[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4048 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4048

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
program on the provision of traumatic brain injury care in rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 6, 2009

 Mrs. Capito (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Massa, Mr. Thornberry, 
 Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Sessions, and Ms. Norton) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
program on the provision of traumatic brain injury care in rural areas.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM ON TRAUMATIC 
              BRAIN INJURY CARE IN RURAL AREAS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out a pilot program in five rural States selected by the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Office of Rural Health of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. In each of the five States selected, the Secretary 
shall assign a specific Department of Veterans Affairs case manager to 
each individual diagnosed with traumatic brain injury who is receiving 
care in a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs in a 
selected State. In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary 
shall--
            (1) provide training at Department of Veterans Affairs 
        medical facilities located in the selected States for 
        Department of Veterans Affairs case managers who are assigned 
        to individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury;
            (2) coordinate with non-Department medical facilities 
        located in the selected States to provide for such training, as 
        appropriate;
            (3) determine an appropriate ratio of traumatic brain 
        injury patients to each case manager to ensure the patients 
        receive proper and efficient treatment;
            (4) for any area in a selected State in which no Department 
        of Veterans Affairs medical facility is easily accessible, seek 
        to enter into a contract with a private health care provider 
        located in that area under which the Secretary shall reimburse 
        the provider for providing health care to traumatic brain 
        injury patients residing in that area; and
            (5) provide updated information on the treatment of 
        traumatic brain injuries to private health care providers that 
        have entered into contracts with the Secretary under paragraph 
        (4).
    (b) Report.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to 
Congress an annual report on the pilot program under this section.
    (c) Termination.--The authority to carry out a pilot program under 
this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
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