[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6227-S6228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            INTRODUCED BILLS


                              June 7, 2005

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 1176. A bill to improve the provision of health care and services 
to veterans in Hawaii, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.

                                S. 1176

       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 ``Neighbor Islands Veterans 
     Health Care Improvements Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. VET CENTER ENHANCEMENTS.

       (a) Additional Counselors for Certain Clinics.--The 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall assign an additional 
     counselor to each vet center as follows:
       (1) The vet center on the Island of Maui, Hawaii.
       (2) The vet center in Hilo, Hawaii.
       (b) Establishment of New Vet Center.--The Secretary shall 
     establish and operate a new vet center on the Island of Oahu, 
     Hawaii, at a location to be selected by the Secretary.
       (c) Vet Center Defined.--In this section, the term ``vet 
     center'' means a center for the provision of readjustment 
     counseling and related mental health services for veterans 
     under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code.

     SEC. 3. HEALTH CARE CLINICS.

       (a) Establishment of Clinics.--
       (1) Satellite clinics.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall establish and operate a satellite health care clinic at 
     a location selected by the Secretary on each island as 
     follows:
       (A) The Island of Lanai, Hawaii.
       (B) The Island of Molokai, Hawaii.
       (2) Medical care clinic.--The Secretary may establish and 
     operate a medical care clinic at a location selected by the 
     Secretary on the west side of the Island of Kauai, Hawaii.
       (b) Elements of Satellite Clinics.--Each satellite clinic 
     established under subsection (a)(1) shall include--
       (1) a vet center, which shall provide readjustment 
     counseling and related mental health services for veterans 
     under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code; and
       (2) a community based outpatient clinic (CBOC), which shall 
     provide to veterans--
       (A) the medical services and other health-care related 
     services provided by community based outpatient clinics 
     operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
       (B) such other care and services as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate.
       (c) Staffing and Other Resources.--
       (1) Satellite clinics.--(A) The staff of the satellite 
     clinics established under subsection (a)(1) shall be derived 
     from staff of the vet center, and of the community based 
     outpatient clinic, on the Island of Maui, Hawaii, who shall 
     be assigned by the Secretary to such satellite clinics under 
     this section. In making such assignments, the Secretary may 
     not reduce the size of the staff of the vet center, or of the 
     community based outpatient clinic, on the Island of Maui 
     below its size as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (B) Each satellite clinic established under subsection 
     (a)(1) shall have a computer system of nature and quality 
     equivalent to the computer systems of the community based 
     outpatient clinics operated by the Department, including the 
     capability to conduct medical tracking.
       (C) Each satellite clinic established under subsection 
     (a)(1) shall have appropriate telemedicine equipment.
       (2) Medical care clinic.--The medical care clinic 
     established under subsection (a)(2) shall have such staff as 
     the Secretary considers appropriate for its activities.
       (d) Hours of Operation.--
       (1) Satellite clinics.--Each satellite clinic established 
     under subsection (a)(1) shall have hours of operation each 
     week determined by the Secretary. The number of hours so 
     determined for a week shall consist of a number of hours 
     equivalent to not less than three working days in such week.
       (2) Medical care clinic.--The medical care clinic 
     established under subsection (a)(2) shall have such hours of 
     operation as the Secretary considers appropriate for its 
     activities.

     SEC. 4. LONG-TERM CARE.

       (a) Medical Care Foster Program.--The Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall establish and operate on the Island of Oahu, 
     Hawaii, a medical care foster program. The program shall be 
     established utilizing as a model the Medical Care Foster 
     Program at the Center Arkansas Veterans Health Care System of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Additional Clinical Staff for Non-institutional Long-
     term Care.--
       (1) Assignment of staff.--The Secretary shall assign to the 
     community based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs referred to in paragraph (2) such 
     additional clinical staff as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate in order to ensure that such clinics provide non-
     institutional long-term care for veterans in accordance with 
     the provisions of subtitle A of title I of the Veterans 
     Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (Public Law 106-117) 
     and the amendments made by such provisions. Such additional 
     clinical staff shall include a home health nurse.
       (2) Covered community based outpatient clinics.--The 
     community based outpatient clinics referred to in this 
     paragraph are the community based outpatient clinics as 
     follows:
       (A) The community based outpatient clinic in Hilo, Hawaii.
       (B) The community based outpatient clinic on the Island of 
     Kauai, Hawaii.
       (C) The community based outpatient clinic in Kona, Hawaii.
       (D) The community based outpatient clinic on the Island of 
     Maui, Hawaii.

     SEC. 5. MENTAL HEALTH CARE.

       (a) Establishment of Mental Health Center.--The Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs shall establish and operate in Hilo, 
     Hawaii, at an appropriate location selected by the Secretary, 
     a new center for the provision of mental health care and 
     services to veterans.
       (b) Care and Treatment Available Through Center.--The 
     mental health center established under subsection (a) shall 
     provide the following:
       (1) Day mental health care and treatment.
       (2) Outpatient mental health care and treatment.
       (3) Such other mental health care and treatment as the 
     Secretary considers appropriate.
       (c) Staff.--The mental health center established under 
     subsection (a) shall have as its staff a drug abuse 
     counselor, a nurse practitioner, and such other staff as the 
     Secretary considers appropriate for its activities.

     SEC. 6. STUDY ON ACCESS TO SPECIALIZED CARE AND FEE-BASIS 
                   CARE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     carry out a study of the demand for, and access to, 
     specialized care and fee-basis care from the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs for veterans on the neighbor islands of 
     Hawaii, including whether or not the specialized care or fee-
     basis care, as the case may be, available to veterans from 
     the Department on the neighbor islands is adequate to meet 
     the demands of veterans for such care.
       (b) Report.--Not later than six months after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House 
     of Representatives a report on the study required by 
     subsection (a). The report shall set forth the results of the 
     study and include such recommendations for legislative or 
     administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate 
     in light of the study.

     SEC. 7. CONSTRUCTION OF MENTAL HEALTH CENTER AT TRIPLER ARMY 
                   MEDICAL CENTER, HAWAII.

       (a) Authorization of Major Medical Facility Project.--The 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out a major medical 
     facility project for the construction of a mental health 
     center at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, in the amount 
     of $10,000,000.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2006 for 
     the Construction, Major Projects, account, $10,000,000 for 
     the project authorized by subsection (a).
       (2) Limitation.--The project authorized by subsection (a) 
     may only be carried out using--
       (A) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2006 pursuant to the 
     authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1);
       (B) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
     for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2006 that remain 
     available for obligation; and
       (C) funds appropriated for Construction, Major Projects, 
     for fiscal year 2006 for a category of activity not specific 
     to a project.
       (c) Facilities.--The facilities at the mental health center 
     authorized to be constructed by subsection (a) shall include 
     residential rehabilitation beds for patients with Post 
     Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and such other facilities as 
     the Secretary considers appropriate.

     SEC. 8. FUNDING.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the

[[Page S6228]]

     Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2006 such sums 
     as may be necessary to carry out sections 2 through 6.
       (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
     authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) shall be 
     available only to carry out sections 2 through 6.
       (c) Construction With Other Funding for Health Care for 
     Veterans in Hawaii.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
     amount authorized to be appropriated by subsection (a) for 
     fiscal year 2006 should--
       (1) supplement amounts authorized to be appropriated to the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs for that fiscal year for health 
     care for veterans in Hawaii for activities other than those 
     specified in sections 2 through 6; and
       (2) not result in any reduction in the amount that would 
     have been appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     for that fiscal year for health care for veterans in Hawaii 
     for such activities had the amount in subsection (a) not been 
     authorized to be appropriated.

                          ____________________