Veterans Prescription Drugs Access Act of 2003

Veterans Prescription Drugs Access Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish to a veteran enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs patient enrollment system such drugs and medicines on the Department formulary as may be ordered on prescription of a duly licensed physician in the treatment of any illness or injury of such veteran. (Currently, other requirements must be met before such veterans will be furnished drugs and medicines on private practitioner prescriptions.)

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2015 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2015

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to require Department of 
    Veterans Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to veterans 
enrolled in the health care system of that Department for prescriptions 
       written by private practitioners, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2003

 Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut (for herself, Mr. Shays, and Mr. Simmons) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to require Department of 
    Veterans Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to veterans 
enrolled in the health care system of that Department for prescriptions 
       written by private practitioners, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Prescription Drugs Access 
Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PHARMACIES TO 
              DISPENSE MEDICATIONS TO VETERANS ON PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN 
              BY PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS.

    (a) Authority.--Section 1712(d) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(d)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) In addition to drugs and medicines furnished pursuant to 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall furnish to a veteran enrolled under 
section 1705 of this title such drugs and medicines on the formulary of 
the Department as may be ordered on prescription of a duly licensed 
physician in the treatment of any illness or injury of the veteran. Any 
such prescription is subject to section 1722A of this title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendments.--(1) The heading of section 1712 of such 
title is amended by striking the sixth through ninth words.
    (2) The item relating to section 1712 in the table of sections at 
the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended by striking the 
sixth through ninth words.
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