WASHINGTON – Rep. Shelley Moore Capito introduced legislation Saturday to improve the delivery of care for veterans in rural areas suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).  

“This legislation is an important step in providing quality care for rural veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries,” Capito said.  “The care we provide veterans in rural areas should not be diminished in any way because they have chosen to live in rural America.”

The legislation, H.R. 3458, directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program for the training of case managers who would be assigned to veterans in rural areas diagnosed with TBI.  The case managers would be tasked with working with local health care providers to coordinate care for veterans in rural areas who do not readily have access to VA health facilities. 

“The treatment of traumatic brain injury can be extensive and long-term,” Capito added.  “My legislation will allow veterans living in rural areas to remain close to their homes and their families while they receive post-acute care.  The proximity of VA facilities for rural veterans is often an overlooked problem that this legislation will hopefully help fix.”

Military personnel and veterans who sustain Traumatic Brain Injuries receive acute care treatment in one of four Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers through the Veterans Administration.  These centers are located in Richmond, Virginia; Tampa, Florida, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Palo Alto, California.     

The pilot program outlined in Capito’s legislation would consist of five rural states to be chosen by the secretary in consultation with the VA’s Office of Rural Health.

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