[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5516 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5516

     To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain 
 requirements relating to the immunization of veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 2010

 Mr. Stearns introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain 
 requirements relating to the immunization of veterans, 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 ``Access to Appropriate Immunizations 
for Veterans Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING VETERAN ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE IMMUNIZATIONS.

    (a) Inclusion of Recommended Adult Vaccinations as Medical 
Services.--
            (1) Covered benefit.--Subparagraph (F) of section 1701(9) 
        of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(F) immunizations against infectious diseases, 
                including each immunization on the recommended adult 
                immunization schedule at the time such immunization is 
                indicated on that schedule;''.
            (2) Definition.--Section 1701 of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding after paragraph (9) the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(10) The term `recommended adult immunization schedule' 
        means the schedule established (and periodically reviewed and, 
        as appropriate, revised) by the Advisory Committee on 
        Immunization Practices established by the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services and delegated to the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention.''.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Section 1704(1)(A) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following new 
        clause:
                            ``(iii) to ensure that veterans have 
                        received each immunization on the recommended 
                        adult immunization schedule at the time such 
                        immunization is indicated on that schedule.''.
    (c) Assurance That Administration of Vaccinations Constitutes 
Appropriate Management and Cost-Effective Delivery of Health Care 
Services.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1706(a) of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``In managing the provision'' and 
                inserting ``(1) In managing the provision''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(2) In managing the provision of medical services under such 
section, the Secretary shall develop and implement quality measures and 
metrics to ensure that veterans receiving medical services under this 
title receive each immunization on the recommended adult immunization 
schedule at the time such immunization is indicated on that schedule. 
Such quality measures and metrics shall include targets for compliance. 
The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent feasible, develop and 
implement such measures and metrics concurrently and consistently with 
the metrics in place, as of the date of the enactment of this 
paragraph, with respect to influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations.''
            (2) Report to congress.--Section 1704(1) of title 38, 
        United States Code, as amended by subsection (c)(1)(C), is 
        further amended by adding after subparagraph (G) the following 
        new subparagraph:
                    ``(H) Statistics related to the quality measures 
                and metrics established under section 1706(a)(2) of 
                this title.''.
            (3) Effective dates.--
                    (A) Development of initial schedule.--The Secretary 
                shall establish the quality measures and metrics 
                described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of section 
                1706 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
                paragraph (1), through notice and comment rulemaking in 
                the Federal Register. The Secretary shall cause to have 
                published in the Federal Register proposed measures and 
                metrics by no later than July 1, 2010, and shall 
                finalize such measures and metrics by no later than 
                December 31, 2010.
                    (B) Implementation of measures and metrics.--The 
                Secretary shall implement paragraph (2) of subsection 
                (a) of section 1706 of title 38, United States Code, as 
                added by paragraph (1) on January 1, 2011.
                    (C) Report to congress.--Subparagraph (H) of 
                paragraph (1) of section 1704 of title 38, United 
                States Code, as added by paragraph (2), shall apply 
                with respect to the first report submitted under such 
                section after January 1, 2011.
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