Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-603
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2015-02-26
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs

Health care coverage and access

Mental health

Rural conditions and development

Transportation costs

Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2016-06-29
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-707.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-02-26
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2015</strong></p> <p>Makes permanent the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to transport individuals to and from VA facilities in connection with vocational rehabilitation, counseling, examination, treatment, or care.</p> <p>Treats Vet Centers (centers for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans) as VA facilities for purposes of providing payment of actual expenses of travel or allowance for travel to or from a VA facility.</p> <p>Amends the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 to reauthorize through FY2020 a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in highly rural areas.</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 603 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 26, 2015 Mr. Tester (for himself and Mrs. Murray ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to make permanent the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to transport individuals to and from facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with rehabilitation, counseling, examination, treatment, and care, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2015 . 2. Making permanent authority for Secretary of Veterans Affairs to transport individuals to and from facilities of Department of Veterans Affairs Section 111A(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking paragraph (2); and (2) in paragraph (1), by striking (1) . 3. Treatment of Vet Centers as Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for purposes of payments or allowances for beneficiary travel (a) In general Section 111 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (h) (1) Vet Centers shall be treated as Department facilities for purposes of providing payment of actual expenses of travel or allowance for travel to or from a Department facility under this section. (2) In this subsection, the term Vet Center means a center for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans under section 1712A of this title. . (b) Applicability Section 111(h) of such title, as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to travel occurring on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 4. Reauthorization of grants for veterans service organizations for transportation of highly rural veterans Section 307(d) of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 ( Public Law 111–163 ; 38 U.S.C. 1710 note) is amended by striking through 2014 and inserting through 2020 .