To improve the use and management of mobile medical units by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

To improve the use and management of mobile medical units by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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.

SEC. 2. Designation of existing office to serve as program owner of Mobile Medical Unit Program of Department of Veterans Affairs.

(a) In general.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall designate the head of an existing office of the Department of Veterans Affairs to serve as the program owner of the Mobile Medical Unit Program of the Department.

(b) Responsibilities.—The head of the office designated under subsection (a) shall be responsible for—

(1) overseeing deployments of mobile medical units of the Department;

(2) coordinating with leadership of medical centers of the Department with respect to such units;

(3) managing data collection with respect to such units;

(4) identifying the funding and procurement sources that exist for such units and that are available to help deploy such units to medical centers of the Department; and

(5) integrating such units, as appropriate, into broader access-to-care strategies of the Veterans Health Administration.

SEC. 3. Nationwide inventory and capability assessment of mobile medical units of Department of Veterans Affairs.

(a) In general.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a nationwide inventory and capability assessment with respect to mobile medical units of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(b) Elements.—The assessment required under subsection (a) shall include an assessment of the following:

(1) The total number of mobile medical units of the Department, including the different types of mobile medical unit models used by the Department.

(2) The age, condition, and readiness of such units and what sort of maintenance such units need.

(3) Where such units are currently located and the accessibility of mobile medical unit deployment sites.

(4) How often each such unit is used and for what services each such unit is used.

(5) Patient-level data with respect to each such unit.

(6) Accessibility and lift capability across the mobile medical unit fleet of the Department, including an assessment of the wheelchair accessibility of deployment locations for each such unit.

(7) Existing unmet needs or access barriers within the Department that such units could fill, when clinically and operationally appropriate.

SEC. 4. Assessment of feasibility and advisability of requiring annual deployment of mobile medical units to certain areas.

(a) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct an assessment to determine the feasibility and advisability of requiring certain medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs to deploy mobile medical units to rural or underserved areas at least once per year to improve access to medical services by veterans and other individuals eligible for health care under the laws administered by the Secretary.

(b) Elements.—The assessment required by subsection (a) shall—

(1) incorporate findings from the nationwide inventory and capability assessment required by section 3;

(2) include proposed criteria the Secretary could use to determine which medical centers of the Department should be subject to the requirement described in subsection (a);

(3) include proposed rural or underserved areas where mobile medical units could be required to be deployed at least once per year to improve access to medical services by veterans and other individuals;

(4) include a proposed list of services that mobile medical units could provide safely and appropriately in rural or underserved areas;

(5) include an estimate of the number of veterans or other individuals who could access medical services through a mobile medical unit deployed to a rural or underserved area; and

(6) include an assessment of the ideal frequency of such deployments in consideration of—

(A) the ability of veterans and other individuals in such areas to access services identified under paragraph (4);

(B) the cost to the Department to deploy mobile medical units to such areas; and

(C) such other factors as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(c) Report.—Not later than 90 days after completing the assessment required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit the assessment to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5. Report.

(a) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report—

(1) identifying gaps and opportunities to expand the appropriate use by the Department of Veterans Affairs of mobile medical units in rural or underserved areas, including by identifying the gaps between the capabilities of such units and the needs of veterans in rural areas;

(2) identifying areas that medical centers of the Department serve with high rural veteran populations or that are near high rural veteran populations;

(3) identifying staffing barriers, clinical support and resources, funding barriers, accessibility barriers, information technology, and training barriers to improving the appropriate use of mobile medical units;

(4) identifying ways the Department can engage with local veterans service organizations to further identify suitable and accessible locations for mobile medical unit deployments;

(5) identifying how the head of the office designated under section 2(a) can focus on rectifying the barriers identified under paragraph (3);

(6) including the findings of the Secretary from the assessment conducted under section 3;

(7) assessing the findings of the Secretary in response to the report of the Comptroller General of the United States published on December 14, 2023, and titled “VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Information Reported on Mobile Medical Units”;

(8) describing any actions taken by the Secretary in response to the Comptroller General report specified under paragraph (7); and

(9) recommending any legislative or administrative action necessary to improve the use of mobile medical units by the Department.

(b) Veterans service organization defined.—In this section, the term “veterans service organization” means an organization recognized by the Secretary for the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code.