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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2405 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2405

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide veterans enrolled in 
 the health system of the Department of Veterans Affairs the option of 
 receiving covered health services through facilities other than those 
                           of the Department.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2009

   Mr. Latham (for himself, Mr. McCotter, and Mr. Miller of Florida) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide veterans enrolled in 
 the health system of the Department of Veterans Affairs the option of 
 receiving covered health services through facilities other than those 
                           of the Department.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Richard Helm Veterans' Access to 
Local Health Care Options and Resources Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR PAYMENTS TO FACILITIES OTHER THAN THE 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR COVERED HEALTH 
              SERVICES.

    (a) Requirement To Authorize Receipt of Covered Health Services at 
Non-Department Facilities Pursuant to Contracts With Such Facilities.--
Subsection (a) of section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) An enrolled veteran may elect to receive covered health 
services through a non-Department facility. Such an election shall be 
made by submission to the Secretary of an application in accordance 
with such regulations as the Secretary prescribes. The Secretary shall 
authorize such services to be furnished to such veteran pursuant to 
contracting with such a facility to furnish such services to such a 
veteran, as authorized in section 1710 of this title.''.
    (b) Descriptions of Covered Health Services and Enrolled 
Veterans.--Such section is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(e) For purposes of subsection (a)--
            ``(1) a covered health service is any hospital care, 
        medical service, rehabilitative service, or preventative health 
        service for which the veteran described in such subsection is 
        eligible under this title; and
            ``(2) an enrolled veteran is a veteran who is enrolled in 
        the system of patient enrollment established under section 
        1705(a) of this title.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
implement the amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) in order for 
enrolled veterans described in section 1703(e)(2) of title 38, United 
States Code, as added by subsection (b), to receive covered health 
services in accordance with section 1703(a) of such title, as amended 
by subsection (a), not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PHARMACIES TO 
              DISPENSE MEDICATIONS TO VETERANS ON PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN 
              BY PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS.

    Section 1712 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Subject to section 1722A of this title, the Secretary shall 
furnish to a veteran, through a Department health-care facility, such 
drugs and medicines as may be ordered on prescription of a duly 
licensed physician in the treatment of any illness or injury of the 
veteran provided pursuant to the authority to contract with a non-
Department facility for such treatment under section 1703 of this 
title.''.
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