[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1991 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1991

 To eliminate the sunset date for the Choice Program of the Department 
 of Veterans Affairs, to expand eligibility for such program, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 2015

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To eliminate the sunset date for the Choice Program of the Department 
 of Veterans Affairs, to expand eligibility for 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Permanent Department of Veterans 
Affairs Choice Card Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF CHOICE PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Elimination of Sunset.--
            (1) In general.--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) by striking subsection (p); and
                    (B) by redesignating subsections (q), (r), (s), and 
                (t) as subsections (p), (q), (r), and (s), 
                respectively.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Such section is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (i)(2), by striking ``during the 
                period in which the Secretary is authorized to carry 
                out this section pursuant to subsection (p)''; and
                    (B) in subsection (p)(2), as redesignated by 
                paragraph (1)(B), by striking subparagraph (F).
    (b) Expansion of Eligibility.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (b) of such section is amended 
        to read as follows:
    ``(b) Eligible Veterans.--A veteran is an eligible veteran for 
purposes of this section if the veteran is enrolled in the patient 
enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs established and 
operated under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, including 
any such veteran who has not received hospital care or medical services 
from the Department and has contacted the Department seeking an initial 
appointment from the Department for the receipt of such care or 
services.''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Such section is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (c)(1)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by striking ``In the case of an eligible 
                        veteran described in subsection (b)(2)(A), the 
                        Secretary shall, at the election of the 
                        eligible veteran'' and inserting ``The 
                        Secretary shall, at the election of an eligible 
                        veteran''; and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``described in such subsection'' and inserting 
                        ``of the Veterans Health Administration'';
                    (B) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ``subsection 
                (b)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)'';
                    (C) in subsection (g), by striking paragraph (3); 
                and
                    (D) in subsection (p)(2)(A), as redesignated by 
                subsection (a)(1)(B), by striking ``, disaggregated 
                by--'' and all that follows through ``subsection 
                (b)(2)(D)''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to hospital care and medical services furnished 
under such section on and after the date that is 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>