[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4276 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4276

 To extend and modify a pilot program on assisted living services for 
                 veterans with traumatic brain injury.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 2014

Mr. Cassidy (for himself and Mr. McCarthy of California) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To extend and modify a pilot program on assisted living services for 
                 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 ``Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care 
Improvement Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM ON ASSISTED LIVING 
              SERVICES FOR VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

    (a) Extension of Program.--Subsection (a) of section 1705 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 
110-181; 38 U.S.C. 1710C note) is amended by striking ``a five-year'' 
and inserting ``an eight-year''.
    (b) Modification of Locations.--Subsection (b) of such section is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following 
        new paragraphs:
            ``(1) In general.--The pilot program shall be carried out 
        at locations selected by the Secretary for purposes of the 
        pilot program.
            ``(2) Located in same region as polytrauma centers.--Of the 
        locations selected under paragraph (1), at least one location 
        shall be in each health care region of the Veterans Health 
        Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs that 
        contains a polytrauma center of the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs.''.
    (c) Modification of Report Requirements.--Subsection (e) of such 
section is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Reports.--
            ``(1) Quarterly reports.--
                    ``(A) In general.--During each 90-day period 
                occurring during the period beginning January 1, 2016, 
                and ending January 1, 2018, the Secretary shall submit 
                to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate 
                and the House of Representatives a report on the pilot 
                program.
                    ``(B) Elements.--Each report submitted under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include the following:
                            ``(i) The number of individuals that 
                        participated in the pilot program during the 
                        quarter preceding the submission of the report.
                            ``(ii) The number of individuals that 
                        successfully completed the pilot program during 
                        the quarter preceding the submission of the 
                        report.
                            ``(iii) The degree to which pilot program 
                        participants and family members of pilot 
                        program participants were satisfied with the 
                        pilot program.
                            ``(iv) The interim findings and conclusions 
                        of the Secretary with respect to the success of 
                        the pilot program and recommendations for 
                        improvement.
            ``(2) Final report.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the 
                completion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall 
                submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
                Senate and the House of Representatives a final report 
                on the pilot program.
                    ``(B) Elements.--The final report required by 
                subparagraph (A) shall include the following:
                            ``(i) A description of the pilot program.
                            ``(ii) An assessment of the utility of the 
                        activities under the pilot program in enhancing 
                        the rehabilitation, quality of life, and 
                        community reintegration of veterans with 
                        traumatic brain injury, including complex mild 
                        traumatic brain injury.
                            ``(iii) An evaluation of the pilot program 
                        in light of independent living programs carried 
                        out by the Secretary under title 38, United 
                        States Code, including--
                                    ``(I) whether the pilot program 
                                duplicates services provided under such 
                                independent living programs;
                                    ``(II) the ways in which the pilot 
                                program provides different services;
                                    ``(III) how the pilot program could 
                                be better defined or shaped; and
                                    ``(IV) whether the pilot program 
                                should be incorporated into such 
                                independent living programs.
                            ``(iv) Such recommendations as the 
                        Secretary considers appropriate regarding 
                        improving the pilot program.''.
    (d) Modification of Definitions.--
            (1) Community-based brain injury residential rehabilitative 
        care services.--Such section is further amended--
                    (A) in the section heading, by striking ``assisted 
                living'' and inserting ``community-based brain injury 
                residential rehabilitative care'';
                    (B) in subsection (c), in the subsection heading, 
                by striking ``Assisted Living'' and inserting 
                ``Community-Based Brain Injury Residential 
                Rehabilitative Care'';
                    (C) by striking ``assisted living'' each place it 
                appears, and inserting ``community-based brain injury 
                rehabilitative care''; and
                    (D) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ``and 
                personal care'' and inserting ``rehabilitation, and 
                personal care''.
            (2) Eligible veteran.--Subsection (f)(3) of such section is 
        amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(E) has a traumatic brain injury that is 
                classified as complex-mild to severe.''.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 
2015 $46,000,000 to carry out the pilot program under section 1705 of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 
110-181; 38 U.S.C. 1710C note), as amended by this section. The amount 
so authorized to be appropriated shall be available for obligation for 
the three-year period beginning on October 1, 2014.
    (f) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on October 1, 2014.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO RECOVERY BY UNITED STATES OF COST OF CERTAIN 
              CARE AND SERVICES PROVIDED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS.

    Section 1729(h) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(4)(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) or section 7332 of this 
title, the Secretary may make available to third parties medical 
records of a veteran described in paragraph (2) without the written 
consent of the veteran if--
            ``(i) the care or services furnished to the veteran for 
        which recovery or collection is sought under this section 
        relates to drug abuse, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, infection 
        with the human immunodeficiency virus, or sickle cell anemia; 
        and
            ``(ii) by not later than 30 days after receiving such care 
        or services, the Secretary does not receive from the veteran a 
        notification described in subparagraph (B).
    ``(B) A notification described in this subparagraph is a 
notification by a veteran that the veteran does not consent to a 
disclosure of medical records of the veteran under subparagraph (A).''.
                                 <all>