[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5622 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5622

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
 program to establish standards of access to care for veterans seeking 
    health care from certain Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
                  facilities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2008

 Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida introduced the following bill; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
 program to establish standards of access to care for veterans seeking 
    health care from certain Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
                  facilities, 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 Timely Access to Health 
Care Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM ON ACCESS TO 
              MEDICAL CARE.

    (a) Pilot Program.--During the five-year period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall conduct a pilot program under which the Secretary shall ensure 
that for each veteran seeking primary care from a covered medical 
facility, the standard for access to care, determined from the date on 
which the veteran contacts the Department seeking an appointment until 
the date on which a visit with a primary-care provider is completed, is 
30 days.
    (b) Covered Facility.--For purposes of the pilot program under this 
section, a covered medical facility is a medical facility of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs in Veterans Integrated Service Network 
8.
    (c) Review of Performance.--The Secretary shall periodically review 
the performance of covered medical facilities compared to the standard 
established under subsection (a). The Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives an annual report providing an assessment of the 
Department's performance in meeting that standard.
    (d) Provision of Care at Non-Department Facilities.--
            (1) Provision of care.--Effective on the first day of the 
        first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of 
        this section, in a case in which the Secretary is unable to 
        meet the standard for access to care under subsection (a) with 
        respect to a veteran enrolled in the patient enrollment system 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs under section 1705, of 
        title 38, United States Code, the Secretary shall use the 
        authority of section 1703(a) of that title to furnish health 
        care and services for that veteran in a non-Department 
        facility. In any such case--
                    (A) payments by the Secretary may not exceed the 
                reimbursement rate for similar outpatient services paid 
                by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 
                part B of the medicare program (as defined in section 
                1781(d)(4)(A) of that title); and
                    (B) the non-Department facility may not bill the 
                veteran for any difference between the facility's 
                billed charges and the amount paid by the Secretary 
                under paragraph (1).
            (2) Veteran choice to receive care at department 
        facility.--A veteran for whom the Secretary furnishes health 
        care or services at a non-Department facility under paragraph 
        (1) may, after 30 days of receiving such care or services at 
        the non-Department facility, choose to receive such care or 
        services from a Department facility, if available. If a veteran 
        so chooses, the veteran shall submit to the Secretary notice in 
        writing of that choice.
    (e) Continuity of Care.--For the purpose of providing for 
continuity of care, the Secretary shall develop a form to be used by 
veterans to authorize the Secretary to obtain any records created in 
connection with the veteran's receipt of care from a non-Department 
facility.
    (f) Quarterly Reports.--
            (1) Requirement.--Not later than 60 days after the end of a 
        calendar-year quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
        House of Representatives a report for that calendar-year 
        quarter on the experience of the Department during the quarter 
        covered by the report with respect to waiting times for 
        veterans seeking appointments at a covered facility.
            (2) Contents.--Each report under subparagraph (A) shall 
        include--
                    (A) the total number of veterans waiting by the 
                following categories:
                            (i) Those waiting under 30 days for 
                        scheduled appointments.
                            (ii) Those waiting over 30 days but less 
                        than 60 days.
                            (iii) Those waiting over 60 days but less 
                        than 4 months.
                            (iv) Those waiting over 4 months but who 
                        cannot be scheduled within 6 months.
                            (v) Any remaining veterans who cannot be 
                        scheduled, with the reasons therefor.
                    (B) For each category set forth in subparagraph 
                (A), distinctions between--
                            (i) waiting times for primary care and 
                        specialty care; and
                            (ii) waiting times for veterans who are 
                        newly enrolled versus those who were enrolled 
                        before October 1, 2001.
                    (C) The number of veterans who have enrolled in the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs health care system but 
                have not since such enrollment sought care at a 
                Department medical facility.
    (g) Termination.--The authority to conduct a pilot program under 
this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
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