[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9178 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9178

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve access of health care 
 providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs to prescription drug 
              monitoring programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2024

  Mr. Zinke (for himself, Mr. Bost, Mr. Van Orden, and Mr. Ciscomani) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve access of health care 
 providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs to prescription drug 
              monitoring 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Prescription Safety 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAMS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Expansion of Access of Health Care Providers of the 
Department.--Section 1730B of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``to covered 
        patients''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(3) The term `licensed health care provider' means a 
        health care provider who is--
                    ``(A) an employee or contractor of the Department; 
                and
                    ``(B) licensed, certified, or registered by a State 
                to fill or prescribe medication within the scope of 
                practice for the Department.''.
    (b) Guidance and Training.--
            (1) In general.--Such section is further amended by 
        striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Guidance and Training.--(1) The Secretary shall issue 
guidance to pharmacy personnel of the Department (including licensed 
health care providers) that prescribes best practices for conducting a 
query described in subsection (a) upon receipt of a prescription for a 
controlled substance from a health care provider who provides health 
care to a veteran under section 1703 of this title.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall provide such pharmacy personnel with 
annual training on--
            ``(A) best practices prescribed under paragraph (1); and
            ``(B) the requirements of State and regional prescription 
        drug monitoring programs.''.
            (2) Implementation.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall carry out subsection (b) of such section, as amended by 
        this subsection, not later than one year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
    (c) Authorized Disclosure of Information.--Subsection (l) of 
section 5701 of such title is amended to read as follows:
    ``(l) Under regulations prescribed the Secretary, the Secretary may 
disclose information about an individual to a State controlled 
substance monitoring program, including a program approved by the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 399O of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g-3).''.
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