[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2640 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2640

To amend title 38, United States Code, to permit Department of Veterans 
      Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to veterans for 
prescriptions written by private practitioners, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2000

  Mrs. Boxer 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 permit Department of Veterans 
      Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications to veterans for 
prescriptions written by private practitioners, 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. AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PHARMACIES TO 
              DISPENSE MEDICATIONS TO VETERANS FOR PRESCRIPTIONS 
              WRITTEN BY PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS.

    (a) Authority.--Subchapter II of chapter 17 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1722A the following 
new section:
``Sec. 1722B. Medications: authority to dispense to veterans pursuant 
              to prescriptions of private practitioners
    ``(a) Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary shall authorize the 
pharmacies of the Department to dispense medications to veterans 
pursuant to valid prescriptions of veterans written by private 
practitioners.
    ``(b) A pharmacy may dispense a medication under subsection (a) 
only if the pharmacy carries the medication in the normal course of its 
service to veterans under this chapter.
    ``(c) A veteran dispensed a medication under this section shall pay 
the Secretary an amount for such medication determined in accordance 
with the provisions of subsection (a) of section 1722A of this title.
    ``(d)(1) In any case in which a veteran is dispensed a medication 
under this section, the United States has the right to recover or 
collect an amount for such medication from a third party to the extent 
that the veteran (or another dispensor of such medication) would be 
eligible to receive payment for such medication from such third party 
if such medication had not been dispensed by the United States.
    ``(2) In this subsection, the terms `payment' and `third party' 
have the meanings given such terms in section 1729A(i) of this title.
    ``(e) Any amounts paid under subsection (c), or recovered or 
collected under subsection (d), shall be deposited in the Department of 
Veterans Affairs Medical-Care Cost Recovery Fund.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 17 of that title is amended by inserting after section 1722A 
the following new section:

``1722B. Medications: authority to dispense to veterans pursuant to 
                            prescriptions of private practitioners.''.
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