II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1723 

To appropriate amounts to the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve 

health care furnished by the Department, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 2, 2017 

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

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To appropriate amounts to the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve health care furnished by the Department, 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 ‘‘Strengthening Vet5 erans Health Care Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 

8 (1) the Veterans Access, Choice, and Account9 ability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–146) estab10 lished the Veterans Choice Program under section 


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1 101 of such Act (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 

2 1701 note) as a temporary program to address a 

3 wait time backlog for the receipt of health care from 

4 the Department of Veterans Affairs and a shortage 

5 of health care professionals at medical facilities of 

6 the Department; 

7 (2) as of the date of the enactment of this Act, 

8 there are approximately 45,000 vacancies at the Vet9 erans Health Administration; and 

10 (3) of those vacancies, approximately 36,000 

11 are vacancies for positions relating to front line care 

12 for veterans. 

13 SEC. 3. APPROPRIATION OF AMOUNTS FOR HEALTH CARE 

14 FROM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro16 priated, and is appropriated, to the Secretary of Veterans 

17 Affairs, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 

18 appropriated, $5,000,000,000 to carry out subsection (c). 

19 (b) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—The amount ap20 propriated under subsection (a) shall be available for obli21 gation or expenditure without fiscal year limitation. 

22 (c) USE OF AMOUNTS.—The amount appropriated 

23 under subsection (a) shall be used by the Secretary as fol24 lows: 


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1 (1) To increase the access of veterans to care 

2 as follows: 

3 (A) To hire primary care and specialty 

4 care physicians for employment in the Depart5 ment of Veterans Affairs. 

6 (B) To hire other medical staff, including 

7 the following: 

8 (i) Physicians. 

9 (ii) Nurses. 

10 (iii) Social workers. 

11 (iv) Mental health professionals. 

12 (v) Dental professionals. 

13 (vi) Other health care professionals as 

14 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

15 (C) To carry out the following: 

16 (i) Section 7412 of title 38, United 

17 States Code. 

18 (ii) Section 7302(e) of such title. 

19 (iii) Section 301(b)(2) of the Veterans 

20 Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 

21 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 

22 7302 note). 

23 (D) To pay for expenses, equipment, and 

24 other costs associated with the hiring of pri25 mary care physicians, specialty care physicians, 


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1 and other medical staff under subparagraphs 

2 (A), (B), and (C). 

3 (2) To improve the physical infrastructure of 

4 the Department as follows: 

5 (A) To maintain and operate hospitals, 

6 nursing homes, domiciliary facilities, and other 

7 facilities of the Veterans Health Administra8 tion. 

9 (B) To enter into contracts or hire tem10 porary employees to repair, alter, or improve fa11 cilities under the jurisdiction of the Department 

12 that are not otherwise provided for under this 

13 paragraph. 

14 (C) To carry out leases for facilities of the 

15 Department. 

16 (D) To carry out minor construction 

17 projects of the Department. 

18 (d) REPORT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appro22 priate committees of Congress a report on how the 

23 Secretary has obligated the amount appropriated 

24 under subsection (a) as of the date of the submittal 

25 of the report. 


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1 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS

2 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ appro3 priate committees of Congress’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

5 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

6 Senate; and 

7 (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

8 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

9 House of Representatives. 

10 (e) FUNDING PLAN.—The Secretary shall submit to 

11 Congress a funding plan describing how the Secretary in12 tends to use the amount appropriated under subsection 

13 (a). 

14 SEC. 4. EMERGENCY DESIGNATIONS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—This Act is designated as an 

16 emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the 

17 Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

18 (b) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, this 

19 Act is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant 

20 to section 403(a) of S. Con. Res. 13 (111th Congress), 

21 the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 

22 2010. 

Æ 


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