Veterans Patient Advocacy Act

Veterans Patient Advocacy Act

This bill requires the Office of Patient Advocacy within the Veterans Health Administration to ensure (1) there is not fewer than one patient advocate for every 13,500 veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, and (2) highly rural veterans may access the services of patient advocates. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the implementation of such policies.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 449 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 449

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assignment of 
 patient advocates at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2023

 Ms. Stabenow introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assignment of 
 patient advocates at medical facilities of the Department 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 ``Veterans Patient Advocacy Act''.

SEC. 2. PATIENT ADVOCATES AT MEDICAL FACILITIES OF DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 7309A of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection (e):
    ``(e) Number of Patient Advocates.--Beginning on the date that is 
one year after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Patient 
Advocacy Act, the Director shall ensure that--
            ``(1) there is not fewer than one patient advocate for 
        every 13,500 veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient 
        enrollment of the Department established and operated under 
        section 1705(a) of this title; and
            ``(2) highly rural veterans may access the services of 
        patient advocates, including, to the extent practicable, by 
        assigning patient advocates to rural community-based outpatient 
        clinics.''.
    (b) GAO Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a 
report evaluating the implementation by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs of subsection (e) of section 7309A of title 38, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a)(2).
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