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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 544 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.544

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and seventeen

                                 An Act

 
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.

    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.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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