[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1112 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1112

To amend title 38, United States Code, to permit Department of Veterans 
Affairs pharmacies to dispense medications on prescriptions written by 
  private practitioners to veterans who are currently awaiting their 
 first appointment with the Department for medical care, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2003

 Mr. Kerry (for himself and Mr. Harkin) 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 on prescriptions written by 
  private practitioners to veterans who are currently awaiting their 
 first appointment with the Department for medical care, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Prescription Drug Reform 
Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PHARMACIES TO 
              DISPENSE MEDICATIONS TO CERTAIN VETERANS FOR 
              PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN BY PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS.

    (a) Authority To Dispense Medications to Certain Veterans.--Section 
1712 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection (e):
    ``(e)(1) The Secretary may authorize the pharmacies of the 
Department to dispense medications to a veteran described in paragraph 
(2) pursuant to a valid prescription of the veteran written by a 
private practitioner.
    ``(2) A veteran described in this paragraph is any veteran who is 
on a waiting list for such veteran's first appointment with the 
Department for medical services as of the date of the enactment of this 
section.
    ``(3) A veteran dispensed a medication under this subsection shall 
pay the Secretary an amount for such medication determined in 
accordance with the provisions of section 1722A(a) of this title.
    ``(4) Any amounts paid under paragraph (3) shall be deposited in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund.''.
    (b) Deposit of Collections.--Section 1729A(b) of such title is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (8) as 
        paragraphs (5) through (9), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
        paragraph (4):
            ``(4) Section 1712(e) of this title.''.
    (c) Report.--(1) Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives a report on the exercise by the Secretary of the 
authority provided in subsection (e) of section 1712 of title 38, 
United States Code (as amended by subsection (a) of this section).
    (2) The report shall include--
            (A) a description of the exercise of the authority by the 
        Secretary; and
            (B) such recommendations for additional legislative or 
        administrative action with respect to the authority as the 
        Secretary considers appropriate in light of the exercise of the 
        authority.
                                 <all>