Veterans Health Care Freedom Act
This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program permanent.
Eligibility requirements under the Program are revised.
The VA shall submit an annual report to Congress that includes the following: (1) any increase or decrease in the number of veterans seeking hospital care or medical services at each VA medical facility, and (2) facility budget recommendations based upon such increase or decrease.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3183 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3183
To amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to
expand and make permanent the Veterans Choice Program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2015
Mr. Jolly introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to
expand and make permanent the Veterans Choice Program, 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 Health Care Freedom Act''.
SEC. 2. MODIFICATION TO VETERANS CHOICE PROGRAM.
(a) Expansion.--
(1) In general.--Subsection (b) of section 101 of the
Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (38
U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended to read as follows:
``(b) Eligible Veterans.--A veteran is an eligible veteran for
purposes of this section if the veteran is enrolled in the patient
enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs established and
operated under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, including
any such veteran who has not received hospital care or medical services
from the Department and has contacted the Department seeking an initial
appointment from the Department for the receipt of such care or
services.''.
(2) Choice of provider.--Such section is amended--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) by striking paragraph (2); and
(ii) by redesignating paragraph (3) as
paragraph (2); and
(B) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the
following new subsection (c):
``(c) Choice of Provider.--An eligible veteran who receives
hospital care or medical services under this section may select a
provider of such care or services from among the entities specified in
paragraph (1)(B) that are accessible to the veteran.''.
(3) Conforming amendments.--Such section is further
amended--
(A) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ``subsection
(b)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)'';
(B) in subsection (g)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking
``subsection (b)(1)(B)'' and inserting
``subsection (b)''; and
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``under
subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of subsection
(b)(2)''; and
(C) in subsection (q)(2)(A)--
(i) by striking ``, disaggregated by--''
and inserting a period; and
(ii) by striking clauses (i) through (iv).
(b) Permanent Program.--
(1) Removal of sunset.--Subsection (p) of such section is
amended to read as follows:
``(p) Authority To Furnish Care and Services.--The Secretary may
furnish care and services under this section subject to the
availability of funds in the Veterans Choice Fund established by
section 802 or otherwise appropriated to carry out this section.''.
(2) Conforming amendments.--Section 101 of such Act is
further amended--
(A) in subsection (i)(2), by striking ``is
authorized to carry out this section pursuant to
subsection (p)'' and inserting ``carries out this
section''; and
(B) in subsection (q)(2), as amended by subsection
(a)(2)(D) of this section, by striking subparagraph
(F).
(c) Annual Reports.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report that includes the
following:
(1) With respect to each medical facility of the Department
of Veterans Affairs, any increase or decrease in the number of
veterans seeking hospital care or medical services at such
facility during the one-year period covered by the report.
(2) In light of the increase or decrease of veterans
seeking hospital care or medical services at each medical
facility of the Department as identified under paragraph (1),
recommendations by the Secretary with respect to the proposed
budget for such facility for the fiscal year following the date
of the report.
(3) How the Secretary is ensuring compliance with all
requirements of chapter 39 of title 31, United States Code
(commonly referred to as the ``Prompt Payment Act''),
including, for the one-year period covered by the report--
(A) the average amount of time taken by the
Secretary to pay a non-Department health care provider
after receiving an invoice; and
(B) a description of each instance in which the
Secretary paid interest to such a non-Department health
care provider pursuant to such chapter 39.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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