[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 102 (Tuesday, June 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2954. Mr. YOUNG submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2910 proposed by Mr. Shelby to the bill H.R. 5895, making 
appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title II of division C, add the following:

     SEC. 2__. ANNUAL ASSESSMENT AND RATING OF NURSING HOMES OF 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``Sec. 7330D. Annual assessment and rating of nursing homes

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct an annual 
     assessment of all nursing homes operated by the Department 
     and prepare ratings and rankings of all such nursing homes.
       ``(b) Elements of Ratings and Rankings.--The nursing home 
     ratings and rankings prepared by the Secretary under 
     subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, include the following 
     information:
       ``(1) The metrics and criteria for determining the ranking 
     of a nursing home of the Department.
       ``(2) An identification and review of any categories 
     comprising the overall ranking of a nursing home of the 
     Department.
       ``(3) An identification of the division or business unit of 
     the Department responsible for conducting the assessment 
     under subsection (a) and determining rankings of nursing 
     homes.
       ``(4) An explanation of the methods used by such division 
     or business unit in conducting the assessment and determining 
     the rankings.
       ``(5) A comparison of the current rankings of nursing homes 
     of the Department with all previous rankings of the 
     Department for such nursing homes.
       ``(6) An identification of a high-risk list consisting of 
     the lowest-ranked nursing homes of the Department.
       ``(7) An analysis of how the ratings of nursing homes of 
     the Department compare to private sector nursing homes rated 
     by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
       ``(c) Publication.--Not less frequently than annually, the 
     Secretary shall publish the ratings and rankings prepared 
     under subsection (a), including the information required by 
     subsection (b), on a publicly available Internet website of 
     the Department.
       ``(d) Report.--Not less frequently than annually, upon the 
     publication of the annual ratings and rankings under 
     subsection (c), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
     on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
     that includes the following:
       ``(1) An action plan for improving the quality of care and 
     ranking of the nursing homes of the Department identified on 
     the high-risk list under subsection (b)(6).
       ``(2) An identification of the resources necessary to 
     implement corrective actions, including funding, stakeholder 
     support, and technology, and an identification of the senior 
     officials of the Department responsible for implementing 
     those corrective actions and supporting results.
       ``(3) An identification of metrics that can be used to 
     assess progress in improving nursing homes of the Department 
     and assign responsibility for tracking such progress, 
     including the mechanism to be used to keep senior leadership 
     of the Department informed about progress made or challenges 
     encountered.
       ``(4) A list of key outcomes and goals that demonstrate 
     progress in addressing the concerns with nursing homes of the 
     Department identified on the high-risk list under subsection 
     (b)(6).
       ``(5) An identification of timeframes for the improvement 
     of nursing homes of the Department, with overall and interim 
     milestones.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of chapter 73 of such title is amended by inserting 
     after the item relating to section 7330C the following new 
     item:

``7330D. Annual assessment and rating of nursing homes.''.
                                 ______