United States · Bill · S
S. 658 (111th)
Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009
Introduced
19 March 2009
Last action
22 April 2009 · Committee
Status
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-76.
Sponsors
Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT], Sen. Thune, John [R-SD], Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK], Sen. Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR], Sen. Burris, Roland [D-IL], Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO], Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR], Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR], Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA], Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Subjects
Healthcare, Defence, Education
Source updated
5 December 2025
Healthcare · Defence · Education
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.
This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.
Timeline
19 March 2009
Introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Source: IntroReferral
19 March 2009
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
Source: IntroReferral
22 April 2009
Committee
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-76.
Source: Committee
Votes
No vote records are attached yet.
Versions
- Introduced in Senate · 19 March 2009 · Download file
Documents
3 official files
Introduced in Senate (text)
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Introduced in Senate (text)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 19 March 2009
Introduced in Senate (PDF)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 19 March 2009
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Introduced in Senate
summary · EN · 19 March 2009
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Sponsors
- Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · R · Cosponsor
- Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Burris, Roland [D-IL] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] · D · Cosponsor
- Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] · R · Cosponsor
- · ssva00 · Standing
Related records
Sources
PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.
- Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/658
- Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/111/s/658
- us · 111-s-658 · source updated 5 December 2025