Access to Veteran-Centered Community Care Act

Access to Veteran-Centered Community Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) determine that a VA facility is not capable of furnishing the care or services required if a veteran has been waiting for 14 days or longer for an appointment to receive hospital care or medical services, including primary care, in such a facility; and (2) ensure that such care or services are provided to such a veteran at a non-VA facility under contract with the VA.

Requires: (1) any referral of a veteran who, in the course of receiving hospital care or medical services in a non-VA facility, is referred to another non-VA facility for specialty care, to be submitted to the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary, if he or she does not reject such referral during the 72-hour period following its submittal, to ensure that such specialty care is provided to the veteran at a non-VA facility under contract with the VA.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4898 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4898

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide hospital care and medical services in non-
 Department facilities for veterans waiting longer than 14 days for an 
     appointment in a Department facility, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2014

Ms. Sinema (for herself and Mr. Salmon) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide hospital care and medical services in non-
 Department facilities for veterans waiting longer than 14 days for an 
     appointment in a Department facility, 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 ``Access to Veteran-Centered Community 
Care Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVISION OF HOSPITAL CARE AND 
              MEDICAL SERVICES IN NON-DEPARTMENT FACILITIES FOR 
              VETERANS WAITING 14 DAYS OR LONGER FOR AN APPOINTMENT.

    Section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e)(1) In carrying out this section, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall determine that if any veteran has been waiting for 14 
days or longer for an appointment to receive hospital care or medical 
services, including primary care, in a Department facility that the 
Department facility is not capable of furnishing the care or services 
required. The Secretary shall ensure that such care or services are 
provided to such a veteran at a non-Department facility under a 
contract under this section.
    ``(2) If, in the course of receiving hospital care or medical 
services in a non-Department facility, a veteran is referred to another 
non-Department facility for specialty care, such referral shall be 
submitted to the Secretary who may reject such referral during the 72-
hour period following such submittal. If the Secretary does not reject 
the referral during such period, the Secretary shall ensure that such 
specialty care is provided to the veteran at a non-Department facility 
under a contract under this section.''.
                                 <all>