[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1616 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1616

  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop within the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs a system for collecting payments under 
    the Medical Care Cost Recovery Program that utilizes collection 
   practices similar to private collection practices, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 22, 1999

Mr. Lott (for Mr. McCain) introduced the following bill; which was read 
        twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop within the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs a system for collecting payments under 
    the Medical Care Cost Recovery Program that utilizes collection 
   practices similar to private collection practices, 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. DEVELOPMENT WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF SYSTEM 
              OF COLLECTIONS UNDER MEDICAL CARE COST RECOVERY PROGRAM 
              USING PRIVATE COLLECTION PRACTICES.

    (a) Development of Proposal.--(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall develop a proposal for a system within the Department of Veterans 
Affairs for the collection of payments from third party payers under 
the Medical Care Cost Recovery Program of the Department which system 
shall, to the maximum extent practicable, utilize procedures for the 
collection of payments from third parties similar to the procedures 
utilized in the private sector for the collection of payments for 
health care costs from third parties.
    (2) In developing the proposal, the Secretary shall consider a 
variety of procedures utilized in the private sector for the collection 
of payments for health care costs from third parties.
    (b) Use of Private Cost-Recovery Entities During Development.--(1) 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall, during 
the period referred to in paragraph (3), provide for the collection of 
payments from third party payers under the Medical Care Cost Recovery 
Program solely through appropriate private entities with which the 
Secretary contracts for that purpose.
    (2) The fee paid a private entity for the collection of payments 
under a contract under this subsection shall be a contingent fee based 
on the amount of payments collected by the entity under the contract.
    (3) The period referred to in this paragraph is the period 
beginning as soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of 
this Act and ending on the date that is six months after the date on 
which the Secretary commences collections under the Medical Care Cost 
Recovery Program through a system within the Department under this 
section.
    (c) Safeguards.--The Secretary shall take appropriate actions to 
ensure that any collection practices utilized under this section do not 
impose unwarranted financial or other burdens upon veterans who receive 
medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (d) Submittal of Proposal.--Not later than three years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report on the proposal developed under subsection (a). The 
report shall include--
            (1) a description of the system covered by the proposal; 
        and
            (2) an assessment by an appropriate entity independent of 
        the Department of the potential effectiveness of the collection 
        procedures under the system in comparison with the 
        effectiveness of the collection procedures of the private 
        entities utilized under subsection (b).
    (e) Implementation of Proposal.--The Secretary shall implement the 
system covered by the proposal submitted under subsection (d) 
commencing 90 days after the date on which the Secretary submits to 
Congress the proposal on the system under that subsection.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There are authorized to 
be appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs such sums as may 
be necessary for purposes of developing the proposal for a system 
required by subsection (a) and implementing the system under subsection 
(e).
    (2) Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
appropriations in paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.
                                 <all>