Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021
Bill: S.1468 | Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon (D-MT)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), during FY2022, to establish and maintain three new centers of the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) Program in areas with interest from personnel and a need for additional mental health care for rural veterans. The RANGE Program serves veterans in rural areas who are experiencing mental illness.
The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and report on whether the VA has sufficient resources to serve rural veterans who need mental health care that is more intensive than traditional outpatient therapy.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the Rural Access 
 Network for Growth Enhancement Program of the Department of Veterans 
 Affairs and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to 
 conduct a study to assess certain mental health care resources of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs available to veterans who live in rural 
                                 areas.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental 
Health Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``covered mental health care'' means mental 
        health care that is more intensive than traditional outpatient 
        therapy.
            (2) The term ``PRR center'' means a psychosocial 
        rehabilitation and recovery center of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (3) The term ``RANGE Program'' means the Rural Access 
        Network for Growth Enhancement Program of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (4) The term ``rural veteran'' means a veteran who lives in 
        a rural or highly rural area (including such an area in a 
        Tribal or insular area), as determined through the use of the 
        Rural-Urban Commuting Areas coding system of the Department of 
        Agriculture.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF RURAL ACCESS NETWORK FOR GROWTH ENHANCEMENT 
              PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Expansion.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish 
and maintain three new centers of the RANGE Program.
    (b) Locations.--The centers established under subsection (a) shall 
be located in areas determined by the Secretary based on--
            (1) the need for additional mental health care for rural 
        veterans in such areas; and
            (2) interest expressed by personnel at facilities of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs in such areas.
    (c) Timeline.--The Secretary shall establish the centers under 
subsection (a) during fiscal year 2022.
    (d) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary $1,200,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024 to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 4. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON MENTAL HEALTH CARE FURNISHED BY 
              THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO RURAL VETERANS.

    (a) Study Required.--
            (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall conduct a study to assess whether the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs has sufficient resources to serve rural 
        veterans who need covered mental health care.
            (2) Elements.--The study required under paragraph (1) shall 
        include an assessment of--
                    (A) whether the mental health care furnished by the 
                Secretary through resources including the RANGE 
                Program, Enhanced RANGE Program, mental health 
                residential rehabilitation treatment programs, 
                inpatient mental health services, and PRR centers is 
                sufficient to meet the covered mental health care needs 
                of rural veterans;
                    (B) how best to expand and to appropriately locate 
                mental health resources described in subparagraph (A);
                    (C) whether to require the establishment of a PRR 
                center at a medical facility of the Department that 
                serves 1,000 or more veterans who are on the National 
                Psychosis Registry;
                    (D) the demand by rural veterans for mental health 
                resources specified in subparagraph (A);
                    (E) the average wait time for a rural veteran for 
                mental health resources specified in subparagraph (A); 
                and
                    (F) during the term of the study, how many rural 
                veterans died by suicide or overdose while on a wait 
                list for mental health resources specified in 
                subparagraph (A).
    (b) Report Required.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans 'Affairs of the House of Representatives a report containing 
the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).
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