Breaking Barriers for Women Veterans Act

Breaking Barriers for Women Veterans Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement changes to better serve women veterans. Among other requirements, the VA must retrofit its existing medical facilities to support the provision of care to women veterans. Additionally, the VA must ensure its medical facilities have at least one full-time or part-time women's health provider. The bill also requires the VA to establish a training module for community providers that is specific to women veterans.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3036 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3036

   To improve the provision of health care to women veterans by the 
                     Secretary of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 28, 2019

Mr. Rose of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve the provision of health care to women veterans by the 
                     Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Breaking Barriers for Women Veterans 
Act''.

SEC. 2. WOMEN VETERANS RETROFIT INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall retrofit 
existing medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs with 
fixtures, materials, and other outfitting measures to support the 
provision of care to women veterans at such facilities.
    (b) Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
House of Representatives a plan to address deficiencies in environment 
of care for women veterans at medical facilities of the Department.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $20,000,000 to carry out subsection (a) 
in addition to amounts otherwise made available to the Secretary for 
the purposes set forth in such subsection.

SEC. 3. STAFFING OF WOMEN'S HEALTH PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS AT MEDICAL 
              FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that each medical 
facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs has not fewer than one 
full-time or part-time women's health primary care provider whose 
duties include, to the extent possible, providing training to other 
health care providers of the Department on the needs of women veterans.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PRIMARY CARE AND EMERGENCY CARE 
              CLINICIANS IN WOMEN VETERANS HEALTH CARE MINI-RESIDENCY 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs $1,000,000 for each fiscal year for the 
Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to provide opportunities for participation in such 
program for primary care and emergency care clinicians.
    (b) Treatment of Amounts.--The amounts authorized to be 
appropriated under subsection (a) shall be in addition to amounts 
otherwise made available to the Secretary for the purposes set forth in 
such subsection.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF WOMEN VETERAN TRAINING MODULE FOR NON-
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
establish and make available to community providers a training module 
that is specific to women veterans.
    (b) Community Provider Defined.--In this section, the term 
``community provider'' means a non-Department of Veterans Affairs 
health care provider who provides health care to veterans under the 
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

SEC. 6. STUDY ON STAFFING OF WOMEN VETERAN PROGRAM MANAGER PROGRAM AT 
              MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
              TRAINING OF STAFF.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a study 
on the use of the Women Veteran Program Manager program of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to determine--
            (1) if the program is appropriately staffed at each medical 
        center of the Department;
            (2) whether each medical center of the Department is 
        staffed with a Women Veteran Program Manager; and
            (3) whether it would be feasible and advisable to have a 
        Women Veteran Program Ombudsman at each medical center of the 
        Department.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
of the House of Representatives a report on the study conducted under 
subsection (a).
    (c) Training.--The Secretary shall ensure that all Women Veteran 
Program Managers and Women Veteran Program Ombudsmen receive the proper 
training to carry out their duties.
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