Sec. 232. Implementation of information technology system of Department of Veterans Affairs to assess and improve the family caregiver program
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Not later than December 31, 2016, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall implement an information technology system that fully supports the Program and allows for data assessment and comprehensive monitoring of the Program. The information technology system required to be implemented under paragraph
(1)shall include the following: The ability to easily retrieve data that will allow all aspects of the Program (at the medical center and aggregate levels) and the workload trends for the Program to be assessed and comprehensively monitored. The ability to manage data with respect to a number of caregivers that is more than the number of caregivers that the Secretary expects to apply for the Program. The ability to integrate the system with other relevant information technology systems of the Veterans Health Administration. Not later than 180 days after implementing the system described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall, through the Under Secretary for Health, use data from the system and other relevant data to conduct an assessment of how key aspects of the Program are structured and carried out. The Secretary shall use the system implemented under subsection
(a)to monitor and assess the workload of the Program, including monitoring and assessment of data on— the status of applications, appeals, and home visits in connection with the Program; and the use by caregivers participating in the Program of other support services under the Program such as respite care. Based on the monitoring and assessment conducted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall identify and implement such modifications to the Program as the Secretary considers necessary to ensure the Program is functioning as intended and providing veterans and caregivers participating in the Program with services in a timely manner. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States a report that includes— the status of the planning, development, and deployment of the system required to be implemented under subsection (a), including any changes in the timeline for the implementation of the system; and an assessment of the needs of family caregivers of veterans described in subparagraph (B), the resources needed for the inclusion of such family caregivers in the Program, and such changes to the Program as the Secretary considers necessary to ensure the successful expansion of the Program to include such family caregivers. Veterans described in this subparagraph are veterans who are eligible for the Program under clause
(ii)or
(iii)of section 1720G(a)(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 231(a)(1) of this Act, solely due to a serious injury (including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma, or other mental disorder) incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, or air service before September 11, 2001. The Comptroller General shall review the report submitted under paragraph
(1)and notify the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives with respect to the progress of the Secretary in— fully implementing the system required under subsection (a); and implementing a process for using such system to monitor and assess the Program under subsection (c)(1) and modify the Program as considered necessary under subsection (c)(2). Not later than December 31, 2017, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Comptroller General a report on the implementation of subsections
(a)through (c). The report required by subparagraph
(A)shall include the following: A certification by the Secretary with respect to whether the information technology system described in subsection
(a)has been implemented. A description of how the Secretary has implemented such system. A description of the modifications to the Program, if any, that were identified and implemented under subsection (c)(2). A description of how the Secretary is using such system to monitor the workload of the Program. In this section: The term active military, naval, or air service has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code. The term Program means the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers under section 1720G(a) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 231 of this Act.