Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act of 2018

Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act of 2018

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress annually on the access of women veterans to gender-specific medical care (mammograms, maternity care, and gynecological care) provided by contracting non-VA medical providers.

(Sec. 3) Each VA medical facility must report quarterly to the VA on the facility's compliance with the environment of care standards for women veterans, which are standards intended to protect the privacy, safety, and dignity of women veterans when they receive medical care. The VA must report to Congress with a plan to strengthen such standards.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4334 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4334

To provide for certain reporting requirements relating to medical care 
 for women veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
  through contracts entered into by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     with non-Department medical providers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 2017

Mr. Correa (for himself, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, 
Ms. Moore, Mrs. Torres, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. Blunt Rochester, 
 Mr. Aguilar, Mr. McEachin, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Ms. Lofgren, Mrs. 
 Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. Loebsack, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Hanabusa, Mr. Peterson, 
 Mr. O'Halleran, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Walz, Ms. Titus, Mr. Ruiz, 
 Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. McCollum, and 
  Mr. Evans) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for certain reporting requirements relating to medical care 
 for women veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
  through contracts entered into by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     with non-Department medical providers, 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 ``Improving Oversight of Women 
Veterans' Care Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORT ON VETERAN ACCESS TO COVERED SEX-SPECIFIC 
              SERVICES UNDER COMMUNITY CARE CONTRACTS.

    (a) Annual Report.--The Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives an annual report on the access of women 
veterans to covered sex-specific medical care under contracts with non-
Department medical providers entered into by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for the provision of hospital care or medical services to 
veterans eligible for enrollment in the patient enrollment system of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs maintained under section 1705 of 
title 38, United States Code. Such report shall include data and 
performance measures for the availability of covered sex-specific 
medical care, including--
            (1) the average wait time between the veteran's preferred 
        appointment date and the date on which the appointment is 
        completed;
            (2) driving time required for veterans to attend 
        appointments; and
            (3) reasons why appointments could not be scheduled with 
        non-Department medical providers.
    (b) Covered Sex-Specific Medical Care.--In this section, the term 
``covered sex-specific medical care'' means mammography, maternity 
care, and gynecological care.

SEC. 3. REPORTING ON VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENT OF CARE 
              STANDARDS FOR WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) Medical Facility Reporting.--Each medical facility of the 
Department shall submit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a 
quarterly report on the compliance and noncompliance of the facility 
with the environment of care standards for women veterans. Each such 
report shall include the name of each person associated with such 
facility who is responsible for such compliance and the specific role 
or responsibility assigned to each such person.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives a report on the plan of the Secretary to 
strengthen the environment of care standards for women veterans at 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. Such report shall 
include--
            (1) a description of the process established to verify that 
        noncompliance information reported under subsection (a) is 
        accurate and complete; and
            (2) a description of the method by which the Secretary 
        will--
                    (A) ensure that all patient care areas of each 
                Department medical facility are inspected as required; 
                and
                    (B) expand the list of items that facility staff 
                inspect for compliance to align with the women's health 
                handbook of the Veterans Health Administration.
    (c) Environment of Care Standards for Women Veterans.--In this 
section, the term ``environment of care standards for women veterans'' 
has the meaning given that term in Veterans Health Administration 
Directive 1330.01(1).
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