[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1318 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1318

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the Department of 
  Veterans Affairs medical facility in Far South Texas, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 1, 2011

Mr. Cuellar (for himself, Mr. Hinojosa, and Mr. Farenthold) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the Department of 
  Veterans Affairs medical facility in Far South Texas, 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 ``South Texas Veterans Health Care 
Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The current and future health care needs of veterans 
        residing in the Far South Texas area are not being fully met by 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more 
        than 117,000 veterans reside in Far South Texas.
            (3) The 2010 census identified Far South Texas as the 
        fastest growing region in the State of Texas. According to 
        figures obtained from the United States Army Accessions 
        Command, Texas is the number one source of military recruits 
        among all States. Texas is also the largest provider of 
        National Guard and Reserve members to current overseas military 
        deployments. These factors make it a certainty that the veteran 
        population in Far South Texas will increase substantially in 
        the coming years.
            (4) In its Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services 
        study, the Department of Veterans Affairs found that fewer than 
        three percent of its enrollees in the Valley-Coastal Bend 
        Market of Veterans Integrated Service Network 17 reside within 
        its acute hospital access standards.
            (5) Travel times for veterans from the market referred to 
        in paragraph (3) can exceed six hours from their residences to 
        the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs hospital for acute 
        inpatient health care.
            (6) Even with the significant travel times, veterans from 
        Far South Texas demonstrate a high demand for health care 
        services from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (7) Current deployments involving members of the Texas 
        National Guard and Reservists from Texas will continue to 
        increase demand for medical services provided by the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF CONSTRUCTION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY IN FAR SOUTH TEXAS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall include in 
the Strategic Capital Investment Plan of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs a project to expand the Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
facility in Far South Texas, by adding to the facility the following:
            (1) An urgent care center.
            (2) Inpatient capability for 50 beds with appropriate 
        administrative, clinical, diagnostic, and ancillary services 
        needed for support.
            (3) The capability to provide a full range of services to 
        meet the need of female veterans.
            (4) The capability to provide caregiver support services, 
        including an adult day care providing caregiver respite.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives a report identifying and outlining the detailed 
estimate of the cost of and time necessary for completion of the 
project authorized under subsection (a).
    (c) Definition.--For purposes of this Act, the term ``Far South 
Texas'' means the following counties of the State of Texas: Aransas, 
Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Goliad, Hidalgo, 
Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kennedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio, San 
Patricio, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata.
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