[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2607 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2607

 To extend and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 
 Affairs on assisted living services for veterans with traumatic brain 
                    injury, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 15, 2014

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To extend and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 
 Affairs on assisted living services for veterans with traumatic brain 
                    injury, 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 ``Assisted Living Pilot Program for 
Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Extension Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a 
        generation of veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
            (2) Since 2001, more than 265,000 members of the Armed 
        Forces have suffered traumatic brain injuries.
            (3) Since 2001, more than 26,000 members of the Armed 
        Forces have suffered moderate or severe head wounds.
            (4) Advances in medicine have kept members of the Armed 
        Forces alive who have suffered head wounds that might have 
        killed them in previous conflicts.
            (5) The pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        to assess the effectiveness of providing assisted living 
        services to eligible veterans to enhance the rehabilitation, 
        quality of life, and community integration of such veterans 
        required by section 1705(a) of the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181; 38 
        U.S.C. 1710C note) has provided to veterans who have moderate 
        to severe traumatic brain injuries, often coupled with other 
        significant physical and psychological challenges, a level of 
        comprehensive, coordinated care in residential facilities 
        across the United States since 2008.
            (6) The model of care practiced under the pilot program 
        specified in paragraph (5) has yielded impressive results and 
        helped rehabilitate dozens of veterans from severe injuries 
        that are notoriously difficult to treat.
            (7) The Department of Veterans Affairs does not offer to 
        veterans any alternatives to the pilot program specified in 
        paragraph (5) that replicate--
                    (A) the comprehensiveness of the rehabilitative 
                care provided under such program;
                    (B) the benefit of providing care under such 
                program in a residential setting; and
                    (C) the significant positive impact on veterans of 
                the sustained, longer-term care provided under such 
                program.

SEC. 3. 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) Annual report.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than two years after 
                the date of the enactment of the Assisted Living Pilot 
                Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury 
                Extension Act, and not later than September 30 each 
                year thereafter until 2018, the Secretary shall submit 
                to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
                the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 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 
                        year preceding the submission of the report.
                            ``(ii) The number of individuals that 
                        successfully completed the pilot program during 
                        the year 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 Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
                Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 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) 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 the date that is one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
    (f) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on October 1, 2014.
                                 <all>