Topic: Social Welfare — Disabled Assistance
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-09-10 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on November 17, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that an eligible disabled veteran provided an automobile or other conveyance is given the opportunity to make personal selections relating to such conveyance.

(Sec. 3) The VA shall develop a comprehensive policy regarding quality standards for providers of modification services to veterans under the automobile adaptive equipment program.

Such policy shall cover: (1) management of the automobile adaptive equipment program, (2) development and application of safety and quality standards for equipment and installation, (3) provider certification by a third party organization or manufacturer, (4) manufacturer certification of a provider, (5) education and training of VA personnel, (6) provider compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and (7) allowance for veterans to receive modifications at their residence or location of choice.

 The VA shall approve a manufacturer as a certifying manufacturer if such manufacturer demonstrates that its certification standards meet or exceed the quality standards provided for by this bill.

 The VA may approve two or more private, nonprofit organizations as third party, nonprofit certifying organizations.

 The VA shall: (1) within one year and at least every six years thereafter, update VHA Handbook 1173.4 in accordance with such policy; and (2) within one year of such update and biennially thereafter through 2022, report on policy implementation and facility compliance.

The VA shall: (1) develop and revise such policy in consultation with veteran service organizations, the National Highway Transportation Administration, industry representatives, manufacturers of automobile adaptive equipment, and other entities with relevant expertise; and (2) ensure against the use of a certifying entity that has a financial conflict of interest regarding the certification of an eligible provider.

(Sec. 4) The VA may appoint licensed hearing aid specialists to the Veterans Health Administration.

The VA shall ensure that: (1) a hearing aid specialist may only perform hearing services consistent with the specialist's state license related to the practice of fitting and dispensing hearing aids, without excluding other qualified professionals from rendering services in overlapping practice areas; (2) services provided to veterans by hearing aid specialists shall be provided as part of the non-medical treatment plan developed by an audiologist; and (3) VA medical facilities provide veterans with access to the full range of audiologist services.

The VA shall, within one year and annually thereafter for the next five years, report on: (1) veterans access to such hearing health services; and (2) VA contracting policies for providing hearing health services to veterans in non-VA facilities, including the number of veterans referred to audiologists and hearing aid specialists.