Rural Veterans Improvement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2265
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2015-11-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Alternative treatments
Congressional oversight
Department of Veterans Affairs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel
Home and outpatient care
Indian social and development programs
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medical education
Mental health
Military medicine
Minority health
Neurological disorders
Public contracts and procurement
Rural conditions and development
Transportation costs
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-10
text: 

Rural Veterans Improvement Act of 2015 

 
 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall provide mental health care to a veteran who: 
 
 
has a mental health issue resulting from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or other health condition incurred or aggravated on active duty; and 
 
lives in a rural or highly rural area. 
 
 
 Such care may be provided by contracting with or providing payments to mental health care providers that are not VA-affiliated. 
 
 Care shall be provided if: 
 
 
a VA-affiliated mental health care provider is not available at the nearest VA medical facility and in-person and telehealth VA mental health care services are not available, or travel to a regional VA medical center is impractical or severely detrimental to the veteran's health; and 
 
a VA-affiliated mental health care provider has recommended a complementary and alternative therapy to a veteran who is a member of an Indian tribe or a Native Hawaiian who requests a healing method that is part of his or her cultural tradition.
 
 
The VA may: 
 
 
award grants to state veterans agencies, veterans service organizations, and tribal organizations to provide transportation to and from medical centers to veterans in rural and highly rural areas who would otherwise be eligible for payment of travel expenses by the VA; and 
 
carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing a housing allowance to health care providers who become VA employees and accept assignment at rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinics.
 
 
 The VA shall establish a program to train health care professionals for assignment at community-based outpatient clinics that predominantly serve veterans who live in rural and highly rural areas. 
 
The VA and the Department of Defense shall jointly establish a program to encourage members of the Armed Forces with a health care-related military occupational specialty to seek post-service employment with the Veterans Health Administration. 
 
 The VA shall: 
 
 
 periodically assess rural community-based outpatient clinics to determine whether their expansion and improvement are feasible or advisable, and 
 
report on the feasibility of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site in each area in which the nearest such center or site is more than 300 miles away.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-11-10
text: Introduced in Senate