Southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a polytrauma rehabilitation center or polytrauma network site of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Fort Bayard, New Mexico.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3390 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3390
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a
report on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a polytrauma
rehabilitation center or polytrauma network site of the Department of
Veterans Affairs in Fort Bayard, New Mexico, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 4, 2011
Mr. Pearce (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, and Mr. Lujan) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a
report on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a polytrauma
rehabilitation center or polytrauma network site of the Department of
Veterans Affairs in Fort Bayard, New Mexico, 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 ``Southern New Mexico and El Paso,
Texas, Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT OF POLYTRAUMA REHABILITATION CENTER OR
POLYTRAUMA NETWORK SITE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
IN FORT BAYARD, NEW MEXICO.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The military population of the southern New Mexico and
El Paso, Texas, region has grown greatly since the United
States has been involved in military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan and members of the Armed Forces returning from such
operations to such region will require care at polytrauma
centers as a result of their involvement with such operations.
(2) The population at Fort Bliss in Texas and New Mexico is
expected to grow from 9,300 members of the Armed Forces in 2005
to an estimated 33,400 members of the Armed Forces by 2012
because of the ongoing expansion of Fort Bliss.
(3) Traumatic brain injury has become known as one of the
signature wounds of service in the Armed Forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan because of its high occurrence among veterans of
such service. Many members of the Armed Forces returning to the
El Paso, Texas, and southern New Mexico region from overseas
service in the Armed Forces are expected to suffer from
traumatic brain injury or other forms of injury requiring
treatment at a polytrauma rehabilitation center or polytrauma
network site.
(4) A recent RAND Corporation study estimates that as many
as 20 percent of the veterans who served in the Armed Forces 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.
(5) The Department of Veterans Affairs recommends that all
veterans experiencing a polytraumatic injury be referred to a
polytrauma rehabilitation center or polytrauma network site of
the Department.
(6) The polytrauma system of care of the Department
includes four polytrauma rehabilitation centers and 21
polytrauma network sites, none of which are located within 300
miles driving distance of Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile
Range, or Holloman Air Force Base.
(7) The large military population in the southern New
Mexico and El Paso, Texas, region necessitates a new polytrauma
rehabilitation center or polytrauma network site of the
Department to deal with the significant hardships veterans
residing in such region require.
(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 of the Department of Veterans
Affairs in Fort Bayard, New Mexico.
(2) Requirements.--The report required by paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) An assessment of the adequacy of existing
Department facilities in the southern New Mexico and El
Paso, Texas, region to address matters that are
otherwise addressed by polytrauma rehabilitation
centers and polytrauma network sites of the Department.
(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 of 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.
(D) The relation of high cost of living to the
recovery of veterans and the impact on their families
in comparison to recovery in an area where there is a
lower cost of living.
(3) Consultation.--In preparing the report required by
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with appropriate
State and local government agencies in New Mexico.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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