,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ajef  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #ac1    
#bjbe,mr4 ,rounds 7for himself and ,ms4 
,smith7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,health1 ,education1     
,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a ,,bill  ,to   
establish a home-based telemental health
 care grant program for purposes of     
increasing mental health and substance  
use services in rural medically         
underserved populations and for         
individuals in farming1 fishing1 and    
forestry occupations4  #a4 ,short title 
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,home-,based ,telemental ,health ,care  
,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,mental health and  
substance use services delivered to     
rural underserved populations via       
telemental health care ,title ,,iii of  
the ,public ,health ,service ,act is    
amended by inserting after section      
#ccj,k 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bed;c-#af7 the   
following3  #ccj,k-#a4 ,mental health   

and substance use services delivered to 
rural underserved populations via       
telemental health care  7a7 ,definitions
 ,in this section-- 7#a7 the term       
covered populations means-- 7,a7 health 
professional shortage areas 7as defined 
in section #ccb7;a77#a77 in rural areas2
 or  7,b7 populations engaged in a      
farming1 fishing1 or forestry industry2 
7#b7 the term eligible entity means a   
public or nonprofit private telemental  
health provider network that offers     
services that include mental health and 
substance use services provided by      
professionals trained in mental health  
and substance use2  7#c7 the term       
farming1 fishing1 or forestry industry  
means an occupation defined as a        
farming1 fishing1 or forestry occupation
 by the ,department of ,labor in        
accordance with the ,standard           
,occupational ,classification ,system2  
7#d7 the term home-based telemental     
means the use of telemental health      
services where the patient is in his or 

her own home or other place of comfort2 
7#e7 the term professional trained in   
mental health means a psychiatrist1 a   
qualified mental health professional 7as
 defined in section #ccj,k71 or another 
mental health professional acting under 
the direction of a psychiatrist2  7#f7  
the term rural has the meaning given    
such term by the ,office of ,rural      
,health ,policy of the ,health          
,resources and ,services                
,administration2 and  7#g7 the term     
telemental health means the use of      
electronic information and              
telecommunications technologies to      
support long distance clinical health   
care1 patient and professional          
health-related education1 public health1
 and health administration4  7b7        
,program authorized ,the ,secretary1 in 
consultation with the ,rural ,health    
,liaison of the ,department of          
,agriculture1 shall award grants to     
eligible entities to expand and enhance 
access to mental health and substance   

use services for covered populations in 
their homes or other places of comfort1 
as delivered remotely by professionals  
trained in mental health and substance  
use using telemental health care4  7c7  
,use of funds ,recipients of a grant    
under this section shall use the grant  
funds to-- 7#a7 deliver home-based      
telemental health services to covered   
populations2  7#b7 develop comprehensive
 metrics to measure the quality and     
impact of home-based telemental health  
services compared to traditional        
in-person mental health and substance   
use care2 and  7#c7 support             
infrastructure that enhances the        
capacity of health care providers to    
deliver telemental health services in   
patients' homes or other places of      
comfort1 including by-- 7,a7 expanding  
broadband access2  7,b7 providing       
devices for patients to access          
telemental health services2 and  7,c7   
offsetting costs of technology necessary
 for health care providers to deliver   

high quality care4  7d7 ,report ,the    
,secretary1 in consultation with the    
,secretary of ,agriculture1 not later   
than #c years after the date on which   
the program under this section          
commences1 and #b years thereafter1     
shall submit to the appropriate         
congressional committees reports on the 
impact and quality of care of home-based
 telemental health care services for    
covered populations4  7e7 ,authorized   
use of funds ,out of any amounts made   
available to the ,secretary1 up to      
#aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years    
#bjbe through #bjbi may be allocated to 
carrying out the program under this     
section4  4