[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3246 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3246

 To provide for the temporary use of Veterans Choice Funds for certain 
                   programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2015

Ms. Brown of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
   on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the temporary use of Veterans Choice Funds for certain 
                   programs, 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. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION OF USE OF VETERANS CHOICE FUNDS FOR 
              CERTAIN PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (c) of section 802 of the Veterans 
Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 128 
Stat. 1802) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Any amounts'' and 
        inserting ``Except as provided by paragraph (3), any amounts''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following paragraph:
            ``(3) Temporary authority for other uses.--
                    ``(A) Other non-department care.--In addition to 
                the use of amounts described in paragraph (1), of the 
                amounts deposited in the Veterans Choice Fund, not more 
                than $3,348,500,000 may be used by the Secretary during 
                the period described in subparagraph (C) for amounts 
                obligated by the Secretary on or after May 1, 2015, to 
                furnish health care to individuals pursuant to chapter 
                17 of title 38, United States Code, at non-Department 
                facilities, including pursuant to non-Department 
                provider programs other than the program established by 
                section 101.
                    ``(B) Hepatitis c.--Of the amount specified in 
                subparagraph (A), not more than $500,000,000 may be 
                used by the Secretary during the period described in 
                subparagraph (C) for pharmaceutical expenses relating 
                to the treatment of Hepatitis C.
                    ``(C) Period described.--The period described in 
                this subparagraph is the period beginning on the date 
                of the enactment of the VA Budget and Choice 
                Improvement Act and ending on October 1, 2015.
                    ``(D) Reports.--Not later than 14 days after the 
                date of the enactment of the VA Budget and Choice 
                Improvement Act, and not less frequently than once 
                every 14-day period thereafter during the period 
                described in subparagraph (C), the Secretary shall 
                submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
                report detailing--
                            ``(i) the amounts used by the Secretary 
                        pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
                            ``(ii) an identification of such amounts 
                        listed by the non-Department provider program 
                        for which the amounts were used.
                    ``(E) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) The term `appropriate congressional 
                        committees' means--
                                    ``(I) the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs and the Committee on 
                                Appropriations of the House of 
                                Representatives; and
                                    ``(II) the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs and the Committee on 
                                Appropriations of the Senate.
                            ``(ii) The term `non-Department facilities' 
                        has the meaning given that term in section 1701 
                        of title 38, United States Code.
                            ``(iii) The term `non-Department provider 
                        programs' means each program administered by 
                        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under which 
                        the Secretary enters into contracts or other 
                        agreements with health care providers at non-
                        Department facilities to furnish hospital care 
                        and medical services to veterans, including 
                        pursuant to the following:
                                    ``(I) Section 1703 of title 38, 
                                United States Code.
                                    ``(II) The Veterans Choice Program 
                                established by section 101 of the 
                                Veterans Access, Choice, and 
                                Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 
                                113-146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note).
                                    ``(III) The Patient Centered 
                                Community Care Program (known as 
                                `PC3').
                                    ``(IV) The pilot program 
                                established by section 403 of the 
                                Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care 
                                Improvements Act of 2008 (Public Law 
                                110-387; 38 U.S.C. 1703 note) (known as 
                                `Project ARCH').
                                    ``(V) Contracts relating to 
                                dialysis.
                                    ``(VI) Agreements entered into by 
                                the Secretary with--
                                            ``(aa) the Secretary of 
                                        Defense, the Director of the 
                                        Indian Health Service, or the 
                                        head of any other department or 
                                        agency of the Federal 
                                        Government; or
                                            ``(bb) any academic 
                                        affiliate or other non-
                                        governmental entity.
                                    ``(VII) Programs relating to 
                                emergency care, including under 
                                sections 1725 and 1728 of title 38, 
                                United States Code.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (d)(1) of such section is 
amended by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``(or 
for hospital care and medical services pursuant to subsection (c)(3) of 
this section)''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY DESIGNATIONS.

    (a) In General.--This title, except for section 7, is designated as 
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-
As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)).
    (b) Designation in Senate.--In the Senate, this title, except for 
section 7, is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to 
section 403(a) of S. Con. Res. 13 (111th Congress), the concurrent 
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010.
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