VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act

VA Medical Center Facility Transparency Act

This bill requires the directors of medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit to the VA and Congress an annual pamphlet containing certain statistics (such as how many veterans were treated at each facility), as well as plans for improvements and descriptions of successes experienced by the facilities. The bill also requires the pamphlets to be made publicly available online and as hard copies at the medical facilities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1944 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1944

    To require directors of medical facilities of the Department of 
    Veterans Affairs to submit annual pamphlets to the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs on the status of such facilities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 28, 2019

    Mrs. Lesko (for herself and Mrs. Lee of Nevada) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require directors of medical facilities of the Department of 
    Veterans Affairs to submit annual pamphlets to the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs on the status of such facilities, 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 ``VA Medical Center Facility 
Transparency Act''.

SEC. 2. INFORMATION ON MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS.

    (a) Annual Pamphlets.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
ensure that each director of a medical facility of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs submits to the Secretary, the Committees on Veterans' 
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the 
appropriate Members of Congress an annual concise, easy-to-read 
pamphlet containing, with respect to the fiscal year covered by the 
pamphlet, the following:
            (1) Statistics regarding--
                    (A) how many veterans were treated at the facility;
                    (B) the most common illnesses or conditions for 
                which treatment was furnished;
                    (C) the average wait time for veterans to receive 
                treatment; and
                    (D) other matters the director determines 
                appropriate.
            (2) A description of any successes or achievements 
        experienced by the facility, including actions taken to improve 
        the facility and the care provided at the facility.
            (3) A brief plan to improve the facility, including--
                    (A) any resources that the director anticipates 
                requesting to carry out the plan; and
                    (B) a summary of any resources received by the 
                director during the previous fiscal year.
    (b) Availability.--Each pamphlet under subsection (a) shall be made 
publicly available--
            (1) in a physical form at the relevant medical facility of 
        the Department in a conspicuous location; and
            (2) in an electronic form on the internet website of the 
        facility.
    (c) Timing.--The pamphlets under subsection (a) shall be submitted 
during the first fiscal year beginning after the date that is 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently 
than once each fiscal year thereafter.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``appropriate Members of Congress'' means, 
        with respect to a medical facility of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs about which a pamphlet is submitted under 
        subsection (a), the Senators representing the State, and the 
        Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of the House of 
        Representatives representing the district, that includes the 
        medical facility.
            (2) The term ``resources'' includes funding, hiring 
        authorities, additional staffing, personnel changes, 
        construction, information technology, and other authorities, 
        property, or services to improve a medical facility of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (3) The term ``State'' means each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and 
        any territory or possession of the United States.
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