[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5600-5605]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  AMENDING THE VETERANS ACCESS, CHOICE, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2014

  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (S. 544) to amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the termination date for the 
Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 544

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. MODIFICATION OF TERMINATION DATE FOR VETERANS 
                   CHOICE PROGRAM.

       Section 101(p)(2) of the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
     Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 
     1701 note) is amended by striking ``, or the date that is 3 
     years after the date of the enactment of this Act, whichever 
     occurs first''.

     SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF REQUIREMENT TO ACT AS SECONDARY PAYER 
                   FOR CARE RELATING TO NON-SERVICE-CONNECTED 
                   DISABILITIES AND RECOVERY OF COSTS FOR CERTAIN 
                   CARE UNDER CHOICE PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Section 101(e) of the Veterans Access, 
     Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 
     38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended--
       (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Other Health-
     care Plan'' and inserting ``Responsibility for Costs of 
     Certain Care'';
       (2) in paragraph (1), in the paragraph heading, by striking 
     ``to secretary'' and inserting ``on health-care plans'';
       (3) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3);
       (4) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (2); and
       (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(3) Recovery of costs for certain care.--
       ``(A) In general.--In any case in which an eligible veteran 
     is furnished hospital care or medical services under this 
     section for a non-service-connected disability described in 
     subsection (a)(2) of section 1729 of title 38, United States 
     Code, or for a condition for which recovery is authorized or 
     with respect to which the United States is deemed to be a 
     third party beneficiary under Public Law 87-693, commonly 
     known as the `Federal Medical Care Recovery Act' (42 U.S.C. 
     2651 et seq.), the Secretary shall recover or collect from a 
     third party (as defined in subsection (i) of such section 
     1729) reasonable charges for such care or services to the 
     extent that the veteran (or the provider of the care or 
     services) would be eligible to receive payment for such care 
     or services from such third party if the care or services had 
     not been furnished by a department or agency of the United 
     States.
       ``(B) Use of amounts.--Amounts collected by the Secretary 
     under subparagraph (A) shall be deposited in the Medical 
     Community Care account of the Department. Amounts so 
     deposited shall remain available until expended.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (1) of such section is 
     amended by striking ``paragraph (4)'' and inserting 
     ``paragraph (2)''.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO DISCLOSE CERTAIN MEDICAL RECORDS OF 
                   VETERANS WHO RECEIVE NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE.

       Section 7332(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(H)(i) To a non-Department entity (including private 
     entities and other Federal agencies) that provides hospital 
     care or medical services to veterans as authorized by the 
     Secretary.
       ``(ii) An entity to which a record is disclosed under this 
     subparagraph may not redisclose or use such record for a 
     purpose other than that for which the disclosure was made.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Roe) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and add extraneous material into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of S. 544. Congress created the Choice 
Program in 2014 to ensure that veterans waiting in line at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country 
had an option of seeking care in their communities. Though Choice is 
far from perfect, 3 years later, more than a million veterans have used 
it to get care they needed faster and closer to home.
  Choice has also led to a nationwide conversation about the importance 
of the VA healthcare system, the need for VA to be a better partner to 
community providers and hospitals everywhere, and the actions we must 
take to ensure that VA is well positioned to provide high-quality care 
to veterans for generations to come. As chairman, I am wholeheartedly 
committed to seeing that conversation through to a solution.
  We are currently refining legislation that will provide a long-term 
path to make the VA healthcare system and VA's care in the community 
programs, including Choice, work better for veterans, for VA, for 
community providers, and for taxpayers alike. Our goal is to have that 
solution on the President's desk later this year.
  However, Choice is expected to sunset just four short months from now 
on August 7, 2017. And when it does, the VA expects to have anywhere 
from $800 million to $1.2 billion left in the Choice fund.
  Absent enactment of this bill or legislation like it, on August 8, 
those funds will no longer be available to help veterans get the care 
they need, with potentially tragic consequences.
  During a full committee hearing last month, Secretary Shulkin 
testified:
  ``Without congressional action, veterans will have to face longer 
wait times for care.''
  He went on to say that allowing Choice to sunset would be ``a 
disaster for American veterans.''
  With the passage of this bill today, we can get one step closer to 
avoiding that disaster.
  In anticipation of the program's expiration, VA has already started 
halting referrals to Choice for services, like maternity care and 
oncology care that typically require lengthy episodes of care. That 
means that veterans with cancer or veterans who are pregnant can no 
longer choose to take advantage of Choice care if they live far away 
from a VA medical facility or have to wait more than 30 days for the 
next VA appointment.

[[Page 5601]]

  As if that wasn't bad enough, if Choice is not extended by the end of 
April, VA will have to stop sending referrals to Choice for many other 
services that veterans are relying on.
  To prevent this, S. 544 would remove the August 7, 2017, sunset date 
from the Choice program. This will allow the program to continue 
working for veteran patients until all the money remaining in the 
veterans Choice fund--the money that Congress provided 3 years ago for 
this exact purpose--is fully expended.
  It would also ensure that, as we move forward with ongoing efforts to 
create an enduring solution to the problems VA is facing, veterans are 
not cut off from potentially lifesaving or life-preserving care.
  The bill would also eliminate the requirement for VA to act as the 
secondary payor for nonservice-connected care provided under Choice. 
This would bring Choice in line with VA's other care in the community 
programs and remove a pain point that, while well-intentioned, has 
impeded the provision of care for certain patients and challenged VA's 
ability to issue reimbursements to community providers in a timely 
consistent manner.
  In addition, the bill would authorize VA to share medical record 
information with community providers who are jointly treating veteran 
patients. This would ensure that the clinicians caring for veterans, 
both in VA and community medical facilities, have all the information 
that they need to make well-informed treatment plans and provide the 
highest quality care.
  Subsequent redisclosure of medical records information would be 
prohibited, meaning that personal patient information would be 
safeguarded from inappropriate disclosures.
  As chairman, as a veteran, and as a doctor, I cannot think of 
anything more important that we can do today to help our Nation's 
veterans and pass this legislation out of the House of Representatives 
and swiftly deliver it to the President's desk for his signature.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in doing that by supporting 
this bill today.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in strong support of S. 544 to eliminate 
the sunset on the Veterans Choice Program.
  This bill will basically allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
continue spending previously appropriated resources in the Veterans 
Choice Program to provide direct and timely patient care to veterans. 
It allows the VA to charge a veteran's healthcare insurer for 
nonservice-connected care so that veterans aren't sent expensive 
medical bills, wasting time trying to figure out how to get them paid. 
Finally, it allows the VA to share medical information with community 
care providers so patient care is better coordinated.
  This legislation is identical to H.R. 369, which passed unanimously 
in our Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It includes amendments offered 
by members of that committee.
  I would like to take a moment, Mr. Speaker, to congratulate and thank 
the chairman of the committee for the bipartisan way that he approached 
this. The issue of veterans care is a passionate issue for all of us.
  The issue of the Choice Program arose out of the crisis in Phoenix 
and other places in 2014, and a sunset that needed to be addressed was 
handled in a professional manner. It brought all parties together. I 
think the chairman is going to get a unanimous vote. They have got one 
in the Senate.
  I can see that, under less steady hands, where this may have bogged 
down, and I appreciate the chairman's sense of urgency in getting it to 
this point. It puts us in a good place. So thank you for that.
  It also gives us the time we need to come to a bipartisan fix for the 
Choice Program. We know, under the Choice Program, veterans are still 
waiting too long to receive care. As we said, in 2014, we all supported 
the Choice Act because of the crisis. Throughout the country, veterans 
were waiting, and in some cases dying, because they were waiting for 
care. If we recall right, an honorable and decent man, the VA 
Secretary, resigned over this crisis. So this was an important issue 
that needed to be addressed. We passed the Choice Act so that veterans 
could get that care.
  The Choice Program was created as a temporary fix, designed to end 
this summer or when the VA spent the $10 billion. As the chairman said, 
there is about $1 billion left in Choice. With veterans still in need 
of care, we cannot possibly allow that to go back without addressing 
where it needs to go. It would be a waste of money, a waste of time, 
and it would make veterans' wait times even higher.
  The bill gives us time to rewrite the Choice Program. The bill will 
give us time to address all of the problems with Choice so that 
veterans' care is managed and coordinated with VA and community care 
providers and so that veterans do not have wait times. It will also 
make sure the money will continue to be spent on veterans' health care.
  I look forward to working with the chairman. As I said earlier, his 
steady hand and visionary leadership has gotten us to this point. It 
will ensure that we can figure out what the next iteration of 
community-based care looks like, and we can come together, bring that 
to the floor, and get it passed.
  For this reason, I would urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation so veterans can receive their care now while Congress 
continues to work to improve upon that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Ranking Member 
Walz, for his kind words and his hard work on this legislation also.
  I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the 
vice chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, while the Veterans Choice Program is by 
no means perfect--the chairman said this, as well as the ranking 
member--many of our men and women who wore our Nation's uniform rely on 
it for increased access to quality health care.
  I strongly support S. 544 because veterans should have certainty that 
their care will continue, and I am optimistic that our efforts to 
reform and build upon the Choice Program will yield positive results 
going forward. The intentions and goals of the Choice Program are good, 
giving our true American heroes more choices and more focused care; 
but, clearly, some areas of the program need improvement. I hear that 
from my veterans.
  We have already taken some solid steps to make the program work 
better for veterans, but not enough. We will have the opportunity to 
fix this in a bipartisan fashion; for example, one positive step: The 
eligibility rules initially stated that a veteran had to live 40 miles 
as the crow flies from the nearest VA facility. We changed it to 40 
miles driving distance. That is just common sense; isn't it? I think it 
is. We have also made reforms to increase the number of non-VA 
providers who are allowed to participate in the program and expand 
eligibility to all enrolled veterans.
  There is much work to be done, there is no question. The only way we 
can continue improving the Veterans Choice Program and ensure that 
veterans see no interruption to their health care is to eliminate the 
sunset date.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 544.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New 
Hampshire (Ms. Kuster), my good friend and a friend of all veterans, 
our ranking member on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
  Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to commend our 
chairman, Mr. Roe, and ranking member, Mr. Walz, for their bipartisan 
efforts.
  I rise to speak on S. 544, the bill that will eliminate the sunset on 
the Veterans Choice Program.
  The Veterans Choice Program was a bipartisan effort to quickly help 
our

[[Page 5602]]

veterans in need by ensuring they had access to quality health care 
after the crisis in Phoenix. However, it was a temporary program. It 
was not intended to last longer than a few years until Congress could 
have developed the future of VA community care. As many of my 
colleagues note, the Choice Program needs an update. This bill 
represents the first step of that process.
  It is expected that the Veterans Choice fund will still have funding 
by August 2017, as noted, when the Choice Program is scheduled to 
sunset. This bill will ensure that our veterans will be able to use 
those resources, and it will ensure those who have long-term care 
through the Choice Program will not suddenly find themselves without 
care.
  But, as we design a new program to replace the Choice Program, we 
must ensure that it is an effective and efficient system of care that 
follows the very best practices of American health care. Part of that 
is ensuring that these healthcare practitioners do not discriminate on 
the basis of race, sex, gender, or sexual orientation.
  The current Choice Program eliminated those protections to facilitate 
faster implementation, and while I am concerned of the regulatory 
burden these antidiscrimination measures could provide, I am committed 
to working with my colleagues across the aisle on a commonsense and 
reasonable compromise. We can make a program that not only provides 
effective and accessible care for our veterans, but also prevents 
discrimination in the workplace and upholds the finest ideals of the 
United States of America.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. Coffman), my good friend, a veteran of both the 
Marine Corps and the Army, twice deployed to Iraq, and a very active 
member of the committee.
  Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I stand today in support of legislation to 
remove the sunset date on the Veterans Choice Program and, in turn, 
bring continuity to our Nation's veterans currently receiving their 
health care in the community through the Choice Program. Although the 
program is not perfect, it did provide our Nation's veterans with an 
unprecedented choice in where they seek their health care and assisted 
the VA in reducing the appointment wait times backlog.
  While my colleagues and I on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee 
work to streamline and reform the VA's in-community care programs, it 
is critical that we pass S. 544 to extend the Veterans Choice Program 
beyond the August 7 sunset date. This will provide help to veterans 
seeking long-term care through the Choice Program and help meet our 
Nation's obligations to our veterans who have sacrificed so much in 
defense of our freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Roe for his leadership on this matter.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, at this time it is my privilege to yield 3 
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), my good friend 
and also a good friend of veterans, the vice ranking member of the full 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, the gentleman 
from Minnesota, for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 544. This legislation 
ensures that the approximately $1 billion left in Choice funding is 
spent on the critical mission of providing veterans timely access to 
care.
  It would be an abdication of our responsibility to veterans if we 
allowed this money to go back to the Treasury instead of going to those 
who need and deserve our support.
  I appreciate the efforts from my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle for advancing this legislation.
  The Choice Act was designed as a rapid response to the veteran wait 
time crisis, but its framework and implementation has been deeply 
flawed. Objective analyses found that it is not meaningfully reducing 
veterans' wait times, and its arbitrary standards have added a layer of 
confusion for both patients and providers.
  There is bipartisan consensus that these concerns must be addressed 
when the Choice Act sunsets and the funding expires. We can and must do 
a better job of prioritizing and streamlining veterans' access to care 
in the community. We can and must do better than the existing Choice 
Act.
  Now, the Choice Act was a temporary emergency measure to address an 
unacceptable crisis. Unfortunately, it contained language that 
undermined protections against workplace discrimination for Federal 
contractors. The next iteration of this law cannot subvert the rights 
of those who treat and serve our veterans.
  The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs continues to be a 
vital tool for ensuring fairness and equality in the workplace. It 
should apply to everyone that does business with the Federal Government 
because the Federal Government cannot endorse discrimination of any 
kind.
  I will fight to ensure that this committee and this Congress restores 
their commitment to equality and fairness as we develop a more 
streamlined and thoughtful method for connecting veterans with 
community care.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter echoing these concerns 
from the Human Rights Campaign, the National Women's Law Center, The 
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the National 
Partnership for Women & Families.

                                                    April 5, 2017.
       Dear Representative: We write to express our serious 
     concerns about H.R. 369/S. 544, which would eliminate the 
     sunset of the Veterans Choice Program. The Veterans Choice 
     Program currently includes a provision exempting it from 
     oversight by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance 
     Programs (OFCCP). This has diminished civil rights 
     protections when the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
     enters into federal contracts for veterans' health care 
     services. The Veterans Choice Program was always intended to 
     be a temporary solution to ease the health care access crisis 
     faced by the veterans receiving care through the VA. We fear 
     that removing the sunset will open the door to extension of 
     the program, including extending the provision that strips 
     critical equal employment opportunity protections from the 
     men and women serving our nation's veterans. OFCCP must have 
     full jurisdiction to protect against employment 
     discrimination and promote equal employment opportunities.
       The antidiscrimination rules enforced by OFCCP ensure that 
     federal contract dollars further equal employment opportunity 
     and are not used to subsidize unlawful discrimination. OFCCP 
     plays a unique and vital role in combating unlawful 
     employment discrimination by federal contractors on the basis 
     of sex, race, national origin, religion, color, sexual 
     orientation, gender identity, and disability. It also 
     enforces the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance 
     Act, or VEVRAA, which requires nondiscrimination and 
     affirmative action for special and disabled veterans of any 
     war, campaign, or expedition in which a campaign badge has 
     been authorized. In addition, OFCCP guides contractors and 
     subcontractors on affirmatively promoting equal opportunity 
     in the workplace and promotes fair and nondiscriminatory 
     federal contractor workplaces. Many of its regulations 
     require contractors to take affirmative steps to expand the 
     pool of individuals from which it recruits, and evaluate 
     their own practices to identify and address conduct that 
     limits equal employment opportunities for protected classes 
     of workers. By conducting compliance audits and systemic 
     investigations, through its data collection and investigative 
     authority, OFCCP can aid contractors in identifying and 
     resolving practices that limit equal employment 
     opportunities, without relying solely on individuals who are 
     willing to risk retaliation to challenge unfair employment 
     practices. OFCCP's historic and current role in ensuring 
     artificial barriers do not restrict employment based on sex, 
     race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, 
     gender identity, disability, or veteran status has improved 
     opportunities for a wide range of workers across the country 
     and has ensured that federal tax dollars do not subsidize 
     discrimination.
       Carving out the VA provider agreements from these 
     antidiscrimination protections, affirmative action rules, and 
     data reporting requirements has the effect of narrowing 
     employment opportunities for women, people of color, people 
     with disabilities, veterans, and LGBT individuals and removes 
     critical tools for ending employment discrimination and 
     harassment. Extending the provision that weakens these 
     protections ultimately threatens harm not only to workers, 
     but to those who depend on them for care.
       There is no appreciable administrative burden that 
     justifies continuing to suspend these protections and 
     requirements. Federal contractors and subcontractors with 
     less than 50 employees and $50,000 in contracts or 
     subcontracts are not covered by OFCCP's affirmative action 
     requirements. More than 94

[[Page 5603]]

     percent of health care and social assistance firms had fewer 
     than 50 employees in 2009. The larger providers, those with 
     50 or more employees and $50,000 or more in federal 
     contracts, should be well-equipped to meet the minimal 
     administrative obligations associated with maintaining an 
     affirmative action plan.
       The carve-out of VA contractors from the employment 
     discrimination rules applicable to federal contractors not 
     only has a detrimental impact on the workforces affected, but 
     sends a disturbing message that ensuring fair treatment for 
     women, people of color, LGBT people, veterans, and people 
     with disabilities is unnecessary and inconsequential. It sets 
     a precedent for future carve-outs and represents a step 
     backward from equal opportunity. Any continuation of the 
     Veterans Choice Program must ensure OFCCP jurisdiction to 
     enforce the antidiscrimination rules and other equal 
     employment opportunity protections for these providers.
       For further information, please contact the Human Rights 
     Campaign, the National Women's Law Center, the Leadership 
     Conference on Civil and Human Rights, or the National 
     Partnership for Women and Families.
           Sincerely,
     National Women's Law Center.
     Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
     National Partnership for Women & Families.
     Human Rights Campaign.

  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I look forward to working with Ranking Member Walz and our fellow 
committee members to strike the appropriate balance between ensuring 
protections that are in place to provide provider agreement authority 
from being unfairly utilized and reducing administrative burdens on 
small providers.
  However, absent passage of this legislation today, veterans with 
serious need will not be able to get the care they need. Already, 
veterans who are pregnant or who have been diagnosed with cancer have 
been unable to take advantage of the increased access to care that the 
Choice Program provides.
  I would also note that, since Choice granted VA provider agreement 
authority in the Choice Act 3 years ago, the committee has not heard a 
single instance where that authority has been improperly utilized or 
resulted in unfair labor practices.
  Furthermore, the exclusion afforded in the Choice Act is no more 
generous than providers under Medicare or in TRICARE currently enjoy, 
and there is no reason why providers accepting veteran patients should 
have to deal with more administrative burdens than providers under 
Medicare and TRICARE. I can assure you, as a Medicare provider and a 
TRICARE provider, that is enough burden.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Lance), my good friend and fellow classmate.
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I certainly commend the chairman of the 
committee, Dr. Roe, for his leadership on this issue, as well as the 
ranking member for his leadership.
  I rise in strong support of S. 544, which will extend the Veterans 
Access, Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act. This is an 
important bill. I have heard from constituents in the congressional 
district I serve that the Choice Program is working and Congress should 
extend its authorization and its funding.
  The Choice Program was the first step in a long road to true 
transformation of the Veterans Administration. Veterans should get to 
choose the care and the facility serving them best. No veteran should 
ever been forced into waiting lines and other limitations.
  Many Veterans Administration healthcare facilities do tremendous 
work, like the Lyons VA Hospital in Bernards Township, Somerset County, 
New Jersey, in the district I serve. But care through the VA should not 
be limited to VA facilities.
  The extension of the Choice Program should be a down payment on other 
reforms. We should be expanding choice and eliminating geographic 
limitations, and I hope to work with Chairman Roe and his committee to 
do so.
  Too many of our Nation's heroes have lost confidence in a desperately 
broken bureaucracy, and we have begun to reform that in 2014, and we 
continue today. Legislation like this bill is another step in restoring 
that trust and faith.
  The brave men and women who have stepped forward to serve our Nation 
deserve our continued dedication to fixing the VA and ensuring they 
receive the services they have earned in our defense.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Brownley), the ranking member of our Health 
Subcommittee.
  Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Minnesota, our ranking member, for yielding me time and for his 
tireless advocacy on behalf of our Nation's veterans.
  As the ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on 
Health, it has been my privilege to work with the ranking member and my 
fellow committee members to establish and conduct rigorous oversight of 
the Choice Program.
  We enacted the Choice Act in a time of crisis. Those of us who served 
on the committee during that time remember all too well the horrific 
stories that came to light that moved Congress to enact this law.
  Congress passed the Choice Act to ensure that all veterans receive 
timely access to quality care. It is clear, however, that, in the rush 
to set up the Choice Program, many veterans were still forced to wait 
too long and bureaucratic headaches continue to delay needed care.
  We need to get Choice 2.0 right and balance the obvious need for care 
in the community while protecting the top quality care that the VA 
provides. We must also make sure that Choice 2.0 protects the civil 
rights of veterans as well as VA employees, contractors, and community 
providers caring for our veterans.
  Today's bill will allow the VA to continue spending the remaining 
funds in the Veterans Choice Program fund. It will also allow the VA to 
reimburse community providers faster and improve the sharing of medical 
records. It gives us time to continue our bipartisan work to fix the 
Choice Program.
  Each Member of this body, on both sides of the aisle, agrees that our 
veterans have earned the very best care available. Mr. Speaker, I urge 
my colleagues to support this legislation so that veterans can receive 
care now while Congress uses this opportunity to get this right.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), a former member and a very active 
member of our committee.
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for 
his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Veterans Choice Program 
Improvement Act.
  This legislation protects access to health care for our Nation's 
veterans by maintaining the VA Choice Program and ensuring that funds 
already allocated for veterans health care remain dedicated to that 
purpose.
  Veterans across my district have utilized the program to access 
treatment from community healthcare providers. And while they 
appreciate the flexibility this program provides, I often hear of a 
need to make improvements and remove hurdles that prevent this program 
from realizing its full potential.
  I am pleased this legislation takes several steps to reduce red tape. 
Now, what do I mean by that?
  First, we are going to speed up reimbursements to community 
providers. We are going to strengthen medical record sharing between 
the VA and community providers and reduce out-of-pocket costs for 
veterans--all very important steps to improving the VA Choice Program. 
These are commonsense, bipartisan improvements.
  I want to thank Chairman Roe for his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. O'Rourke), my good friend, the

[[Page 5604]]

ranking member of our Economic Opportunity Subcommittee.
  Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the 
chairman of the full committee, and I join the ranking member of the 
full committee in honoring the work of Chairman Roe, his staff, and his 
ensuring that we do the right thing for every single one of the 
veterans in this country that we are here to serve.
  It would be easy just to criticize the Choice Program which has not 
worked fully as intended. Too many of the veterans that we represent 
are still getting bills when their provider in the community, the VA, 
and the third-party administrator can't resolve their differences.
  Too many veterans are having too hard of a time in getting an 
appointment in a timely fashion. And as we learned recently, the VA 
still is not fully measuring the true wait time for the more than 3 
million appointments that have been made through the Choice Program 
right now. We don't have the kind of accountability that we must have.
  All the same, the Choice Program is bridging care for veterans who 
need it in millions of instances. To simply allow the sunset to take 
place without having the time necessary to work on some of the 
necessary fixes would be irresponsible. So thanks to the chairman and 
the ranking member, we are able to do that today.
  We also ensure that the VA becomes the primary payer, which is going 
to reduce some of the billing headaches that veterans have 
unnecessarily been subjected to.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to point out that the bill contains the Vet 
Connect Act, which I was able to author with Congressman Benishek, a 
bipartisan bill, last session, re-introduced this session.
  It is bicameral, as well, in the Senate. We have Senators Tester, 
Isakson, and Manchin, who authored this bill that ensures that 
veterans' private medical information follows them from the VA to their 
provider in the community and then back to the VA, ensuring that every 
appointment, every provider, and every doctor can make informed medical 
decisions on behalf of those veterans. Right now, at the current rate 
of inclusion of veterans' personal medical information, it would take 
60 years to get all the data into the hands of the doctors who need to 
make that care.
  This brings the VA and the veterans under the VA's care into modern 
medical record keeping and sharing. It honors all of the HIPAA 
regulations; ensures privacy of veterans' medical records; but, most 
importantly, ensures that they are going to get better, more informed 
quality care, better outcomes, better treatment. It is what the 
veterans that we serve have earned and deserve.
  I am very proud to join my colleagues in this to work for its 
passage. I hope that the other Members of this body will join us in 
supporting this unanimously.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining? 
I have two speakers to go.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Woodall). The gentleman from Minnesota 
has 7\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Correa), a good friend, a new member of the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, someone who came to the House of Representatives and 
asked to serve veterans and be on the committee.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Roe and our ranking member, 
Mr. Walz, for all the good work for all of our veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise also in support of the Choice Act and urge my 
colleagues to also protect our veterans' access to health care.
  Our veterans all gave some, and many, many made the ultimate 
sacrifice for our Nation. Providing our vets with the best health care 
our Nation can deliver on a timely basis is the least we can do for our 
veterans.
  Sadly, as all of us know, in 2014, the average wait time at a VA 
medical center was 115 days. The Choice Program has provided vets with 
the opportunity of obtaining health care in their community on a timely 
basis.
  The VA, of course, is an excellent institution that takes care of 
many, many of our veterans. Yet, when the VA is not available, the 
Choice Program can be the best option for our heroes.
  No one--no one--should have to wait 3 months to see their doctor, 
especially our vets, our heroes. We must meet our commitment one way or 
another. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Let's, all of us, 
keep the promise this country has made to every one of our veterans.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nevada 
(Mr. Kihuen), who has taken a keen interest in veterans' issues. I am 
grateful that he is here today.
  Mr. KIHUEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz 
for their bipartisan work on this issue on behalf of our veterans and 
our country. It is very refreshing to see bipartisanship here in this 
body.
  Mr. Speaker, veterans have made the incredible sacrifice for our 
country. The Department of Veterans Affairs has the obligation to 
ensure that they have access to high-quality and affordable health 
care.
  I support the aim of S. 544 to make key improvements to the Choice 
Program as Congress continues to work on longer term solutions.
  While I am hopeful that this bill will help eliminate the problems 
and delays that veterans have experienced with the Choice Program, this 
program should be the option of last resort for veterans.
  In Ely, Nevada, a rural community in my district, the VA is 
considering not renewing its contract with the Ely Community Clinic, 
forcing veterans to rely solely on the Choice Program for access to 
care. Just this week, hundreds of veterans turned out at a forum in Ely 
to voice their opposition to using the Choice Program.
  Closing the VA clinic in Ely will be burdensome for many veterans in 
northern Nevada and central Nevada and could force them to travel 
hundreds of miles to get healthcare services that they rely on. These 
veterans have already fought for their country. They shouldn't have to 
fight to keep their VA clinic in Ely open.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, but it is not enough. We owe it to 
our veterans not to use the Choice Program as a crutch, but to make the 
proper investments in the health care our veterans deserve.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to thank the 
chairman, the staff, and everyone who has been here.
  I think, of all the committees that are modeling the behavior of 
democracy, bipartisanship, and what our government stands for, the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee is one that takes that responsibility 
seriously. The chairman always models it. I think this is a case of 
that.
  You heard the speakers come here. This is a big issue. There may be 
some differences in how the delivery, long term, looks, but there is no 
division on getting the best and most timely care to our veterans.
  With that, I encourage my colleagues to support S. 544.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  I want to thank the majority and the minority staff that worked on 
this bill, and certainly the Senate, Senators Tester and Isakson, and 
the committee on the Senate side for getting this over here in a timely 
way. We needed to do this now so that we could continue care for 
patients that would go past August 7. We have people right now who are 
getting care that is going to be long term, and they would be cut off 
or couldn't use the Choice program.
  We have heard a lot of the problems with Choice here, but it has also 
helped a lot of veterans. What we feel like we

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want the opportunity to do now is be given a little bit of time, in a 
bipartisan way, to work out the problems with this.
  I think this goes for everyone on our committee: At the end of the 
day, our purpose, our goal is to provide access and the best quality of 
care for veterans that this country can deliver. That is the goal of 
our committee in a bipartisan way.
  With that, once again, I encourage all of my Members to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, S. 544.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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