[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 263 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 263

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve access to medical 
   services for veterans seeking treatment at Department of Veterans 
  Affairs outpatient clinics with exceptionally long waiting periods.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 8, 2003

  Mr. Duncan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve access to medical 
   services for veterans seeking treatment at Department of Veterans 
  Affairs outpatient clinics with exceptionally long waiting periods.

    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 Outpatient Care Access Act 
of 2003''.

SEC. 2. ACCESS TO MEDICAL SERVICES FOR VETERANS SEEKING TREATMENT AT 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINICS WITH 
              EXCEPTIONALLY LONG WAITING PERIODS.

    (a) Access to Care.--Section 1710 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(i) In the case of an outpatient clinic of the Department at 
which the waiting period for treatment of patients is six months or 
longer, the Secretary shall, for any veteran seeking medical services 
at that clinic who is informed by the clinic that the veteran will have 
such a waiting period, provide for the provision of needed medical 
services for that veteran from sources outside the Department. 
Provision of such services shall be under the same terms and conditions 
with respect to eligibilty and copayments (if any) as apply if such 
services were provided directly by the Secretary through the clinic. 
The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as necessary to carry 
out this subsection.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (i) of section 1710 of title 38, 
United States Code, shall take effect at the end of the 90-day period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
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