[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6373 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6373

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Veterans Affairs to offer annual preventative health evaluations to 
 veterans with a spinal cord injury or disorder and increase access to 
            assistive technologies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 13, 2023

  Mr. Bergman (for himself, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Bost, and Ms. Brownley) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Veterans Affairs to offer annual preventative health evaluations to 
 veterans with a spinal cord injury or disorder and increase access to 
            assistive technologies, 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 ``Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to New 
Devices Act'' or the ``Veterans STAND Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF PREVENTATIVE HEALTH EVALUATIONS FOR VETERANS WITH 
              A SPINAL CORD INJURY OR DISORDER.

    Section 1706 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) In managing the provision of hospital care and medical 
services under section 1710(a) of this title, the Secretary shall 
furnish (through direct provision of service, referral, or a telehealth 
program operated by the Department) a preventative health evaluation 
annually to any veteran with a spinal cord injury or disorder who 
elects to undergo the evaluation.
    ``(2) The evaluation described in paragraph (1) shall include the 
following:
            ``(A) An assessment of any circumstance or condition the 
        veteran is experiencing that indicates a risk for any health 
        complication related to the spinal cord injury or disorder, 
        including a risk of comorbidities.
            ``(B) An assessment regarding chronic pain and, if 
        applicable, the management of chronic pain.
            ``(C) An assessment regarding dietary management and weight 
        management.
            ``(D) An assessment regarding prosthetic equipment, 
        including which prosthetic equipment the veteran needs, how 
        well any existing prosthetic equipment is functioning 
        considering the needs of the veteran, and any safety concerns 
        regarding the prosthetic equipment in use by or recommended to 
        the veteran.
            ``(E) An assessment for the provision of any assistive 
        technology that could help maximize the independence and 
        mobility of the veteran.
    ``(3)(A) In maintaining, prescribing, or amending any guidance, 
rules, or regulations issued by the Department regarding the 
requirements set out in this subsection, the Secretary shall consult 
with the spinal cord injury and disorder program managers of the 
Department, clinicians employed by the Department as specialists in 
spinal cord injuries and disorders, and the organizations named in or 
approved under section 5902 of this title.
    ``(B) Before issuing any guidance, rules, or regulations regarding 
the requirements set out in this subsection, the Secretary shall 
consult with manufacturers of assistive technologies and other entities 
relevant to the provision of assistive technologies if the guidance, 
rules, or regulations would directly affect such manufacturers or 
entities.
    ``(C) The Secretary shall ensure, to the extent possible, that any 
veteran known by the Secretary to have a spinal cord injury or disorder 
receives information annually about the evaluation available under this 
subsection and the benefits to the veteran of choosing to undergo the 
evaluation.
    ``(4) Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of 
the Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to New Devices Act, and every two 
years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a 
report that includes the following:
            ``(A) For the period covered by the report, the number of 
        veterans who--
                    ``(i) received medical care or hospital services 
                from the Department and used an assistive technology;
                    ``(ii) received medical care or hospital services 
                from the Department and were assessed for the provision 
                of an assistive technology; and
                    ``(iii) received medical care or hospital services 
                from the Department and were prescribed an assistive 
                technology.
            ``(B) The year-to-year change (for the period covered by 
        the report, including the two years immediately prior to year 
        the report is submitted) in the percent of veterans with a 
        spinal cord injury or disorder who received an evaluation under 
        this subsection.
    ``(5) In reviewing the performance metrics of a Veterans Integrated 
Service Network for any year beginning after the date that is one year 
after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Spinal Trauma Access to 
New Devices Act, the Secretary shall consider the provision of 
evaluations under paragraph (1).
    ``(6) In this subsection, the term `assistive technology' means a 
powered medical device or electronic tool used to treat or alleviate 
symptoms or conditions caused by a spinal cord injury or disorder, 
including the following:
            ``(A) A personal mobility device, including a powered 
        exoskeleton device.
            ``(B) A speech generating device.''.
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