needs of veterans living in rural areas who suffer from 
post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. 
Utilizing tele-health platforms, the pilot projects shall pro-
vide treatment, education, and evaluation to veterans who 
suffer from post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic 
brain injury and support to their families. 
(b) TELE-HEALTH PLATFORM DEFINED.—The term 
‘‘tele-health platform’’ means the use of electronic infor-
mation and telecommunications technologies to support 
long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional 
health-related education, public health, and health admin-
istration. 
(c) PROJECT GOALS.— 
(1) EDUCATION.—Education efforts under the 
pilot projects shall be designed to teach primary care 
providers how to diagnosis and manage clients with 
post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain in-
jury, be standardized and replicable using validated 
tools, and require ongoing evaluation and improve-
ment of the education and training in diagnosis and 
treatment. 
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(2) TREATMENT.—Treatment efforts under the 
pilot projects shall be designed to be comprehensive 
and accessible to veterans on a 24-hour basis, 7 days 
a week, 365 days a year. 
(d) PROVIDER PARTICIPATION.—Participation in the 
pilot projects shall be multi-disciplinary and broad-based, 
including medical clinicians, trainers, educators, research-
ers, community members, and other interested persons. 
(e) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall se-
lect grant recipients on the basis of the following: 
(1) Geographical diversity. 
(2) Reaching the most possible veterans not 
currently receiving treatment for post traumatic 
stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. 
(3) Creating programs in Veteran Integrated 
Service Networks that are designated by the Sec-
retary to be ‘‘rural’’ or ‘‘highly rural’’. 
(f) ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS.— 
(1) TRAINING.—Grant funds may be used for 
training practitioners, therapists, psychologists, psy-
chiatrists, case managers, and other professionals to 
treat veterans suffering from post traumatic stress 
disorder or traumatic brain injury, including a focus 
on teaching primary care providers to diagnosis and 
manage patients with post traumatic stress disorder. 
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(2) RESEARCH.—Grant funds may be used for 
testing a variety of clinical and case management 
modalities to provide ‘‘Best Practice’’ treatment for 
specific populations, such as veterans who served in 
a regular component of the Armed Forces, veterans 
who served in reserve components, female military 
personnel, children of military personnel, parents, 
and other significant others. 
(3) PURCHASING.—Grant funds may be used 
for purchasing equipment related to tele-health plat-
forms, such as monitors, speakers, webcams, and 
necessary software. 
(4) ORGANIZATION
OF
PROJECTS.—Grant re-
cipients may partner and contract with local commu-
nity groups that are already providing services in a 
rural area, such as parenting, sexual assault preven-
tion and recovery services, domestic violence preven-
tion and recovery services, food banks, and other so-
cial services. Grant funds may be used to provide 
stipends to clinicians and providers involved in a 
pilot project. 
(g) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Grant recipients 
shall provide a quarterly report to the Secretary that will 
include the following: 
(1) Results under the pilot project involved. 
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(2) Number of veterans treated. 
(3) Individual client progress. 
(4) Demonstrative service coordination. 
(5) Client demographics. 
(6) Outcomes and information that can be 
shared with local, State, and Federal government 
agencies. 
Æ 
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