Veterans STAND Act
Sponsored By: Senator Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
In Committee
Summary
annual preventative health evaluations for veterans with a spinal cord injury or disorder. The Veterans STAND Act would require yearly evaluations that standardize checks for pain, nutrition, prosthetics, and assistive technologies and expand VA telehealth and training for those devices.
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- Veterans and families: Veterans with spinal cord injury or disorder would receive an annual evaluation covering five core elements: risk of SCI/D complications, chronic pain management, dietary and weight management, prosthetic needs and safety, and assistive technology assessments including spinal cord neuromodulation. The VA could provide training, remote monitoring, and telehealth follow-up as clinically appropriate.
- VA clinicians and networks: The VA would need to craft guidance with input from SCI/D program managers, clinicians, and neuromodulation experts. The Secretary must also factor these evaluations into Veterans Integrated Service Network performance metrics starting one year after enactment.
- Manufacturers and oversight: The bill requires consultation with assistive technology manufacturers before issuing guidance that affects them and mandates biennial reports to the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees on numbers, categories, and any available functional outcomes for prescribed assistive technologies, including neuromodulation.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Yearly spinal cord health checks for veterans
If enacted, the VA would offer any veteran with a spinal cord injury or disorder a yearly preventative health evaluation. A veteran would choose to have the evaluation. The evaluation would be provided in person, by referral, or through a VA-operated telehealth program. It would assess risks for spinal-cord complications. It would assess chronic pain and its management. It would assess diet and weight management. It would assess prosthetic equipment needs, functioning, and safety. It would assess assistive technology suitability, including spinal cord neuromodulation and home-use training needs. The VA would be able to provide training, programming, remote monitoring, and follow-up for assistive technologies by telehealth when clinically appropriate. The VA would, to the extent possible, send veterans known to have a spinal cord injury or disorder yearly information about the evaluation and its benefits.
VA must consult experts and manufacturers
If enacted, the VA would have to consult spinal cord injury program managers and VA specialist clinicians when making or changing rules about the evaluations and assistive technology. The VA would also have to seek input from clinicians and technologists with expertise in spinal cord neuromodulation and from representatives of recognized veterans organizations. Before issuing guidance that would directly affect manufacturers, the VA would consult with those manufacturers and other relevant entities.
VISNs to track yearly spinal exams
If enacted, starting one year after enactment the VA would consider whether each regional VA network provided the yearly spinal cord evaluations when reviewing that network's performance. That requirement would let VA leaders check if networks are offering the exam and would encourage networks to provide the evaluations created by the bill.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
KS • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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