Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act
This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program permanent. (The program allows the furnishing of hospital care and medical services to eligible veterans through agreements with non-VA entities.)
Program eligibility requirements are revised.
The VA shall ensure that veterans enrolled in the health care system, particularly those with service-connected disabilities rated 50% or greater, are able to receive:
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3980 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3980
To eliminate the sunset date for the Veterans Choice Program of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, to expand eligibility for such program,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 5, 2015
Mr. Norcross (for himself and Mr. MacArthur) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To eliminate the sunset date for the Veterans Choice Program of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, to expand eligibility for such 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 Freedom of Healthcare
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) All veterans who have signed up to put their life on
the line for the lives and liberty of the people of the United
States deserve the opportunity to seek health care at a
facility of their choice, regardless of arbitrary distance and
wait-time thresholds.
(2) Logistical impediments to veterans receiving health
care at medical facilities of the Veterans Health
Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including
with respect to travel, wait times, and enrollment difficulty,
have been found to exist across all demographics of veterans
and are widely cited among the most common barriers to
receiving the health care the veterans earned.
(3) As a result of widespread reporting on such
impediments, including regarding the death of 40 veterans who
died while waiting for health care at the Phoenix Veterans'
Hospital, in 2014 Congress investigated the matter and
confirmed that such impediments were pervasive and systemic.
(4) As of September 30, 2014, there were approximately
867,000 applications by veterans to enroll in the health care
system of the Department, and the Inspector General of the
Department could not determine how long more than half of the
applications had been pending.
(5) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has been unable to
meet the modest goal of employing one psychiatrist per 1,000
individual mental health patients of the Department.
(6) The Inspector General found that approximately 70
percent of the hospitals of the Department in 2014 did not have
enough psychiatrists to meet demand.
(7) The Inspector General found that a significant
proportion of the psychiatrists of the Department saw in excess
of 800 to 900 veterans per year and some veterans were only
seen once per year because of the demand.
(8) A study by the National Institutes of Health identified
the lack of available female-specific medical services and wait
times as key barriers to female veterans seeking health care at
medical facilities of the Department.
(9) The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of
2014 (Public Law 113-146) made great strides toward providing
veterans with more flexibility to seek health care in the
setting of choice by the veteran, however, the metrics
established by the Act to determine which veterans were
eligible for such flexibility are insufficient.
(10) Other impediments to veterans receiving health care at
medical facilities of the Department can include long commutes
on group transport, or having to cross bridges or State lines
to receive care.
(11) Many veterans like the health care provided by the
Department and the hospitals of the Department hold particular
expertise in treating ailments of veterans.
(12) Veterans should have the option to stay with the
Department if the veteran likes the health care system of the
Department.
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF CHOICE PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Elimination of Sunset.--
(1) In general.--Section 101 of the Veterans Access,
Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38
U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended--
(A) by striking subsection (p); and
(B) by redesignating subsections (q), (r), (s), and
(t) as subsections (p), (q), (r), and (s),
respectively.
(2) Conforming amendments.--Such section is amended--
(A) in subsection (i)(2), by striking ``during the
period in which the Secretary is authorized to carry
out this section pursuant to subsection (p)''; and
(B) in subsection (p)(2), as redesignated by
paragraph (1)(B), by striking subparagraph (F).
(b) Expansion of Eligibility.--
(1) In general.--Subsection (b) of such section 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) Conforming amendments.--Such section is amended--
(A) in subsection (c)(1)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ``In the case of an eligible
veteran described in subsection (b)(2)(A), the
Secretary shall, at the election of the
eligible veteran'' and inserting ``The
Secretary shall, at the election of an eligible
veteran''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``described in such subsection'' and inserting
``of the Veterans Health Administration'';
(B) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ``subsection
(b)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)'';
(C) in subsection (g), by striking paragraph (3);
and
(D) in subsection (p)(2)(A), as redesignated by
subsection (a)(1)(B), by striking ``, disaggregated
by--'' and all that follows through ``subsection
(b)(2)(D)''.
(c) Provision of Care by the Department.--In carrying out chapter
17 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall ensure that veterans enrolled in the health care system
established under section 1705(a) of such title, particularly such
veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 50 percent or
greater described in paragraph (1) of such section, are able to
receive--
(1) health care at medical facilities of the Department
within the wait-time goals described in section 101(c)(1) of
the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014
(Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note); and
(2) the highest degree of quality care possible, with an
emphasis on maintaining the highest degree of quality in
treating ailments that are unique to or prevalent among the
veteran population, including with respect to mental health
services.
(d) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
to Congress a report on the following:
(1) The efficacy of the Veterans Choice Program established
by section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and
Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 1701
note) with respect to veterans being able to access the health
care required by the veteran, including any recommendations of
the Secretary to improve such access.
(2) The efficacy of the Secretary with respect to ensuring
that veterans enrolled in the health care system established
under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code, who need
to or elect to receive health care at medical facilities of the
Department are able to receive such care.
(e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to hospital care and medical services furnished
under such section on and after the date that is 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line