[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1147 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1147

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 18, 2007

  Mrs. Murray 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 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 273,000 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 $26,902 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) 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.''.
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