1.Demonstration projects on
alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas
(a)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the Director
of the Office of Rural Health, shall carry out demonstration projects to
examine the feasibility and advisability of alternatives for expanding care for
veterans in rural areas, including the following:
(1)Establishing a
partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services
to coordinate care for veterans in rural areas at critical access hospitals (as
designated or certified under section 1820 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395i–4)).
(2)Establishing a
partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
Health and Human Services to coordinate care for veterans in rural areas at
community health centers.
(3)Expanding
coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health
Service to expand care for Indian veterans.
(b)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that
the demonstration projects carried out under subsection (a) are located at
facilities that are geographically distributed throughout the United
States.
(c)Not
later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs shall submit a report on the results of the demonstration
projects conducted under subsection (a) to—
(1)the Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(2)the Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(d)Authorization of
AppropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated
$350,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2011 to carry out this
section.