II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1985 

To reauthorize and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides health 

services to veterans through qualifying non-Department of Veterans Affairs health care providers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2014 

Mr. MORAN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs under which the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs provides health services to veterans 

through qualifying non-Department of Veterans Affairs 

health care providers, 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 ‘‘Veterans Health Care 

5 Access Received Closer to Home Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 


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1 (1) veterans who are authorized by the Sec2 retary of Veterans Affairs to receive health care in 

3 the community must not lose the high quality, safe4 ty, care coordination, and other veteran-centric ele5 ments that the health care system of the Depart6 ment of Veterans Affairs provides; 

7 (2) many veterans receive health care from both 

8 the Department and community providers but the 

9 lack of care coordination among the Department and 

10 community providers when veterans receive pur11 chased care places veterans at risk for poor health 

12 outcomes and results in inefficient use of finite 

13 health care resources; 

14 (3) veteran-centric care coordination is associ15 ated with improved patient outcomes, as Department 

16 and non-Department health care teams coordinate 

17 and collaborate to provide the best care for veterans; 

18 and 

19 (4) if the Secretary purchases care for veterans 

20 from the private sector, such care must be secured 

21 in a cost-effective manner, in a way that com22 plements the larger health care system of the De23 partment by using industry standards for care and 

24 costs. 


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1 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT 

2 PROGRAM OF ENHANCED CONTRACT CARE 

3 AUTHORITY FOR HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF 

4 VETERANS. 

5 Section 403 of the Veterans’ Mental Health and 

6 Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 (Public Law 110– 

7 387; 38 U.S.C. 1703 note) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘120 

10 days after the date of the enactment of this 

11 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘90 days after the date of 

12 the enactment of the Veterans Health Care Ac13 cess Received Closer to Home Act of 2014’’; 

14 and 

15 (B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM LOCATIONS.—The Secretary 

18 shall carry out the pilot program at locations in the 

19 following Veterans Integrated Service Networks (and 

20 such other locations as the Secretary considers ap21 propriate): 

22 ‘‘(A) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

23 1. 

24 ‘‘(B) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

25 6. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

2 15. 

3 ‘‘(D) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

4 19.’’; 

5 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(b) COVERED VETERANS.—For purposes of the 

8 pilot program under this section, a covered veteran is any 

9 veteran who is eligible for health care under the laws ad10 ministered by the Secretary.’’; 

11 (3) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub12 section (j); 

13 (4) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol14 lowing new subsections: 

15 ‘‘(h) APPOINTMENTS.—In carrying out the pilot pro16 gram under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that 

17 medical appointments for veterans occur during the 30- 

18 day period beginning on the date that is 15 days after 

19 the date on which the appointment is requested. 

20 ‘‘(i) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall ensure that a 

21 veteran eligible for the pilot program under this section 

22 is informed of such program.’’; and 

23 (5) in paragraph (2) of subsection (j), as redes24 ignated by paragraph (3)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking the 

2 semicolon at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

3 (B) by striking subparagraph (B); and 

4 (C) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

5 subparagraph (B). 

Æ 


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