[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2145 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2145

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Physician 
 Ambassadors Helping Veterans program to seek to employ physicians at 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs on a without compensation basis in 
    practice areas and specialties with staffing shortages and long 
                       appointment waiting times.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2015

    Mr. Culberson (for himself, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Huelskamp, Mr. 
 Thornberry, and Mr. Farenthold) introduced the following bill; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Physician 
 Ambassadors Helping Veterans program to seek to employ physicians at 
 the Department of Veterans Affairs on a without compensation basis in 
    practice areas and specialties with staffing shortages and long 
                       appointment waiting times.

    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 ``Physician Ambassadors Helping 
Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. PHYSICIAN AMBASSADORS HELPING VETERANS PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 74 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 7405 the following 
new section:
``Sec. 7405A. Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans program
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall use the authority under 
section 7405 of this title to seek to employ physicians on a without 
compensation basis in any practice area or speciality for which--
            ``(1) the average waiting time for veterans seeking an 
        appointment with a physician in such practice area or specialty 
        exceeds the waiting time goals established by the Department; 
        or
            ``(2) the medical facility of the Department where the 
        physician will be employed has demonstrated staffing shortages, 
        as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Volunteer Coordinators.--There shall be in each medical 
facility of the Department a volunteer coordinator. The volunteer 
coordinator for a medical facility shall--
            ``(1) seek to establish relationships with medical 
        associations serving the area where the facility is located;
            ``(2) recruit physicians for employment on a without 
        compensation basis in the facility; and
            ``(3) serve as the initial point of contact for physicians 
        seeking employment on a without compensation basis in the 
        facility.
    ``(c) Qualifications.--A physician employed on a without 
compensation basis under this section shall agree, as a condition of 
being granted a credential or privilege to practice medicine in a 
medical facility of the Department, to commit to serving a minimum of 
40 hours in the facility during the one-year period beginning on the 
date on which such credential or privilege is granted.
    ``(d) Credentialing Process.--(1) The Secretary shall ensure that 
each physician who seeks employment at the Department on a without 
compensation basis under this section receives a credential or 
privilege to practice medicine in the Department, or a decision that 
such a credential or privilege will not be granted, by not later than 
60 days after the date on which the physician requests such credential 
or privilege.
    ``(2) The director of a medical facility of the Department shall 
approve, and accept the services of, any physician who meets the 
qualifications under subsection (c) and receives a credential or 
privilege to practice medicine in the facility under paragraph (1).
    ``(e) Annual Report.--(1) Not later than March 31 of each year, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives a report on physicians employed on a without 
compensation basis at the Department under this section.
    ``(2) Each report submitted under paragraph (1) shall include, for 
the year preceding the year during which the report is submitted, each 
of the following:
            ``(A) The number of physicians employed on a without 
        compensation basis under this section by the Department in each 
        of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks.
            ``(B) Information about staffing levels and appointment 
        waiting times for facilities located in each such Veterans 
        Integrated Service Network.
    ``(f) Treatment of Physicians in Annual Staffing Determination.--
Any physician employed on a without compensation basis under this 
section shall not be considered in determining under section 7412(a) of 
this title whether there is a staffing shortage throughout the 
Department with respect to a particular occupation.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
7405 the following new item:

``7405A. Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans program.''.
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