[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4006 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4006

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for Indian veterans 
           health care coordinators, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 3, 2009

 Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for Indian veterans 
           health care coordinators, 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, American Indian Veterans 
Health Care Improvement Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF CARE OF AMERICAN INDIAN VETERANS.

    (a) Indian Health Coordinators.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, 
        United States Code is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 7330B. Indian Veterans Health Care Coordinators
    ``(a) In General.--(1) The Secretary shall assign at each of the 10 
Department Medical Centers that serve communities with the greatest 
number of Indian veterans per capita an official or employee of the 
Department to act as the coordinator of health care for Indian veterans 
at such Medical Center. The official or employee so assigned at a 
Department Medical Center shall be known as the `Indian Veterans Health 
Care Coordinator' for the Medical Center.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall, from time to time--
            ``(A) survey the Department Medical Centers for purposes of 
        identifying the 10 Department Medical Centers that currently 
        serve communities with the greatest number of Indian veterans 
        per capita; and
            ``(B) utilizing the results of the most recent survey 
        conducted under subparagraph (A), revise the assignment of 
        Indian Veterans Health Care Coordinators in order to assure the 
        assignment of such coordinators to appropriate Department 
        Medical Centers as required by paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Duties.--The duties of a Indian Veterans Health Care 
Coordinator shall include the following:
            ``(1) Improving outreach to tribal communities.
            ``(2) Coordinating the medical needs of Indian veterans on 
        Indian reservations with the Veterans Health Administration and 
        the Indian Health Service.
            ``(3) Expanding the access and participation of Department 
        of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service, and tribal members 
        in the Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Veterans 
        Representative program.
            ``(4) Acting as an ombudsman for Indian veterans enrolled 
        in the health care system of the Veterans Health 
        Administration.
            ``(5) Advocating for the incorporation of traditional 
        medicine and healing in Department treatment plans for Indian 
        veterans in need of care and services provided by the 
        Department.
    ``(c) Indian Defined.--In this section, the term `Indian' has the 
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 
and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 73 of such title is further by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 7330A the following new 
        item:

``7330B. Indian Veterans Health Coordinators.''.
    (b) Integration of Electronic Health Records With Indian Health 
Service.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of the 
Interior shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to ensure that 
the health records of Indian veterans may be transferred electronically 
between facilities of the Indian Health Service and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Transfer of Medical Equipment to the Indian Health Service.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
        transfer to the Indian Health Service such surplus Department 
        of Veterans Affairs medical and information technology 
        equipment as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services jointly consider 
        appropriate for purposes of the Indian Health Service.
            (2) Transportation and installation.--In transferring 
        medical or information technology equipment under this 
        subsection, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may transport and 
        install such equipment in facilities of the Indian Health 
        Service.
    (d) Report on Joint Health Clinics With Indian Health Service.--Not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall jointly submit to Congress a report on the feasability 
and advisability of the joint establishment and operation by the 
Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service of health 
clinics on Indian reservations to serve the populations of such 
reservations, including Indian veterans.
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