[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1849 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1849

To require a five-year strategic plan for the Office of Rural Health of 
   the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
   Affairs for improving access to, and the quality of, health care 
                 services for veterans in rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 10, 2011

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require a five-year strategic plan for the Office of Rural Health of 
   the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans 
   Affairs for improving access to, and the quality of, health care 
                 services for veterans in rural areas.

    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 Health Care 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH OF THE 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Strategic Plan Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Rural 
        Health of the Veterans Health Administration of the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs shall develop a strategic plan for the 
        Office of Rural Health for improving access to, and the quality 
        of, health care services for veterans in rural areas that 
        covers the five-year period commencing on the date of the 
        issuance of the plan by the Director.
            (2) Consultation.--The Director of the Office of Rural 
        Health shall develop the plan in consultation with the 
        following:
                    (A) The Director of the Health Care Retention and 
                Recruitment Office of the Department.
                    (B) The Director of the Office of Quality and 
                Performance of the Department.
                    (C) The Director of the Office of Care Coordination 
                Services of the Department.
    (b) Elements.--The plan required by subsection (a) shall include, 
for the period covered by the plan, the following:
            (1) Goals and objectives for the recruitment and retention 
        by the Veterans Health Administration of health care personnel 
        in rural areas.
            (2) Goals and objectives for ensuring timeliness and 
        improving quality in the delivery of health care services by 
        the Veterans Health Administration in rural areas through 
        contract and fee-basis providers.
            (3) Goals and objectives for the implementation, expansion, 
        and enhanced use of telemedicine services by the Veterans 
        Health Administration in rural areas, including through 
        coordination with other appropriate offices of the Department.
            (4) Goals and objectives for ensuring the full and 
        effective use of mobile outpatient clinics by the Veterans 
        Health Administration for the provision of health care services 
        in rural areas, including goals and objectives for the use of 
        such clinics on a fully mobile basis and for encouraging health 
        care providers who provide services through such clinics to do 
        so in rural areas.
            (5) Procedures for soliciting from each Veterans Health 
        Administration facility that serves a rural area the following:
                    (A) A statement of the clinical capacity of such 
                facility.
                    (B) The procedures of such facility in the event of 
                a medical, surgical, or mental health emergency outside 
                the scope of the clinical capacity of such facility.
                    (C) The procedures and mechanisms of such facility 
                for the provision and coordination of health care for 
                women veterans, including procedures and mechanisms for 
                coordination with local hospitals and health care 
                facilities, oversight of primary care and fee-basis 
                care, and management of specialty care.
            (6) Goals and objectives for the modification of the 
        funding allocation mechanisms of the Office of Rural Health in 
        order to ensure that the Office distributes funds to components 
        of the Department to best achieve the goals and objectives of 
        the Office and in a timely manner.
            (7) Goals and objectives for the coordination of, and 
        sharing of resources with respect to, the provision of health 
        care services to veterans in rural areas between the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Indian 
        Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services, 
        and other Federal agencies, as appropriate and prudent.
            (8) Specific milestones for the achievement of the goals 
        and objectives developed for the plan.
            (9) Procedures for ensuring the effective implementation of 
        the plan.
    (c) Transmittal to Congress.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the issuance of the plan required by subsection (a), the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall transmit the plan to Congress, together with 
such comments and recommendations in connection with the plan as the 
Secretary considers appropriate.
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