[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1741 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1741

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program 
  to improve access to health care for rural veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 20, 2005

Mr. Osborne (for himself, Mr. Kind, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. Ross, Mr. 
Paul, Mr. Otter, Mr. Case, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. 
Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. Peterson of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Porter, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Wamp, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Green of Wisconsin, Mr. 
 McIntyre, Mr. Hastings of Washington, Mr. Norwood, Mrs. Emerson, and 
Mrs. Musgrave) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program 
  to improve access to health care for rural veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Rural Veterans Access to Care Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR IMPROVED ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR RURAL 
              VETERANS.

    (a) Pilot Program.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct 
a pilot program for a means to improve access to medical services for 
highly rural or geographically remote veterans through expanded use of 
the Secretary 's contract authority under section 1703 of title 38, 
United States Code, and other authorities available to the Secretary to 
improve such access.
    (b) Areas for Conduct of Pilot Program.--The pilot program shall be 
conducted in three geographic service regions, referred to as Veterans 
Integrated Service Networks, of the Veterans Health Administration. The 
Secretary shall select the Veterans Integrated Service Network 
designated as Number 23 as one of the regions for the conduct of the 
pilot program and shall select the other two from those Veterans 
Integrated Service Networks that have a substantial population of 
highly rural or geographically remote veterans (as determined under 
subsection (f)).
    (c) Medical Services Under Pilot Program.--Under the pilot program, 
the Secretary shall provide, through the use of the Secretary's 
contract authority under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, 
and other authorities available to the Secretary, for the treatment of 
covered veterans by health-care providers outside the Department of 
Veterans Affairs for the following:
            (1) Acute or chronic symptom management.
            (2) Nontherapeutic medical services.
            (3) Other medical services as determined appropriate in the 
        case of any veteran by the director of the appropriate 
        geographic service region of the Department, after consultation 
        with the Department physician responsible for primary care of 
        the veteran.
    (d) Funds for Pilot Program.--For any fiscal year during which the 
pilot program is conducted, the Secretary shall allocate for the pilot 
program 0.9 percent of the total amount appropriated for that fiscal 
year for Medical Services. Such allocation shall be made before any 
other allocation of such funds is made, and any remaining allocation of 
such funds for any such fiscal year shall be made without regard to the 
allocation under the preceding sentence.
    (e) Covered Veterans.--For the purposes of this section, covered 
veterans are veterans--
            (1) who are enrolled in the veterans health care system 
        under section 1705 of this title or have a service-connected 
        disability; and
            (2) who, pursuant to subsection (f), are considered to be 
        highly rural or geographically remote veterans.
    (f) Highly Rural or Geographically Remote Veterans.--The Secretary 
shall prescribe by regulation standards for determination of which 
veterans are considered to be highly rural or geographically remote 
veterans for the purposes of this section. The Secretary shall include 
as such a veteran any veteran for whom the driving distance to reach a 
Department health-care facility is 60 miles or greater. The Secretary 
may provide for a lesser driving distance in the case of any veteran if 
the Secretary determines that driving 60 miles or more imposes a 
hardship on such veteran or otherwise is not in the best interest of 
the veteran.
    (g) Period of Pilot Program.--The pilot program shall be conducted 
during fiscal years 2006, 2007, and 2008.
    (h) Report to Congress.--Not later than February 1, 2009, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the operation of the 
pilot program. The Secretary shall include in the report such 
recommendations as the Secretary considers appropriate concerning 
extension of the pilot program or other means to improve access to 
medical services for highly rural or geographically remote veterans.
                                 <all>