I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3879 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for covered agreements 

and contracts between the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and eligible 

academic affiliates for the mutually beneficial coordination, use, or exchange of health-care resources, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 3, 2015 

Mr. O’ROURKE (for himself and Mr. COFFMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for covered agreements and contracts between the Secretary 

of Veterans Affairs and eligible academic affiliates for 

the mutually beneficial coordination, use, or exchange 

of health-care resources, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Enhanced Veteran 

5 Healthcare Act of 2015’’. 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 3879 IH

1 SEC. 2. COVERED AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS FOR MU2 TUALLY BENEFICIAL COORDINATION, USE, 

3 OR EXCHANGE OF HEALTH-CARE RE4 SOURCES. 

5 Section 8153 of title 38, United States Code, is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in9 cluding pursuant to paragraph (4)’’ before the 

10 period at the end; 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

12 paragraph: 

13 ‘‘(4) In carrying out paragraph (1), in order to carry 

14 out more effectively the primary function of the Veterans 

15 Health Administration and notwithstanding any other 

16 provision of this section, the Secretary shall seek to enter 

17 into covered agreements and contracts for the mutually 

18 beneficial coordination, use, or exchange of use of covered 

19 health-care resources of the Department with eligible aca20 demic affiliates with the goal of improving the access to, 

21 and quality of, the hospital care and medical services fur22 nished by the Department.’’; and 

23 (C) in paragraph (3)(A), by adding at the 

24 end the following new sentence: ‘‘In the case of 

25 a covered agreement or contract under para26 graph (4) for the coordination, use, or exchange 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 3879 IH

1 of a clinical service, the use of medical equip2 ment or space, research, the construction or 

3 lease of clinical space, the use of any full-time 

4 equivalent employee of the Department or a 

5 contractor of the Department or the use of any 

6 full-time equivalent employee jointly hired by 

7 the Department and an eligible academic affil8 iate, the Secretary shall make arrangements for 

9 the acquisition of the resource by using proce10 dures other than competitive procedures.’’; and 

11 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub12 section: 

13 ‘‘(h) In this section: 

14 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered agreement or contract’ 

15 means a partnership or contracts between the Sec16 retary and an eligible academic affiliate for the mu17 tually beneficial coordination, use, or exchange of 

18 use of covered health-care resources. 

19 ‘‘(2) The term ‘covered health-care resource’ 

20 means, with respect to covered agreements or con21 tracts, any clinical service, direct patient care, space 

22 (whether leased or constructed) used for clinical 

23 services or research, and employees responsible for 

24 providing direct patient care. 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 3879 IH

1 ‘‘(3) The term ‘eligible academic affiliate’ 

2 means an accredited school of allopathic medicine, 

3 osteopathic medicine, or dentistry, a university 

4 health sciences center, or a teaching hospital affili5 ated with such a school or center.’’. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS