ACT for Veterans Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3644 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3644

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authorization 
 period for emergency treatment in non-Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical facilities under the Veterans Community Care Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2023

 Mr. Latta (for himself, Mrs. Harshbarger, Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Miller of 
   Illinois, and Mr. Bentz) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authorization 
 period for emergency treatment in non-Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical facilities under the Veterans Community Care Program.

    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 ``Addressing Care Timelines for 
Veterans Act'' or the ``ACT for Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION PERIOD FOR EMERGENCY TREATMENT IN 
              NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITIES.

    (a) Authorization Period Extended.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (a)(3) of section 1703 of title 
        38, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``A covered veteran'' and inserting 
                ``(A) Except as provided by subparagraph (B), a covered 
                veteran''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
    ``(B) In the case of emergency treatment furnished to a covered 
veteran by a health care provider specified in subsection (c) in the 
course of care or services authorized under subparagraph (A), the 
Secretary may deem such emergency treatment to be authorized under such 
subparagraph if such covered veteran (or an individual acting on behalf 
of the covered veteran) or such health care provider submits to the 
Secretary a notification in such form and containing such information 
and assurances as the Secretary determines appropriate, except the 
Secretary may not require such notification to be submitted earlier 
than 96 hours after the date on which such health care provider 
furnishes such emergency treatment to such covered veteran.''.
            (2) Emergency treatment defined.--Subsection (o) of such 
        section is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph 
                (3); and
                    (B) by inserting after paragraph (1), the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(2) The term `emergency treatment' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1725 of this title.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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