[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1985 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1985

   To reauthorize and modify the pilot program of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides 
   health services to veterans through qualifying non-Department of 
    Veterans Affairs health care providers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 3, 2014

   Mr. Moran introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To reauthorize and modify the pilot program of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides 
   health services to veterans through qualifying non-Department of 
    Veterans Affairs health care providers, 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 ``Veterans Health Care Access Received 
Closer to Home Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) veterans who are authorized by the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs to receive health care in the community must 
        not lose the high quality, safety, care coordination, and other 
        veteran-centric elements that the health care system of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs provides;
            (2) many veterans receive health care from both the 
        Department and community providers but the lack of care 
        coordination among the Department and community providers when 
        veterans receive purchased care places veterans at risk for 
        poor health outcomes and results in inefficient use of finite 
        health care resources;
            (3) veteran-centric care coordination is associated with 
        improved patient outcomes, as Department and non-Department 
        health care teams coordinate and collaborate to provide the 
        best care for veterans; and
            (4) if the Secretary purchases care for veterans from the 
        private sector, such care must be secured in a cost-effective 
        manner, in a way that complements the larger health care system 
        of the Department by using industry standards for care and 
        costs.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM OF ENHANCED 
              CONTRACT CARE AUTHORITY FOR HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF 
              VETERANS.

    Section 403 of the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care 
Improvements Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-387; 38 U.S.C. 1703 note) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``120 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act'' and inserting 
                ``90 days after the date of the enactment of the 
                Veterans Health Care Access Received Closer to Home Act 
                of 2014''; and
                    (B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows:
            ``(4) Program locations.--The Secretary shall carry out the 
        pilot program at locations in the following Veterans Integrated 
        Service Networks (and such other locations as the Secretary 
        considers appropriate):
                    ``(A) Veterans Integrated Service Network 1.
                    ``(B) Veterans Integrated Service Network 6.
                    ``(C) Veterans Integrated Service Network 15.
                    ``(D) Veterans Integrated Service Network 19.'';
            (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Covered Veterans.--For purposes of the pilot program under 
this section, a covered veteran is any veteran who is eligible for 
health care under the laws administered by the Secretary.'';
            (3) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (j);
            (4) by inserting after subsection (g) the following new 
        subsections:
    ``(h) Appointments.--In carrying out the pilot program under this 
section, the Secretary shall ensure that medical appointments for 
veterans occur during the 30-day period beginning on the date that is 
15 days after the date on which the appointment is requested.
    ``(i) Outreach.--The Secretary shall ensure that a veteran eligible 
for the pilot program under this section is informed of such 
program.''; and
            (5) in paragraph (2) of subsection (j), as redesignated by 
        paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking the semicolon 
                at the end and inserting ``; and'';
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (B); and
                    (C) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
                subparagraph (B).
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