[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1546 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1546

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to establish the Committee on Care of Veterans with 
                        Traumatic Brain Injury.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2009

  Mr. McNerney (for himself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to establish the Committee on Care of Veterans with 
                        Traumatic Brain Injury.

    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 ``Caring for Veterans with Traumatic 
Brain Injury Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. COMMITTEE ON CARE OF VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

    (a) Establishment of Committee.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
7321 the following new section:
``Sec. 7321A. Committee on Care of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish in the Veterans 
Health Administration a committee to be known as the `Committee on Care 
of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury'. The Under Secretary for 
Health shall appoint employees of the Department with expertise in the 
care of veterans with traumatic brain injury to serve on the committee.
    ``(b) Responsibilities of Committee.--The committee shall assess, 
and carry out a continuing assessment of, the capability of the 
Veterans Health Administration to meet effectively the treatment and 
rehabilitation needs of veterans with traumatic brain injury. In 
carrying out that responsibility, the committee shall--
            ``(1) evaluate the care provided to such veterans through 
        the Veterans Health Administration;
            ``(2) identify systemwide problems in caring for such 
        veterans in facilities of the Veterans Health Administration;
            ``(3) identify specific facilities within the Veterans 
        Health Administration at which program enrichment is needed to 
        improve treatment and rehabilitation of such veterans; and
            ``(4) identify model programs which the committee considers 
        to have been successful in the treatment and rehabilitation of 
        such veterans and which should be implemented more widely in or 
        through facilities of the Veterans Health Administration.
    ``(c) Advice and Recommendations.--The committee shall--
            ``(1) advise the Under Secretary regarding the development 
        of policies for the care and rehabilitation of veterans with 
        traumatic brain injury; and
            ``(2) make recommendations to the Under Secretary--
                    ``(A) for improving programs of care of such 
                veterans at specific facilities and throughout the 
                Veterans Health Administration;
                    ``(B) for establishing special programs of 
                education and training relevant to the care of such 
                veterans for employees of the Veterans Health 
                Administration;
                    ``(C) regarding research needs and priorities 
                relevant to the care of such veterans; and
                    ``(D) regarding the appropriate allocation of 
                resources for all such activities.
    ``(d) Annual Report.--Not later than June 1 of 2010, and each 
subsequent year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 
on the implementation of this section. Each such report shall include 
the following for the calendar year preceding the year in which the 
report is submitted:
            ``(1) A list of the members of the committee.
            ``(2) The assessment of the Under Secretary for Health, 
        after review of the initial findings of the committee, 
        regarding the capability of the Veterans Health Administration, 
        on a systemwide and facility-by-facility basis, to meet 
        effectively the treatment and rehabilitation needs of veterans 
        with traumatic brain injury.
            ``(3) The plans of the committee for further assessments.
            ``(4) The findings and recommendations made by the 
        committee to the Under Secretary for Health and the views of 
        the Under Secretary on such findings and recommendations.
            ``(5) A description of the steps taken, plans made (and a 
        timetable for the execution of such plans), and resources to be 
        applied toward improving the capability of the Veterans Health 
        Administration to meet effectively the treatment and 
        rehabilitation needs of veterans with traumatic brain 
        injury.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
7321 the following new item:

``7321A. Committee on Care of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury.''.
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