I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4985 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to furnish, at the request of an eligible veteran, nursing home 

care and hospital care at State licensed or certified residential care 

facilities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 5, 2019 

Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. HIMES, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, and Mr. 

COURTNEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish, at the request 

of an eligible veteran, nursing home care and hospital 

care at State licensed or certified residential care facilities. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Residential 

5 Care Choice Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVISION 

2 OF NURSING HOME CARE AND HOSPITAL 

3 CARE AT STATE LICENSED OR CERTIFIED 

4 RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 

6 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following new section: 

8 ‘‘§ 1720J. State licensed or certified residential care 

9 facilities 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—At the request of an eligible vet11 eran for whom the Secretary is required to provide domi12 ciliary, nursing home, adult day health, or hospital care 

13 under this chapter, or whom the Secretary determines is 

14 in need of such care, the Secretary may place the veteran 

15 in a State licensed or certified residential care facility that 

16 meets Department standards, at the expense of the United 

17 States, pursuant to a contract or agreement entered into 

18 between the Secretary and the facility for such purpose, 

19 if the cost of providing such care to such veteran through 

20 such facility is less than the cost of providing such care 

21 to the veteran through any other available option. A vet22 eran who is placed in such a facility under this section 

23 shall agree, as a condition of such placement, to accept 

24 home health services furnished by the Secretary under sec25 tion 1717 of this title. 


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1 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this section, an 

2 eligible veteran is a veteran who is eligible for hospital care 

3 or medical services under section 1710 of this title. 

4 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF STATE LICENSED OR CER5 TIFIED RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY.—In this section, 

6 the term ‘State licensed or certified residential care facil7 ity’ means any assisted living facility, basic care facility, 

8 community residence, enriched housing program, home for 

9 the aged, personal care home, shared housing establish10 ment, or other similar licensed or certified facility.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 

13 at the end of the items relating to such subchapter the 

14 following new item: 

‘‘1720J. State licensed or certified residential care facilities.’’. 

15 (c) APPLICABILITY.—Section 1720J of title 38, 

16 United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take 

17 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 

18 apply with respect to any veteran who is eligible under 

19 subsection (b) of that section, including such a veteran 

20 who, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, resides 

21 in a State licensed or certified residential care facility, as 

22 such term is defined in subsection (c) of such section. 

Æ 


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