[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4915 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4915

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access to hospital 
       care for veterans in urban areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2007

Ms. Pryce of Ohio (for herself, Mr. Hobson, and Mr. Tiberi) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access to hospital 
       care for veterans in urban areas, 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' Access to Local Options 
for Recovery Act of 2007'' or the ``VALOR Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF IN-PATIENT CARE TO URBAN VETERANS.

    Section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``When Department 
        facilities'' and inserting ``Subject to subsection (e), when 
        Department facilities''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e)(1) Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
Secretary may seek to enter into a contract with a non-Department 
facility located in an eligible metropolitan statistical area to 
provide hospital care and medical services to veterans. Under such 
contract, the non-Department facility shall provide hospital care and 
medical services for which the veteran seeking such services is 
eligible under section 1710 of this title.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall ensure that the contract under paragraph 
(1) provides for payment by the Secretary to the non-Department 
facility. Such payment shall be--
            ``(A) for hospital care and medical services provided to a 
        veteran by the non-Department facility, including payment for--
                    ``(i) emergency care;
                    ``(ii) non-emergency hospital care services; and
                    ``(iii) inpatient medical services; and
            ``(B) shall be limited to payment for hospital care and 
        medical services for which the veteran is eligible under 
        section 1710 of this title.
    ``(3) For the purposes of this subsection--
            ``(A) the term `inpatient medical services' means medical 
        services provided to an inpatient of a hospital; and
            ``(B) the term `eligible metropolitan statistical area' 
        means a metropolitan statistical area (as defined by the 
        Director of the Office of Budget and Management) with--
                    ``(i) a total civilian population of at least 
                1,000,000;
                    ``(ii) a total veteran population of at least 
                90,000; and
                    ``(iii) no Department facility capable of providing 
                hospital care services or inpatient medical 
                services.''.
                                 <all>