[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 49 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 49

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans in each 
 of the 48 contiguous States are able to receive services in at least 
 one full-service Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in the 
State or receive comparable services provided by contract in the State, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             January 22 (legislative day, January 3), 2013

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Ms. Ayotte) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans in each 
 of the 48 contiguous States are able to receive services in at least 
 one full-service Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in the 
State or receive comparable services provided by contract in the State, 
                        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 Equity Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF FULL-SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              MEDICAL CENTERS IN CERTAIN STATES OR PROVISION OF 
              COMPARABLE SERVICES THROUGH CONTRACT WITH OTHER HEALTH 
              CARE PROVIDERS IN THE STATE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1706 the following new section:
``Sec. 1706A. Management of health care: access to full-service 
              Department medical centers in certain States or 
              comparable services through contract
    ``(a) Requirement.--With respect to each of the 48 contiguous 
States, the Secretary shall ensure that veterans in a State who are 
eligible for hospital care and medical services under section 1710 of 
this title have access--
            ``(1) to at least one full-service Department medical 
        center in the State; or
            ``(2) to hospital care and medical services comparable to 
        the services typically provided by full-service Department 
        medical centers through contract with other health care 
        providers in the State.
    ``(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a) shall be 
construed to limit the ability of the Secretary to provide enhanced 
care to an eligible veteran who resides in one State in a Department 
medical center in another State.
    ``(c) Limitation on Requirement.--Subsection (a) shall be effective 
in any fiscal year only to the extent and in the amount provided in 
advance in appropriations Acts.
    ``(d) Full-Service Department Medical Center Defined.--In this 
section, the term `full-service Department medical center' means a 
facility of the Department that provides medical services, including 
hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care rated by 
the Secretary as having a surgical complexity level of standard.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1706 the following new item:

``1706A. Management of health care: access to full-service Department 
                            medical centers in certain States or 
                            comparable services through contract.''.
    (c) Report on Implementation.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall submit to Congress a report describing the extent to which the 
Secretary has complied with the requirement imposed by section 1706A of 
title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), including the 
effect of such requirement on improving the quality and standards of 
care provided to veterans.
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