Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009
Latest action · Mar 25, 2010 Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 15, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities at the rate of 41.5 cents per mile. (Under current law the rate is that provided to federal employees in connection with the performance of official duties.)
Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate at least one and up to five centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (2) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in highly rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; (4) establish a program to provide peer support, readjustment, and mental health services to veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (and related services to their family members); (5) assign an Indian Veterans Health Care Coordinator for each of the ten VA facilities that serve communities with the greatest per capita number of Indian veterans; (6) report to Congress jointly with the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the advisability of the joint establishment and operation by the VA's Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service of health clinics to serve populations of Indian reservations, including Indian veterans; and (7) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas.
Cosponsors 8
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 15, 2009 to Mar 10, 2010, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-VA | Thomas S.P. Perriello | Original | Jun 15, 2009 |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Sep 30, 2009 | |
| D-NM | Harry Teague | Oct 1, 2009 | |
| D-MN | Timothy J. Walz | Oct 6, 2009 | |
| D-ID | Walter Minnick | Oct 6, 2009 | |
| D-IL | Deborah L. Halvorson | Oct 29, 2009 | |
| D-ME | Michael H. Michaud | Oct 29, 2009 | |
| D-NC | Larry Kissell | Mar 10, 2010 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 25, 2010Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Jun 19, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jun 15, 2009Introduced in House
- Jun 15, 2009Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 658 | Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 | Identical bill | Apr 22, 2009 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Afghanistan
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Asia
- Congressional oversight
- Health care coverage and access
- Health facilities and institutions
- Indian social and development programs
- Iraq
- Mental health
- Middle East
- Military operations and strategy
- Minority health
- Rural conditions and development
- Transportation costs
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
- Veterans' medical care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 15, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.