[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3312 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3312

To amend title 38, United States Code, to terminate the administrative 
freeze on the enrollment into the health care system of the Department 
  of Veterans Affairs of veterans in the lowest priority category for 
              enrollment (referred to as ``Priority 8'').


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2005

 Mr. Rothman (for himself, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Allen, Mr. Alexander, Mr. 
    Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Bishop of New York, Ms. Corrine Brown of 
Florida, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Carson, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Crowley, 
    Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Evans, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Holden, Mr. Holt, Ms. 
  Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. McCarthy, Mrs. 
    Maloney, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of 
California, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Stupak, 
Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Wu, Mr. 
 Gutierrez, Mr. Berry, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Cleaver, Mrs. Napolitano, Mrs. 
 Lowey, and Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to terminate the administrative 
freeze on the enrollment into the health care system of the Department 
  of Veterans Affairs of veterans in the lowest priority category for 
              enrollment (referred to as ``Priority 8'').

    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 ``Honor Our Commitment to Veterans 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Over 360,000 veterans have been barred from receiving 
        health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a 
        result of a freeze on the enrollment of veterans who are in the 
        lowest priority category for enrollment (referred to as 
        ``Priority 8'').
            (2) Veterans with incomes as low as $25,800 have been 
        barred from receiving health care from the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs by reason of the freeze.
            (3) Hundreds of thousands of veterans are returning home, 
        or will return home, from Afghanistan and Iraq and may be 
        denied needed long-term benefits due to the freeze.
            (4) Over the next 20 years, approximately 847,000 veterans 
        will be barred from receiving health care from the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs if the freeze is allowed to continue.
            (5) The average veteran whose benefits are frozen is 62.8 
        years old and is entering a time in life when health benefits 
        are needed most.

SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE FREEZE ON ENROLLMENT IN HEALTH 
              CARE SYSTEM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    Section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) The Secretary shall administer the health care enrollment 
system under this section so as to enroll any veteran who is eligible 
under this section for such enrollment and who applies for such 
enrollment.''.
                                 <all>