[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6516 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6516

To amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to 
expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of 
  Veterans Affairs, to establish a minimum period of care or services 
              under such program, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 8, 2016

Mr. O'Rourke (for himself and Mr. Walz) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to 
expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of 
  Veterans Affairs, to establish a minimum period of care or services 
              under such program, 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. EXPANSION OF VETERANS CHOICE PROGRAM.

    (a) Expansion of Eligibility for Program.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (b)(2) of section 101 of the 
        Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public 
        Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking ``or'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (D)(ii)(II)(dd), by striking 
                the period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(E) is unable to schedule an appointment with the 
                veteran's primary care physician at the same medical 
                facility of the Department at which the veteran had the 
                most recent appointment with the physician because the 
                physician is no longer employed at such facility.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Subsection (g)(3) of such 
        section is amended by striking ``or (D)'' and inserting ``, 
        (D), or (E)''.
    (b) Minimum Period of Care or Services.--Subsection (c)(1)(B)(i) of 
such section is amended by inserting ``, but not shorter than one 
year'' after ``Secretary''.
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