[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1935-S1936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. 
        Conrad, and Mr. Tester):
  S. 666. A bill to require a report on the establishment of a 
Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs in the northern Rockies or Dakotas, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

[[Page S1936]]

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 666

       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 2011''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A POLYTRAUMA 
                   REHABILITATION CENTER OR POLYTRAUMA NETWORK 
                   SITE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IN 
                   THE NORTHERN ROCKIES OR DAKOTAS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The States of the northern Rockies and the Dakotas are 
     among those States in the United States with the highest per 
     capita rates of veterans with injuries from military service 
     in Iraq and Afghanistan.
       (2) Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become known as one of 
     the ``signature wounds'' of military service in Iraq and 
     Afghanistan due to its high occurrence among veterans of such 
     service.
       (3) A recent RAND Corporation study estimates that as many 
     as 20 percent of the veterans of military service in Iraq and 
     Afghanistan have a traumatic brain injury as a result of such 
     service, and many of these veterans require ongoing care for 
     mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury.
       (4) The Department of Veterans Affairs recommends that all 
     veterans experiencing a polytraumatic injury be referred to a 
     Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or a Polytrauma Network 
     Site.
       (5) The Department of Veterans Affairs Polytrauma System of 
     Care includes 4 Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers and 22 
     Polytrauma Network Sites, none of which are located in North 
     Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, eastern Washington, or 
     Wyoming, an area that encompasses approximately 740,000 
     square miles.
       (6) The vastness of this area imposes significant hardships 
     on veterans residing in this area who require care within the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Polytrauma System of Care and 
     wish to live close to home while receiving care within such 
     system of care.
       (b) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall submit to Congress a report on the feasibility and 
     advisability of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation 
     Center or Polytrauma Network Site for the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs in the northern Rockies or the Dakotas. One 
     of the locations evaluated as a potential location for the 
     Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site, 
     as the case may be, shall be the Fort Harrison Department of 
     Veterans Affairs hospital in Lewis and Clark County, Montana.
       (2) Requirements.--The report required by this subsection 
     shall include the following:
       (A) An assessment of the adequacy of existing Department of 
     Veterans Affairs facilities in the northern Rockies and the 
     Dakotas to address matters that are otherwise addressed by 
     Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers and Polytrauma Network 
     Sites.
       (B) A comparative assessment of the effectiveness of 
     rehabilitation programs for individuals with traumatic brain 
     injuries in urban areas with the effectiveness of such 
     programs for individuals with traumatic brain injuries in 
     rural and frontier communities.
       (C) An assessment whether the low cost of living in the 
     northern Rockies and the Dakotas could reduce the financial 
     stress faced by veterans receiving care for traumatic brain 
     injury and their families and thereby improve the 
     effectiveness of such care.
       (D) An assessment whether therapies that can prevent or 
     remediate the development of secondary neurologic conditions 
     related to traumatic brain injury can be interrupted by 
     stress caused by living in an urban area.
       (3) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with 
     appropriate State and local government agencies in the 
     northern Rockies and the Dakotas in preparing the report 
     required by this subsection.
                                 ______