[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6527 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6527

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assistance 
 provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, to 
    improve health care furnished by the Department, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 21, 2012

 Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. 
    Rangel, Ms. Speier, Mr. Kissell, Mr. Filner, and Ms. Bonamici) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assistance 
 provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, to 
    improve health care furnished by the Department, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Women Veterans and 
Other Health Care Improvements Act of 2012''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research.
Sec. 3. Clarification that fertility counseling and treatment are 
                            medical services which the Secretary may 
                            furnish to veterans like other medical 
                            services.
Sec. 4. Reproductive treatment and care delivery for spouses and 
                            surrogates of veterans.
Sec. 5. Requirement to improve Department of Veterans Affairs women 
                            veterans call center.
Sec. 6. Modification of pilot program on counseling in retreat settings 
                            for women veterans newly separated from 
                            service in the Armed Forces.
Sec. 7. Pilot programs on assistance for child care for certain 
                            veterans.

SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF REPRODUCTION AND INFERTILITY RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 7330B. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research
    ``(a) Facilitation of Research Required.--The Secretary shall 
facilitate research conducted collaboratively by the Secretary of 
Defense and the Director of the National Institutes of Health to 
improve the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet the 
long-term reproductive health care needs of veterans who have a 
service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition that was 
incurred or aggravated in line of duty in the active military, naval, 
or air service, such as spinal cord injury, that affects the veterans' 
ability to reproduce.
    ``(b) Dissemination of Information.--The Secretary shall ensure 
that information produced by the research facilitated under this 
section that may be useful for other activities of the Veterans Health 
Administration is disseminated throughout the Veterans Health 
Administration.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 73 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
7330A the following new item:

``7330B. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research.''.
    (c) Report.--Not later than three years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to Congress a report on the research activities conducted by the 
Secretary under section 7330B of title 38, United States Code, as added 
by subsection (a).

SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION THAT FERTILITY COUNSELING AND TREATMENT ARE 
              MEDICAL SERVICES WHICH THE SECRETARY MAY FURNISH TO 
              VETERANS LIKE OTHER MEDICAL SERVICES.

    Section 1701(6) of such title is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subparagraph:
                    ``(H) Fertility counseling and treatment, including 
                treatment using assisted reproductive technology.''.

SEC. 4. REPRODUCTIVE TREATMENT AND CARE DELIVERY FOR SPOUSES AND 
              SURROGATES OF VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter VIII of chapter 17 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 1787. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses and surrogates 
              of veterans
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall furnish fertility counseling 
and treatment, including through the use of assisted reproductive 
technology, to a spouse or surrogate of a severely wounded veteran who 
has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated in line of duty in 
the active military, naval, or air service and who is enrolled in the 
health care system established under section 1705(a) of this title if 
the spouse and the veteran apply jointly for such counseling and 
treatment through a process prescribed by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Coordination of Care for Other Spouses and Surrogates.--In 
the case of a spouse or surrogate of a veteran not described in 
subsection (a) who is seeking fertility counseling and treatment, the 
Secretary may coordinate fertility counseling and treatment for such 
spouse or surrogate.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 17 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1786 the following new section:

``1787. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses and surrogates of 
                            veterans.''.
    (c) Regulations.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
prescribe regulations to carry out section 1787 of title 38, United 
States Code, as added by paragraph (1).

SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT TO IMPROVE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS WOMEN 
              VETERANS CALL CENTER.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall enhance the capabilities of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs women veterans call center--
            (1) to respond to requests by women veterans for assistance 
        with accessing health care and benefits furnished under laws 
        administered by the Secretary; and
            (2) for referral of such veterans to community resources to 
        obtain assistance with services not furnished by the 
        Department.

SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM ON COUNSELING IN RETREAT SETTINGS 
              FOR WOMEN VETERANS NEWLY SEPARATED FROM SERVICE IN THE 
              ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Increase in Number of Locations.--Subsection (c) of section 203 
of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 
(Public Law 111-163; 38 U.S.C. 1712A note) is amended by striking 
``three locations'' and inserting ``14 locations''.
    (b) Extension of Duration.--Subsection (d) of such section is 
amended by striking ``2-year'' and inserting ``four-year''.

SEC. 7. PILOT PROGRAMS ON ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD CARE FOR CERTAIN 
              VETERANS.

    (a) Modification of Duration of Pilot Program on Assistance for 
Child Care for Certain Veterans Receiving Health Care.--Subsection (e) 
of section 205 of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services 
Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-163; 38 U.S.C. 1710 note) is amended to 
read as follows:
    ``(e) Duration.--A child care center that is established as part of 
the pilot program may operate until the date that is two years after 
the date on which the pilot program is established in the third 
Veterans Integrated Service Network required by subsection (d).''.
    (b) Requirement for Pilot Program on Assistance for Child Care for 
Certain Veterans Receiving Readjustment Counseling and Related Mental 
Health Services.--
            (1) Pilot program required.--The Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to assess the 
        feasibility and advisability of providing, subject to paragraph 
        (2), assistance to qualified veterans described in paragraph 
        (3) to obtain child care so that such veterans can receive 
        readjustment counseling and related mental health services.
            (2) Limitation on period of payments.--Assistance may only 
        be provided to a qualified veteran under the pilot program 
        required by paragraph (1) for receipt of child care during the 
        period that the qualified veteran receives readjustment 
        counseling and related health care services at a Vet Center.
            (3) Qualified veterans.--For purposes of this subsection, a 
        qualified veteran is a veteran who is--
                    (A) the primary caretaker of a child or children; 
                and
                    (B)(i) receiving from the Department regular 
                readjustment counseling and related mental health 
                services; or
                    (ii) in need of readjustment counseling and related 
                mental health services from the Department, and but for 
                lack of child care services, would receive such 
                counseling and services from the Department.
            (4) Locations.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
        program under this subsection in no fewer than three 
        Readjustment Counseling Service Regions selected by the 
        Secretary for purposes of the pilot program.
            (5) Duration.--The pilot program under this subsection 
        shall be carried out until the end of the two-year period 
        beginning on the day on which the Secretary begins carrying out 
        the pilot program at the last Readjustment Counseling Service 
        Region selected under paragraph (4) at which the Secretary 
        begins carrying out the pilot program.
            (6) Forms of child care assistance.--
                    (A) In general.--Child care assistance under this 
                subsection may include the following:
                            (i) Stipends for the payment of child care 
                        offered by licensed child care centers (either 
                        directly or through a voucher program) which 
                        shall be, to the extent practicable, modeled 
                        after the Department of Veterans Affairs Child 
                        Care Subsidy Program established pursuant to 
                        section 630 of the Treasury and General 
                        Government Appropriations Act, 2002 (Public Law 
                        107-67; 115 Stat. 552).
                            (ii) Payments to private child care 
                        agencies.
                            (iii) Collaboration with facilities or 
                        programs of other Federal departments or 
                        agencies.
                            (iv) Such other forms of assistance as the 
                        Secretary considers appropriate.
                    (B) Amounts of stipends.--In the case that child 
                care assistance under this subsection is provided as a 
                stipend under subparagraph (A)(i), such stipend shall 
                cover the full cost of such child care.
            (7) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the completion 
        of the pilot program required by paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program. The 
        report shall include the findings and conclusions of the 
        Secretary as a result of the pilot program, and shall include 
        such recommendations for the continuation or expansion of the 
        pilot program as the Secretary considers appropriate.
            (8) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
        carry out the pilot program required by paragraph (1) 
        $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 and 2015.
            (9) Vet center defined.--In this section, the term ``Vet 
        Center'' means a center for readjustment counseling and related 
        mental health services for veterans under section 1712A of 
        title 38, United States Code.
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