I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3387

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve health care programs 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to extend certain expiring 

authorities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 29, 2003

Mr. EVANS (for himself and Mr. RODRIGUEZ) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve health 

care programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

and to extend certain expiring authorities.

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; REFERENCES TO TITLE 38. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Health Pro5 grams Improvement Act of 2003’’. 

6 (b) REFERENCES TO TITLE 38.—Except as otherwise 

7 expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment 

8 or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or 

9 repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall 
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1 be considered to be made to a section or other provision 

2 of title 38, United States Code. 

3 SEC. 2. CARE FOR NEWBORN CHILDREN OF WOMEN VET4 ERANS RECEIVING MATERNITY CARE. 

5 (a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE NEWBORN INFANT

6 CARE.—Subchapter VIII of chapter 17 is amended by 

7 adding at the end the following new section: 

8 ‘‘§ 1785. Care for newborn children of women vet9 erans receiving maternity care 

10 ‘‘The Secretary may furnish care to a newborn child 

11 of a woman veteran who is receiving maternity care fur12 nished by the Department for up to 14 days after the birth 

13 of the child if the veteran delivered the child in a Depart14 ment facility or in a non-Department facility under a De15 partment contract for the delivery services.’’. 

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

17 at the beginning of such subchapter is amended by insert18 ing after the item relating to section 1784 the following 

19 new item:

‘‘1785. Care for newborn children of women veterans receiving maternity care.’’.

20 SEC. 3. ENHANCEMENT OF REHABILITATIVE SERVICES. 

21 (a) REHABILITATIVE SERVICES THROUGH MEDICAL

22 CARE AUTHORITY.—Section 1701(8) is amended by strik23 ing ‘‘(other than those types of vocational rehabilitation 

24 services provided under chapter 31 of this title)’’. 

25 (b) Section 1718 is amended—
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1 (1) in subsection (c)(1)—

2 (A) by striking ‘‘subsection (b) of this sec3 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b) or (d)’’; and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (2) of such 

5 subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(2)’’; 

6 (2) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and 

7 (f) as subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively; and 

8 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol9 lowing new subsection (d): 

10 ‘‘(d) In providing to a veteran rehabilitative services 

11 under this chapter, the Secretary may furnish the veteran 

12 with the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) Work skills training and development serv14 ices. 

15 ‘‘(2) Employment support services. 

16 ‘‘(3) Job development and placement services.’’. 

17 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF EXPIRED SPECIAL TREATMENT AU18 THORITIES. 

19 (a) VIETNAM-ERA HERBICIDE-EXPOSED VET20 ERANS.—Section 1710(e)(3)(A) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘December 31, 2002’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 

22 2008’’. 

23 (b) PERSIAN GULF VETERANS.—Section 

24 1710(e)(3)(B) is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 

25 2002’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2008’’. 
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1 SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT FOR PATIENTS TO PROVIDE CER2 TAIN HEALTH-PLAN INFORMATION. 

3 (a) Subchapter I of chapter 17 is amended by adding 

4 at the end the following new section: 

5 ‘‘§ 1709. Provision of health-plan contract informa6 tion 

7 ‘‘(a) An individual who applies for or is in receipt 

8 of hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care, medical, re9 habilitative, or preventive health services, or other medical 

10 care under laws administered by the Secretary shall, at 

11 the time of such application, or otherwise when requested 

12 by the Secretary, furnish the Secretary with such current 

13 information as the Secretary may require to identify any 

14 health-plan contract, as defined in section 1729(i)(1) of 

15 this title, under which such individual is covered. Such 

16 identifying information may include, as applicable, the 

17 name, address, and telephone number of such health-plan 

18 contract, the name of the individual’s spouse, if the indi19 vidual’s coverage is under the spouse’s health-plan con20 tract, the plan number, and the plan’s group code. 

21 ‘‘(b) The Secretary shall deny the individual’s appli22 cation for, or terminate the individual’s enrollment in, the 

23 system of patient enrollment established by the Secretary 

24 under section 1705 of this title if the individual does not 

25 provide the health-plan contract identifying information 

26 required or requested to be furnished pursuant to sub-
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1 section (a). The Secretary, following such denial or termi2 nation, may, upon receipt of the information required or 

3 requested, approve the individual’s application or reinstate 

4 the individual’s enrollment (if otherwise in order), for such 

5 medical care and services provided on and after the date 

6 of such receipt of information. 

7 ‘‘(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as au8 thority to deny medical care or treatment to an individual 

9 in a medical emergency.’’. 

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

11 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

12 after the item relating to section 1708 the following new 

13 item:

‘‘1709. Provision of health-plan contract information.’’.

14 SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR LEASE TO NON15 PROFITS OR STATES OF PROPERTIES ON 

16 WHICH VETERANS HAVE DEFAULTED ON 

17 GUARANTEED HOME LOANS. 

18 (a) EXTENSION.—Section 2041(c) is amended by 

19 striking ‘‘December 31, 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘December 

20 31, 2008’’. 

21 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—The first sentence of 

22 section 2041(a)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘this chapter’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘chapter 37 of this title’’. 
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1 SEC. 7. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF CERTAIN ANNUAL RE2 PORTS. 

3 (a) REPORT ON COMMITTEE ON CARE OF SEVERELY

4 CHRONICALLY MENTALLY ILL VETERANS.—Section 

5 7321(d)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘February 1, 1998, 

6 and February 1 of each of the six following years’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘February 1 of each year through 2009’’. 

8 (b) PTSD REPORT.—Section 110(e)(2) of the Vet9 erans Health Care Act of 1984 (38 U.S.C. 1712A note) 

10 is amended by striking ‘‘February 1, 2001, and February 

11 1 of each of the three following years’’ and inserting ‘‘Feb12 ruary 1 of each year through 2009’’. 

13 SEC. 8. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF READJUSTMENT COUN14 SELING FOR VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS. 

15 Section 1712(a)(1)(B)(ii) is amended by striking 

16 ‘‘January 1, 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘January 1, 2009’’. 

17 SEC. 9. PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR SEXUAL TRAUMA 

18 COUNSELING. 

19 Section 1720D(a) is amended—

20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘During the 

21 period through December 31, 2004, the’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘The’’; and 

23 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, during the 

24 period through December 31, 2004,’’.

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