[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4861 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4861

     To establish the Commission on Access to Care to undertake a 
comprehensive evaluation and assessment of access to health care at the 
                    Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2014

   Mr. Heck of Washington (for himself, Ms. DelBene, and Mr. Kilmer) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To establish the Commission on Access to Care to undertake a 
comprehensive evaluation and assessment of access to health care at the 
                    Department of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Commission for Our Veterans' Care 
Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMISSION ON ACCESS TO CARE.

    (a) Establishment of Commission.--
            (1) In general.--There is established the Commission on 
        Access to Care (in this section referred to as the 
        ``Commission'').
            (2) Membership.--
                    (A) Voting members.--The Commission shall be 
                composed of voting members who are appointed by the 
                President as follows:
                            (i) At least two members who represent an 
                        organization recognized by the Secretary of 
                        Veterans Affairs for the representation of 
                        veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United 
                        States Code.
                            (ii) At least one member from among persons 
                        who are experts concerning a public or private 
                        hospital system.
                            (iii) At least one member from among 
                        persons who are leading experts in the private 
                        insurance industry.
                            (iv) At least two members from among 
                        persons who are familiar with the Veterans 
                        Health Administration of the Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs.
                    (B) Nonvoting members.--In addition to members 
                appointed under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall 
                be composed of nonvoting members who are appointed by 
                the President as follows:
                            (i) At least two members who represent an 
                        organization recognized by the Secretary of 
                        Veterans Affairs for the representation of 
                        veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United 
                        States Code.
                            (ii) At least one member from among persons 
                        who are experts in a public or private hospital 
                        system.
                            (iii) At least one member from among 
                        persons who are leading experts in the private 
                        insurance industry.
                            (iv) At least two members from among 
                        persons who are familiar with the Veterans 
                        Health Administration.
                    (C) Date.--The appointments of members of the 
                Commission shall be made not later than 60 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be 
        appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the 
        Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in 
        the same manner as the original appointment.
            (4) Initial meeting.--Not later than 15 days after the date 
        on which seven voting members of the Commission have been 
        appointed, the Commission shall hold its first meeting.
            (5) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
        Chairperson.
            (6) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission 
        shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may 
        hold hearings.
            (7) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--The Commission shall 
        select a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among its 
        members.
    (b) Duties of Commission.--
            (1) Evaluation and assessment.--The Commission shall 
        undertake a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of access 
        to health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Matters evaluated and assessed.--The matters evaluated 
        and assessed by the Commission shall include the following:
                    (A) The appropriateness of current standards of the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs concerning access to 
                health care.
                    (B) The measurement of such standards.
                    (C) The appropriateness of performance standards 
                and incentives in relation to standards described in 
                subparagraph (A).
                    (D) Staffing levels throughout the Veterans Health 
                Administration and whether they are sufficient to meet 
                current demand for health care from the Administration.
            (3) Reports.--The Commission shall submit to the President, 
        through the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, reports as follows:
                    (A) Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
                initial meeting of the Commission, an interim report 
                on--
                            (i) the findings of the Commission with 
                        respect to the evaluation and assessment 
                        required by this subsection; and
                            (ii) such recommendations as the Commission 
                        may have for legislative or administrative 
                        action to improve access to health care through 
                        the Veterans Health Administration.
                    (B) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
                initial meeting of the Commission, a final report on--
                            (i) the findings of the Commission with 
                        respect to the evaluation and assessment 
                        required by this subsection; and
                            (ii) such recommendations as the Commission 
                        may have for legislative or administrative 
                        action to improve access to health care through 
                        the Veterans Health Administration.
    (c) Powers of the Commission.--
            (1) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit 
        and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and 
        receive such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to 
        carry out this section.
            (2) Information from federal agencies.--The Commission may 
        secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
        information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out 
        this section. Upon request of the Chairperson of the 
        Commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish 
        such information to the Commission.
    (d) Commission Personnel Matters.--
            (1) Compensation of members.--Each member of the Commission 
        who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government 
        shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of 
        the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the 
        Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 
        Code, for each day (including travel time) during which such 
        member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the 
        Commission. All members of the Commission who are officers or 
        employees of the United States shall serve without compensation 
        in addition to that received for their services as officers or 
        employees of the United States.
            (2) Travel expenses.--The members of the Commission shall 
        be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
        Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
        in the performance of services for the Commission.
            (3) Staff.--
                    (A) In general.--The Chairperson of the Commission 
                may, without regard to the civil service laws and 
                regulations, appoint and terminate an executive 
                director and such other additional personnel as may be 
                necessary to enable the Commission to perform its 
                duties. The employment of an executive director shall 
                be subject to confirmation by the Commission.
                    (B) Compensation.--The Chairperson of the 
                Commission may fix the compensation of the executive 
                director and other personnel without regard to chapter 
                51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United 
                States Code, relating to classification of positions 
                and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of 
                pay for the executive director and other personnel may 
                not exceed the rate payable for level V of the 
                Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
            (4) Detail of government employees.--Any Federal Government 
        employee may be detailed to the Commission without 
        reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or 
        loss of civil service status or privilege.
            (5) Procurement of temporary and intermittent services.--
        The Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and 
        intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
        States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the 
        daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
        level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such 
        title.
    (e) Termination of the Commission.--The Commission shall terminate 
30 days after the date on which the Commission submits its report under 
subsection (b)(3)(B).
    (f) Funding.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make 
available to the Commission from amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
available to the Secretary such amounts as the Secretary and the 
Chairperson of the Commission jointly consider appropriate for the 
Commission to perform its duties under this section.
    (g) Executive Action.--
            (1) Action on recommendations.--The President shall require 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and such other heads of 
        relevant Federal departments and agencies to implement each 
        recommendation set forth in a report submitted under subsection 
        (b)(3) that the President--
                    (A) considers feasible and advisable; and
                    (B) determines can be implemented without further 
                legislative action.
            (2) Reports.--Not later than 60 days after the date on 
        which the President receives a report under subsection (b)(3), 
        the President shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 
        the House of Representatives and such other committees of 
        Congress as the President considers appropriate a report 
        setting forth the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the feasibility and 
                advisability of each recommendation contained in the 
                report received by the President.
                    (B) For each recommendation assessed as feasible 
                and advisable under subparagraph (A) the following:
                            (i) Whether such recommendation requires 
                        legislative action.
                            (ii) If such recommendation requires 
                        legislative action, a recommendation concerning 
                        such legislative action.
                            (iii) A description of any administrative 
                        action already taken to carry out such 
                        recommendation.
                            (iv) A description of any administrative 
                        action the President intends to be taken to 
                        carry out such recommendation and by whom.
                                 <all>