II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 49 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans in each 

of the 48 contiguous States are able to receive services in at least 

one full-service Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in the 

State or receive comparable services provided by contract in the State, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 22 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2013 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Ms. AYOTTE) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans in each of the 48 contiguous States are able to 

receive services in at least one full-service Department 

of Veterans Affairs medical center in the State or receive 

comparable services provided by contract in the State, 

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 Eq5 uity Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF FULL-SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF 

2 VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTERS IN 

3 CERTAIN STATES OR PROVISION OF COM4 PARABLE SERVICES THROUGH CONTRACT 

5 WITH OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN 

6 THE STATE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 38, United 

8 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1706 

9 the following new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 1706A. Management of health care: access to full11 service Department medical centers in 

12 certain States or comparable services 

13 through contract 

14 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—With respect to each of the 48 

15 contiguous States, the Secretary shall ensure that veterans 

16 in a State who are eligible for hospital care and medical 

17 services under section 1710 of this title have access— 

18 ‘‘(1) to at least one full-service Department 

19 medical center in the State; or 

20 ‘‘(2) to hospital care and medical services com21 parable to the services typically provided by full22 service Department medical centers through contract 

23 with other health care providers in the State. 

24 ‘‘(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in sub25 section (a) shall be construed to limit the ability of the 

26 Secretary to provide enhanced care to an eligible veteran 


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1 who resides in one State in a Department medical center 

2 in another State. 

3 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION ON REQUIREMENT.—Subsection (a) 

4 shall be effective in any fiscal year only to the extent and 

5 in the amount provided in advance in appropriations Acts. 

6 ‘‘(d) FULL-SERVICE DEPARTMENT MEDICAL CEN7 TER DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘full-service De8 partment medical center’ means a facility of the Depart9 ment that provides medical services, including hospital 

10 care, emergency medical services, and surgical care rated 

11 by the Secretary as having a surgical complexity level of 

12 standard.’’. 

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

14 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

15 after the item relating to section 1706 the following new 

16 item: 

‘‘1706A. Management of health care: access to full-service Department medical 

centers in certain States or comparable services through contract.’’. 

17 (c) REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 

18 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

19 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a 

20 report describing the extent to which the Secretary has 

21 complied with the requirement imposed by section 1706A 

22 of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 


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1 (a), including the effect of such requirement on improving 

2 the quality and standards of care provided to veterans. 

Æ 


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