In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

December 10, 2018. 

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 2248) entitled ‘‘An Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide certain 

burial benefits for spouses and children of veterans who are 

buried in tribal cemeteries, and for other purposes.’’, do pass 

with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vet3 erans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—EDUCATION 

Sec. 101. Inclusion of certain additional periods of active duty service for purposes of suspension of charges to entitlement during periods of 

suspended participation in Department of Veterans Affairs vocational rehabilitation programs. 

Sec. 102. Provision of monthly housing stipend information under Post-9/11 

Educational Assistance Program. 

Sec. 103. Disapproval for purposes of educational assistance programs of Department of Veterans Affairs of certain courses of education that do 

not permit individuals to attend or participate in courses pending payment. 

Sec. 104. Provision of information on required additional actions to allow individuals to stay enrolled in courses of education pending receipt 

of educational assistance from department of veterans affairs. 

Sec. 105. Calculation of monthly housing stipend under high technology pilot program based on location of campus where veteran attends classes. 
2 

•S 2248 EAH 

Sec. 106. Clarification regarding applicability of authority to use educational assistance to pursue independent study programs at certain educational institutions that are not institutions of higher learning. 

TITLE II—MEMORIAL AFFAIRS 

Sec. 201. Eligibility of spouses and children of veterans buried in tribal cemeteries for certain Department of Veterans Affairs burial benefits. 

Sec. 202. Department of Veterans Affairs provision of headstones and markers for, 

and interment in national cemeteries of, spouses and dependent 

children of members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty. 

TITLE III—CIVIL RELIEF 

Sec. 301. Termination of leases of premises of deceased servicemembers who die 

while in military service. 

Sec. 302. Residence of spouses of servicemembers for tax purposes. 

Sec. 303. Residence of spouses of servicemembers for voting. 

Sec. 304. Termination of multichannel video programming and internet access 

service contracts. 

TITLE IV—TRANSITION ASSISTANCE 

Sec. 401. Study of community-based transition assistance programs for members 

of the Armed Forces after separation, retirement, or discharge. 

TITLE V—DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION 

Sec. 501. Misuse of Department of Veterans Affairs purchase cards by Department employees. 

Sec. 502. Updating dependent information. 

Sec. 503. Oversight of Electronic Health Record Modernization Program. 

Sec. 504. Department of Veterans Affairs notice relating to debt collection activities. 

TITLE VI—MEDICAL FACILITIES 

Sec. 601. Authorization of major medical facility projects for fiscal year 2019. 

Sec. 602. Plans to improve medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

Sec. 701. Homeless veterans reintegration programs. 

Sec. 702. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 703. Medical Surgical Prime Vendor program. 

Sec. 704. Report on expanding access to dental care for veterans eligible for health 

care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
3 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 TITLE I—EDUCATION 

2 SEC. 101. INCLUSION OF CERTAIN ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF 

3 ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE FOR PURPOSES OF 

4 SUSPENSION OF CHARGES TO ENTITLEMENT 

5 DURING PERIODS OF SUSPENDED PARTICIPA6 TION IN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

7 VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. 

8 Section 3105(e)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is 

9 amended by striking ‘‘or 12304’’ and inserting ‘‘12304, 

10 12304a, or 12304b’’. 

11 SEC. 102. PROVISION OF MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND IN12 FORMATION UNDER POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL 

13 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

14 Section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, is amend15 ed by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

16 ‘‘(k) PROVISION OF HOUSING STIPEND PAYMENT IN17 FORMATION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall furnish 

19 to individuals receiving educational assistance under 

20 this chapter documentation that verifies the amount 

21 of the monthly housing stipend the individual receives 

22 under this section. 

23 ‘‘(2) MANNER.—The Secretary shall make such 

24 documentation available to the individual using an 

25 internet website in the same manner the Secretary 
4 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 provides documentation verifying compensation and 

2 other benefits furnished by the Secretary to individ3 uals.’’. 

4 SEC. 103. DISAPPROVAL FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATIONAL 

5 ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF 

6 VETERANS AFFAIRS OF CERTAIN COURSES OF 

7 EDUCATION THAT DO NOT PERMIT INDIVID8 UALS TO ATTEND OR PARTICIPATE IN 

9 COURSES PENDING PAYMENT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3679 of title 38, United 

11 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 

12 new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(e)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 

14 chapter, beginning on August 1, 2019, a State approving 

15 agency, or the Secretary when acting in the role of the State 

16 approving agency, shall disapprove a course of education 

17 provided by an educational institution that has in effect 

18 a policy that is inconsistent with any of the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) A policy that permits any covered indi20 vidual to attend or participate in the course of edu21 cation during the period beginning on the date on 

22 which the individual provides to the educational in23 stitution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to 

24 educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 of this 

25 title and ending on the earlier of the following dates: 
5 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 ‘‘(i) The date on which the Secretary pro2 vides payment for such course of education to 

3 such institution. 

4 ‘‘(ii) The date that is 90 days after the date 

5 on which the educational institution certifies for 

6 tuition and fees following receipt from the stu7 dent such certificate of eligibility. 

8 ‘‘(B) A policy that ensures that the educational 

9 institution will not impose any penalty, including the 

10 assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, 

11 libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the re12 quirement that a covered individual borrow addi13 tional funds, on any covered individual because of the 

14 individual’s inability to meet his or her financial ob15 ligations to the institution due to the delayed dis16 bursement of a payment to be provided by the Sec17 retary under chapter 31 or 33 of this title. 

18 ‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, a covered indi19 vidual is any individual who is entitled to educational as20 sistance under chapter 31 or 33 of this title. 

21 ‘‘(3) The Secretary may waive such requirements of 

22 paragraph (1) as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

23 ‘‘(4) It shall not be inconsistent with a policy described 

24 in paragraph (1) for an educational institution to require 
6 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 a covered individual to take the following additional ac2 tions: 

3 ‘‘(A) Submit a certificate of eligibility for enti4 tlement to educational assistance not later than the 

5 first day of a course of education for which the indi6 vidual has indicated the individual wishes to use the 

7 individual’s entitlement to educational assistance. 

8 ‘‘(B) Submit a written request to use such enti9 tlement. 

10 ‘‘(C) Provide additional information necessary 

11 to the proper certification of enrollment by the edu12 cational institution.’’. 

13 (b) PROMPT PAYMENTS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af15 fairs shall take such actions as may be necessary to 

16 ensure that the Secretary makes a payment to an 

17 educational institution on behalf of an individual, 

18 who is entitled to educational assistance under chap19 ter 31 or 33 of title 38, United States Code, and who 

20 is using such assistance to pursue a program of edu21 cation at the educational institution, not later than 

22 60 days after the date on which the educational insti23 tution certifies to the Secretary the applicable tuition 

24 and fees for the individual. 
7 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (2) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than May 

2 1 and October 1 of each year, the Secretary shall sub3 mit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen4 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

5 House of Representatives a semiannual report sum6 marizing any cases in which the Secretary failed to 

7 make a payment described in paragraph (1) within 

8 the period set forth in such paragraph and an expla9 nation for each delayed disbursement of payment. 

10 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—In a case in which an 

11 individual is unable to meet a financial obligation to an 

12 educational institution due to the delayed disbursement of 

13 a payment to be provided by the Secretary under chapter 

14 31 or 33 of such title and the amount of such disbursement 

15 is less than anticipated, nothing in section 3679(e) of such 

16 title, as added by subsection (a), shall be construed to pro17 hibit an educational institution from requiring additional 

18 payment or imposing a fee for the amount that is the dif19 ference between the amount of the financial obligation and 

20 the amount of the disbursement. 
8 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 SEC. 104. PROVISION OF INFORMATION ON REQUIRED AD2 DITIONAL ACTIONS TO ALLOW INDIVIDUALS 

3 TO STAY ENROLLED IN COURSES OF EDU4 CATION PENDING RECEIPT OF EDUCATIONAL 

5 ASSISTANCE FROM DEPARTMENT OF VET6 ERANS AFFAIRS. 

7 Section 3698(c)(1)(C) of title 38, United States Code, 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in clause (x), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and insert10 ing a semicolon; 

11 (2) in clause (xi), by striking the period at the 

12 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

14 clause: 

15 ‘‘(xii) information on whether the institu16 tion requires a covered individual to take addi17 tional action pursuant to section 3679(e)(4) of 

18 this title to stay enrolled in a course pending re19 ceipt of educational assistance under a law ad20 ministered by the Secretary.’’. 
9 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 SEC. 105. CALCULATION OF MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND 

2 UNDER HIGH TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM 

3 BASED ON LOCATION OF CAMPUS WHERE 

4 VETERAN ATTENDS CLASSES. 

5 Section 116(d)(1) of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 

6 Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48, 

7 38 U.S.C. 3001 (note)), is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘the insti9 tution at which the individual is enrolled’’ and in10 serting ‘‘the campus of the institution where the indi11 vidual physically participates in a majority of class12 es’’; and 

13 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘the 

14 amount payable’’ and all that follows through ‘‘sub15 paragraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘the national average 

16 of the monthly amount of the basic allowance for 

17 housing payable under section 403 of title 37, United 

18 States Code, for a member with dependents in pay 

19 grade E–5’’. 
10 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 SEC. 106. CLARIFICATION REGARDING APPLICABILITY OF 

2 AUTHORITY TO USE EDUCATIONAL ASSIST3 ANCE TO PURSUE INDEPENDENT STUDY PRO4 GRAMS AT CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL INSTITU5 TIONS THAT ARE NOT INSTITUTIONS OF 

6 HIGHER LEARNING. 

7 The section heading for section 302 of the Harry W. 

8 Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Pub9 lic Law 115–48; 131 Stat. 990) is amended to read as fol10 lows (and the table of contents for such Act is conformed 

11 accordingly): 

12 ‘‘SEC. 302. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF EDUCATIONAL AS13 SISTANCE UNDER ANY OF THE EDUCATIONAL 

14 ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF THE DEPART15 MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO PURSUE 

16 INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAMS AT CER17 TAIN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE 

18 NOT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING.’’. 

19 TITLE II—MEMORIAL AFFAIRS 

20 SEC. 201. ELIGIBILITY OF SPOUSES AND CHILDREN OF VET21 ERANS BURIED IN TRIBAL CEMETERIES FOR 

22 CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF23 FAIRS BURIAL BENEFITS. 

24 Section 2306 of title 38, United States Code, is amend25 ed— 
11 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (1) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting ‘‘or a vet2 erans’ cemetery owned by a tribal organization or on 

3 land owned by or held in trust for a tribal organiza4 tion’’ after ‘‘State’’; 

5 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘, a vet6 erans’ cemetery of a tribal organization or on land 

7 owned by or held in trust for a tribal organization’’ 

8 after ‘‘owned by a State’’; 

9 (3) in subsection (f)— 

10 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

11 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and insert13 ing ‘‘(1) The Secretary’’; 

14 (C) by striking ‘‘a national cemetery or in 

15 a veterans cemetery of a State or tribal organi16 zation for which the Department has provided a 

17 grant under section 2408 of this title’’ and in18 serting ‘‘a covered cemetery’’; and 

19 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) The term ‘covered cemetery’ means any of the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(A) A national cemetery. 

23 ‘‘(B) A veterans’ cemetery of a State for which 

24 the Department has provided a grant under section 

25 2408 of this title. 
12 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 ‘‘(C) A veterans’ cemetery of a tribal organiza2 tion or on land owned by or held in trust for a tribal 

3 organization for which the Department has provided 

4 a grant under subsection (f) of such section.’’; and 

5 (4) by adding at the end the following new sub6 section: 

7 ‘‘(i) In this section, the term ‘tribal organization’ has 

8 the meaning given such term in section 3765 of this title.’’. 

9 SEC. 202. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVISION 

10 OF HEADSTONES AND MARKERS FOR, AND IN11 TERMENT IN NATIONAL CEMETERIES OF, 

12 SPOUSES AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF 

13 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES SERVING 

14 ON ACTIVE DUTY. 

15 (a) HEADSTONES AND MARKERS.—Section 2306(b)(2) 

16 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

17 (1) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, or the 

18 spouse of a member of the Armed Forces serving on 

19 active duty under conditions other than dishonorable, 

20 as shown by a statement from a general court-martial 

21 convening authority, at the time of the spouse’s death 

22 if such death occurs before October 1, 2024’’ after 

23 ‘‘veteran’’; and 

24 (2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘, or the 

25 eligible dependent child of a member of the Armed 
13 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 Forces serving on active duty under conditions other 

2 than dishonorable, as shown by a statement from a 

3 general court-martial convening authority, at the 

4 time of the child’s death if such death occurs before 

5 October 1, 2024’’ after ‘‘veteran’’. 

6 (b) INTERMENT IN NATIONAL CEMETERIES.—Section 

7 2402(a)(5) of such title is amended by inserting ‘‘, and the 

8 spouse, minor child, and, in the discretion of the Secretary, 

9 unmarried adult child of a member of the Armed Forces 

10 serving on active duty under conditions other than dishon11 orable, as shown by a statement from a general court-mar12 tial convening authority, at the time of the spouse’s or 

13 child’s death if such death occurs before October 1, 2024’’ 

14 after ‘‘paragraph (7)’’. 

15 TITLE III—CIVIL RELIEF 

16 SEC. 301. TERMINATION OF LEASES OF PREMISES OF DE17 CEASED SERVICEMEMBERS WHO DIE WHILE 

18 IN MILITARY SERVICE. 

19 Section 305(a) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act 

20 (50 U.S.C. 3955) is amended— 

21 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘BY

22 LESSEE’’; 

23 (2) in the heading for paragraph (1), by striking 

24 ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘TERMINATION BY LES25 SEE’’; and 
14 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (3) by adding at the end the following new para2 graph: 

3 ‘‘(3) DEATH OF LESSEE.—The spouse of the les4 see on a lease described in subsection (b)(1) may ter5 minate the lease during the one-year period beginning 

6 on the date of the death of the lessee, if the lessee dies 

7 while in military service or while performing full8 time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve 

9 duty, or inactive-duty training (as such terms are de10 fined in section 101(d) of title 10, United States 

11 Code).’’. 

12 SEC. 302. RESIDENCE OF SPOUSES OF SERVICEMEMBERS 

13 FOR TAX PURPOSES. 

14 (a) RESIDENCE FOR TAX PURPOSES.—Section 

15 511(a)(2) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 

16 4001(a)(2)) is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘A spouse’’ and inserting the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A spouse’’; and 

20 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub21 paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(B) ELECTION.—For any taxable year of 

23 the marriage, the spouse of a servicemember may 

24 elect to use the same residence for purposes of 

25 taxation as the servicemember regardless of the 
15 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 date on which the marriage of the spouse and the 

2 servicemember occurred.’’. 

3 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub4 section (a) shall apply with respect to any return of State 

5 or local income tax filed for any taxable year beginning 

6 with the taxable year that includes the date of the enactment 

7 of this Act. 

8 SEC. 303. RESIDENCE OF SPOUSES OF SERVICEMEMBERS 

9 FOR VOTING. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 705(b) of the 

11 Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 4025(b)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘State or local office’’ and all 

14 that follows through the period at the end of para15 graph (3) and inserting ‘‘State or local office—’’; and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following new para17 graphs: 

18 ‘‘(1) a person who is absent from a State because 

19 the person is accompanying the person’s spouse who 

20 is absent from that same State in compliance with 

21 military or naval orders shall not, solely by reason of 

22 that absence— 

23 ‘‘(A) be deemed to have lost a residence or 

24 domicile in that State, without regard to whether 

25 or not the person intends to return to that State; 
16 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 ‘‘(B) be deemed to have acquired a residence 

2 or domicile in any other State; or 

3 ‘‘(C) be deemed to have become a resident in 

4 or a resident of any other State; and 

5 ‘‘(2) the spouse of a servicemember may elect to 

6 use the same residence as the servicemember regardless 

7 of the date on which the marriage of the spouse and 

8 the servicemember occurred.’’. 

9 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by sub10 section (a) shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after 

11 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

12 SEC. 304. TERMINATION OF MULTICHANNEL VIDEO PRO13 GRAMMING AND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE 

14 CONTRACTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 305A of the 

16 Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 3956) is amend17 ed— 

18 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘, MUL19 TICHANNEL VIDEO PROGRAMMING, AND INTER20 NET ACCESS’’ after ‘‘TELEPHONE’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘cellular tele22 phone service or telephone exchange service’’ and in23 serting ‘‘commercial mobile service, telephone ex24 change service, internet access service, or multi25 channel video programming service’’; 
17 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (3) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘for commer2 cial mobile service or telephone exchange service’’ be3 fore ‘‘terminated’’; 

4 (4) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding 

5 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘cellular telephone service’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘commercial mobile service’’; 

7 (5) in subsection (e)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘For any’’ and inserting the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For any’’; 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘If the’’ and inserting the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(2) REINSTATEMENT OF SERVICE.—If the’’; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) RETURN OF PROVIDER-OWNED EQUIP16 MENT.—If a servicemember terminates a contract 

17 under subsection (a), the servicemember shall return 

18 any provider-owned consumer premises equipment to 

19 the service provider not later than 10 days after the 

20 date on which service is disconnected.’’; and 

21 (6) in subsection (g)— 

22 (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

23 paragraph (4); and 

24 (B) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting 

25 the following: 
18 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘commercial mobile service’ has 

2 the meaning given that term in section 332(d) of the 

3 Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)). 

4 ‘‘(2) The term ‘multichannel video programming 

5 service’ means a subscription video service offered by 

6 a multichannel video programming distributor, as 

7 that term is defined in section 602 of the Communica8 tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 522), over a system the 

9 distributor owns or controls. 

10 ‘‘(3) The term ‘provider-owned consumer prem11 ises equipment’ means any equipment that a provider 

12 of internet access service or multichannel video pro13 gramming service rents or loans to a customer during 

14 the provision of that service, including gateways, 

15 routers, cable modems, voice-capable modems, 

16 CableCARDs, converters, digital adapters, remote con17 trols, and any other equipment provided.’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

19 (1) TITLE HEADING.—The heading for title III 

20 of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended by 

21 striking ‘‘TELEPHONE’’ and inserting ‘‘COM22 MUNICATIONS’’. 

23 (2) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents 

24 in section 1(b) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act 

25 is amended— 
19 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (A) by striking the item relating to title III 

2 and inserting the following new item: 

‘‘TITLE III—RENT, INSTALLMENT CONTRACTS, MORTGAGES, LIENS, 

ASSIGNMENT, LEASES, COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE CONTRACTS’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) by striking the item relating to section 

5 305A and inserting the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 305A. Termination of telephone, multichannel video programming, and 

internet access service contracts.’’. 

6 TITLE IV—TRANSITION 

7 ASSISTANCE 

8 SEC. 401. STUDY OF COMMUNITY-BASED TRANSITION AS9 SISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 

10 ARMED FORCES AFTER SEPARATION, RETIRE11 MENT, OR DISCHARGE. 

12 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in con13 sultation with State entities that serve members of the 

14 Armed Forces who are retired, separated, or discharged 

15 from the Armed Forces, shall enter into an agreement with 

16 an appropriate non-Federal entity to carry out a study to 

17 identify community-based programs— 

18 (1) that provide transition assistance to such 

19 members; and 

20 (2) operated by nonprofit entities. 

21 (b) TRANSMISSION TO MEMBERS.—The Secretary of 

22 Veterans Affairs shall transmit the list of programs identi23 fied under this section to the Secretary of Defense so the 
20 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 Secretaries of the military departments may provide infor2 mation in the list to members of the Armed Forces who par3 ticipate in the Transition Assistance Program under sec4 tions 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code. 

5 (c) ONLINE PUBLICATION.—The Secretary of Veterans 

6 Affairs shall publish the most recent version of the list of 

7 programs identified under this section on a public website 

8 of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

9 TITLE V—DEPARTMENTAL 

10 ADMINISTRATION 

11 SEC. 501. MISUSE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

12 PURCHASE CARDS BY DEPARTMENT EMPLOY13 EES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 7 of title 

15 38, United States Code, is further amended by adding at 

16 the end the following new section: 

17 ‘‘§ 728. Misuse of Department purchase cards 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Secretary shall prohibit 

19 any employee of the Department who the Secretary or the 

20 Inspector General of the Department determines has know21 ingly misused a purchase card from serving as a purchase 

22 card holder or approving official. 

23 ‘‘(2) Such a prohibition shall be in addition to any 

24 other applicable penalty. 
21 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 ‘‘(b) MISUSE.—For purposes of this section, the term 

2 ‘misuse’ means— 

3 ‘‘(1) splitting purchases; 

4 ‘‘(2) exceeding applicable purchase card limits or 

5 purchase thresholds; 

6 ‘‘(3) purchasing any unauthorized item; 

7 ‘‘(4) using a purchase card without being an au8 thorized purchase card holder; or 

9 ‘‘(5) violating ethics standards.’’. 

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

11 the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after 

12 the item relating to section 728 the following new item: 

‘‘728. Misuse of Department purchase cards.’’. 

13 SEC. 502. UPDATING DEPENDENT INFORMATION. 

14 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make such 

15 changes to such information technology systems of the De16 partment of Veterans Affairs, including the eBenefits system 

17 or successor system, as may be necessary so that whenever 

18 the Secretary records in such systems information about a 

19 dependent of a person, the person is able to review and re20 vise such information. 

21 SEC. 503. OVERSIGHT OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD 

22 MODERNIZATION PROGRAM. 

23 (a) PROGRAM DOCUMENTS.—Not later than 30 days 

24 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

25 of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate congres-
22 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 sional committees the following documents concerning the 

2 Electronic Health Record Modernization Program: 

3 (1) Integrated Master Plan. 

4 (2) Integrated Master Schedule. 

5 (3) Program Management Plan. 

6 (4) Annual and lifecycle cost estimates, includ7 ing, at a minimum, cost elements relating to— 

8 (A) Federal Government labor; 

9 (B) contractor labor; 

10 (C) hardware; 

11 (D) software; and 

12 (E) testing and evaluation. 

13 (5) Cost baseline. 

14 (6) Risk Management Plan. 

15 (7) Health IT Strategic Architecture Plan. 

16 (8) Transition Plan for implementing updated 

17 architecture. 

18 (9) Data Migration Plan. 

19 (10) System and Data Security Plan. 

20 (11) Application Implementation Plan. 

21 (12) System Design Documents. 

22 (13) Legacy Veterans Information Systems and 

23 Technology Architecture Standardization, Security 

24 Enhancement, and Consolidation Project Plan. 
23 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (14) Health Data Interoperability Management 

2 Plan. 

3 (15) Community Care Vision and Implementa4 tion Plan, including milestones and a detailed de5 scription of how complete interoperability with non6 Department health care providers will be achieved. 

7 (b) QUARTERLY UPDATES.—Not later than 30 days 

8 after the end of each fiscal quarter during the period begin9 ning with the fiscal quarter in which this Act is enacted 

10 and ending on the date on which the Electronic Health 

11 Record Modernization Program is completed, the Secretary 

12 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

13 the most recent updated versions, if any exist, of the fol14 lowing documents: 

15 (1) Integrated Master Schedule. 

16 (2) Program Management Plan, including any 

17 written Program Management Review material devel18 oped for the Program Management Plan during the 

19 fiscal quarter covered by the submission. 

20 (3) Each document described in subsection 

21 (a)(4). 

22 (4) Performance Baseline Report for the fiscal 

23 quarter covered by the submission or for the fiscal 

24 quarter ending the fiscal year prior to the submission. 

25 (5) Budget Reconciliation Report. 
24 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (6) Risk Management Plan and Risk Register. 

2 (c) CONTRACTS.—Not later than 5 days after award3 ing a contract, order, or agreement, including any modi4 fications thereto, under the Electronic Health Record Mod5 ernization Program, the Secretary shall submit to the ap6 propriate congressional committees a copy of the entire such 

7 contract, order, agreement, or modification. 

8 (d) NOTIFICATION.— 

9 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 10 days 

10 after an event described in paragraph (2) occurs, the 

11 Secretary shall notify the appropriate congressional 

12 committees of such occurrence, including a description 

13 of the event and an explanation for why such event 

14 occurred. 

15 (2) EVENT DESCRIBED.—An event described in 

16 this paragraph is any of the following events regard17 ing the Electronic Health Record Modernization Pro18 gram: 

19 (A) The delay of any milestone or deliver20 able by 30 or more days. 

21 (B) A request for equitable adjustment, eq22 uitable adjustment, or change order exceeding 

23 $1,000,000 (as such terms are defined in the 

24 Federal Acquisition Regulation). 
25 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (C) The submission of any protest, claim, or 

2 dispute, and the resolution of any protest, claim, 

3 or dispute (as such terms are defined in the Fed4 eral Acquisition Regulation). 

5 (D) A loss of clinical or other data. 

6 (E) A breach of patient privacy, including 

7 any— 

8 (i) disclosure of protected health infor9 mation that is not permitted under regula10 tions promulgated under section 264(c) of 

11 the Health Insurance Portability and Ac12 countability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104– 

13 191; 42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note); and 

14 (ii) breach of sensitive personal infor15 mation (as defined in section 5727 of title 

16 38, United States Code). 

17 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com19 mittees’’ means— 

20 (A) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 

21 the House of Representatives and the Senate; and 

22 (B) the Committees on Appropriations of 

23 the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

24 (2) The term ‘‘Electronic Health Record Mod25 ernization Program’’ means— 
26 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (A) any activities by the Department of 

2 Veterans Affairs to procure or implement an 

3 electronic health or medical record system to re4 place any or all of the Veterans Information Sys5 tems and Technology Architecture, the Computer6 ized Patient Record System, the Joint Legacy 

7 Viewer, or the Enterprise Health Management 

8 Platform; and 

9 (B) any contracts or agreements entered 

10 into by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry 

11 out, support, or analyze the activities under sub12 paragraph (A). 

13 SEC. 504. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NOTICE RE14 LATING TO DEBT COLLECTION ACTIVITIES. 

15 (a) DEBT NOTIFICATION LETTER FORMATS.—The Sec16 retary of Veterans Affairs shall collaborate with veterans 

17 service organizations to develop a standard format for any 

18 letter provided to an individual who the Secretary deter19 mines is indebted to the United States by virtue of such 

20 individual’s participation in a benefits program adminis21 tered by the Secretary. Such letter shall be written in plain 

22 language and shall include a notice of the debt and a clear 

23 explanation of— 
27 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (1) why the individual is indebted to the United 

2 States by virtue of such person’s participation in a 

3 benefits program administered by the Secretary; and 

4 (2) the options available to the individual. 

5 (b) DELIVERY OF DEBT NOTICES BY STANDARD MAIL

6 AND ELECTRONIC MEANS.—The Secretary shall develop a 

7 method by which individuals may elect to receive notice of 

8 debt by electronic means and shall ensure, to the extent 

9 practicable, that the letter developed under subsection (a) 

10 is delivered— 

11 (1) by both standard mail and by electronic 

12 means to intended recipients who have made such an 

13 election; and 

14 (2) only by standard mail to intended recipients 

15 who have not made such an election. 

16 (c) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.— 

17 (1) NOTICES OF COMPLETION.—Upon completion 

18 of the development of the standard letter format re19 quired under subsection (a) and upon completion of 

20 development of the method by which individuals may 

21 elect to receive notice of debt by electronic means 

22 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit to 

23 Congress notice of the completion of the respective de24 velopment. 
28 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (2) PROGRESS REPORTS.—If the Secretary has 

2 not submitted each notice required by paragraph (1) 

3 by the date that is 90 days after the date of the enact4 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 

5 (A) submit to Congress a report describing 

6 the progress of the Secretary toward imple7 menting subsections (a) and (b) and an expla8 nation for why the respective development has 

9 not been completed; and 

10 (B) every 30 days thereafter until all of the 

11 notices required by paragraph (1) have been sub12 mitted, submit to Congress an update to the re13 port under subparagraph (A) that includes an 

14 additional explanation for the failure to complete 

15 the respective development. 

16 (d) STUDY AND REPORT.— 

17 (1) STUDY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

18 in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, 

19 shall conduct a study on the process by which indi20 viduals who are indebted to the United States by vir21 tue of their participation in a benefits program ad22 ministered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs are 

23 notified of debt collection efforts relating to such in24 debtedness. 
29 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (2) ELEMENTS.—The study required by para2 graph (1) shall include the following: 

3 (A) An analysis of the scope of the problem 

4 of individuals who are indebted to the United 

5 States by virtue of their participation in a bene6 fits program administered by the Secretary of 

7 Veterans Affairs not receiving debt collection no8 tices relating to such indebtedness. 

9 (B) Identification of administrative actions 

10 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Sec11 retary of the Treasury can carry out to reduce 

12 the number of incorrect or unknown addresses of 

13 such individuals in the databases of the Depart14 ment Veterans Affairs and the Department of the 

15 Treasury and a timeline for carrying out such 

16 actions. 

17 (C) An estimate of the costs associated with 

18 sending debt collection notices to such individ19 uals by certified mail. 

20 (D) An analysis of whether, or to what ex21 tent, sending debt collection notices to such indi22 viduals by certified mail would address the prob23 lem analyzed under subparagraph (A). 

24 (E) An analysis of the requirements and re25 sources that would be necessary for the Secretary 
30 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 of Veterans Affairs to establish a method for the 

2 Secretary to display in one consolidated docu3 ment the details regarding all of the debts of an 

4 individual to the United States by virtue of such 

5 individual’s participation in a benefits program 

6 administered by the Secretary. 

7 (F) An analysis of the extent to which such 

8 individuals are so indebted by reason of actions 

9 by the Secretary or by actions of the individual, 

10 including any trends relating to whether the ac11 tions of the individual may be by reason of 

12 error, misrepresentation, or fraud. 

13 (3) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet15 erans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of 

16 the Treasury, shall submit to Congress a report on the 

17 findings of the Secretaries with respect to the study 

18 conducted under paragraph (1). 

19 TITLE VI—MEDICAL FACILITIES 

20 SEC. 601. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY 

21 PROJECTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

23 may carry out the following major medical facility projects 

24 in fiscal year 2019 at the locations specified and in an 
31 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 amount for each project not to exceed the amount specified 

2 for such location: 

3 (1) Construction of a community living center 

4 and renovation of domiciliary and outpatient facili5 ties in Canandaigua, New York, in an amount not to 

6 exceed $351,980,000 (an increase of $193,000,000 as 

7 compared to the previous authorization for such 

8 project). 

9 (2) Renovation of space for a simulation train10 ing education center in North Chicago, Illinois, in an 

11 amount not to exceed $15,980,000. 

12 (3) Construction of a surgical intensive care unit 

13 and renovation to expand the operating room suite in 

14 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in an amount not to ex15 ceed $29,461,000. 

16 (4) Construction of a new medical facility in 

17 Louisville, Kentucky, in an amount not to exceed 

18 $450,000,000 (an increase of $300,000,000 as com19 pared to the previous authorization for such project). 

20 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 

22 Affairs for fiscal year 2019 or the year in which funds are 

23 appropriated for the Construction, Major Projects account, 

24 $847,421,000 for the projects authorized in subsection (a). 
32 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 SEC. 602. PLANS TO IMPROVE MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE 

2 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

3 (a) PLANS REQUIRED.— 

4 (1) PLANS OF DIRECTORS OF MEDICAL FACILI5 TIES.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the 

6 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af7 fairs shall require each director of a medical facility 

8 of the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit to the 

9 director of the Veterans Integrated Service Network 

10 that covers the facility a plan to improve such facil11 ity. 

12 (2) PLANS OF DIRECTORS OF VETERANS INTE13 GRATED SERVICE NETWORKS.—The Secretary shall 

14 require each director of a Veterans Integrated Service 

15 Network to submit to the Secretary, not later than 60 

16 days after receiving all of the plans under paragraph 

17 (1), a plan, based on the plans received under para18 graph (1), to improve the facilities within that Vet19 erans Integrated Service Network in such a fashion 

20 that would improve the ability of all facilities within 

21 that network to provide the best and most efficient 

22 care to patients. 

23 (b) REGULAR REPORTS.—The Secretary shall ensure 

24 that each director of a Veterans Integrated Service Network 

25 submits to the Secretary, not later than two years after the 

26 date of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently 
33 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 than once every two years thereafter, a report on the actions 

2 taken by the director to improve the facilities within that 

3 Veterans Integrated Service Network and what further such 

4 actions might be necessary. 

5 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON USE OF AUTHORITIES TO

6 INVESTIGATE MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

7 VETERANS AFFAIRS.—It is the sense of Congress that the 

8 Secretary of Veterans Affairs should make full use of the 

9 authorities provided by section 2 of the Enhancing Veteran 

10 Care Act (Public Law 115–95; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note). 

11 TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

12 SEC. 701. HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRATION PRO13 GRAMS. 

14 Section 2021(a) of title 38, United States Code, is 

15 amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘reintegration of homeless vet17 erans into the labor force.’’ and inserting the fol18 lowing: ‘‘reintegration into the labor force of—’’; and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following new para20 graphs: 

21 ‘‘(1) homeless veterans (including veterans who 

22 were homeless but found housing during the 60-day 

23 period preceding the date on which the veteran begins 

24 to participate in a program under this section); 
34 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 ‘‘(2) veterans participating in the Department of 

2 Veterans Affairs supported housing program for 

3 which rental assistance is provided pursuant to sec4 tion 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 

5 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) or the Tribal HUD–VA 

6 Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD–VASH) program; 

7 ‘‘(3) Indians who are veterans and receiving as8 sistance under the Native American Housing Assist9 ance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 

10 4101 et seq.); 

11 ‘‘(4) veterans described in section 2023(e) of this 

12 title or any other veterans who are transitioning from 

13 being incarcerated; and 

14 ‘‘(5) veterans participating in the Department of 

15 Veterans Affairs rapid rehousing and prevention pro16 gram authorized in section 2044 of this title.’’. 

17 SEC. 702. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

18 (a) TITLE 38.—Title 38, United States Code, is 

19 amended as follows: 

20 (1) In the table of sections at the beginning of 

21 chapter 55, by inserting a period at the end of the 

22 item relating to section 5501A. 

23 (2) In section 7463(c)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘to an24 swer to answer’’ and inserting ‘‘to answer’’. 
35 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (b) VETERANS’ BENEFITS IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF

2 1996.—Section 504 of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvements 

3 Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) 

4 is amended by redesignating the second subsection (c) as 

5 subsection (d). 

6 SEC. 703. MEDICAL SURGICAL PRIME VENDOR PROGRAM. 

7 (a) VENDORS.—In procuring certain medical, sur8 gical, and dental supplies or laboratory supplies for med9 ical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Sec10 retary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out the Medical Sur11 gical Prime Vendor program, or successor program, in a 

12 manner that— 

13 (1) requires the Secretary to award contracts to 

14 multiple regional prime vendors instead of a single 

15 nationwide prime vendor; and 

16 (2) prohibits a prime vendor from solely design17 ing the formulary of such supplies. 

18 (b) CLINICALLY DRIVEN SOURCING.— 

19 (1) EXPERTISE.—In carrying out the formulary 

20 of supplies under the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor 

21 program, or successor program, the Secretary shall 

22 ensure that each employee of the Department of Vet23 erans Affairs who conducts formulary analyses or 

24 makes decisions with respect to including items on the 

25 formulary has medical expertise relevant to the items 
36 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 for which the employee conducts such analyses or 

2 makes such decisions. 

3 (2) LISTS.—Not later than 30 days after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, and every six 

5 months thereafter with respect to any updates, the 

6 Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ 

7 Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate 

8 a list of each employee described in paragraph (1) 

9 and the relevant medical expertise of the employee, 

10 listed by the categories of items in the formulary de11 scribed in such paragraph. 

12 SEC. 704. REPORT ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO DENTAL 

13 CARE FOR VETERANS ELIGIBLE FOR HEALTH 

14 CARE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

15 AFFAIRS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 360 days after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

18 Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

19 of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

20 the House of Representatives a report on the feasibility and 

21 advisability of expanding access to dental care for eligible 

22 veterans. 

23 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) 

24 shall include the following: 
37 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (1) An analysis of access to dental care for eligi2 ble veterans outside of the Department, including— 

3 (A) the percentage of eligible veterans cur4 rently enrolled in dental insurance through a 

5 third-party payer, including— 

6 (i) the dental insurance plan for vet7 erans and survivors and dependents of vet8 erans under section 1712C of title 38, 

9 United States Code; 

10 (ii) the Medicaid program under title 

11 XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 1396 et seq.); and 

13 (iii) employer-sponsored dental insur14 ance; 

15 (B) the affordability of dental insurance de16 scribed in subparagraph (A); and 

17 (C) the comprehensiveness of benefits of den18 tal insurance described in subparagraph (A). 

19 (2) An analysis of the current oral health needs 

20 of eligible veterans, including an estimate of the num21 ber of eligible veterans who— 

22 (A) experience untreated cavities or decay; 

23 (B) require dentures, implants, or other re24 storative dental services; or 
38 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (C) have not received regular dental 

2 cleanings within the two-year period preceding 

3 the report. 

4 (3) An analysis of the financial impact to the 

5 Department of Veterans Affairs of providing dental 

6 care to eligible veterans, including— 

7 (A) whether the provision of such services 

8 would result in a reduction in total health care 

9 costs; 

10 (B) a cost-benefit analysis that indicates 

11 potential cost savings to the Department over a 

12 5-, 10-, and 20-year period; and 

13 (C) projected cost savings to the Department 

14 and across the broader health care system. 

15 (4) An analysis of the number and types of den16 tal providers necessary to treat eligible veterans, in17 cluding— 

18 (A) dentists; 

19 (B) hygienists; 

20 (C) dental technicians; and 

21 (D) dental therapists. 

22 (c) CATEGORIES OF ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—The report 

23 required by subsection (a) shall be disaggregated by each 

24 of the following categories of eligible veterans: 
39 

•S 2248 EAH 

1 (1) Veterans enrolled in the system of annual pa2 tient enrollment of the Department pursuant to the 

3 priority group under subsection (a)(6) of section 1705 

4 of such title. 

5 (2) Veterans enrolled in such system pursuant to 

6 the priority group under subsection (a)(5) of such sec7 tion. 

8 (3) Veterans enrolled in such system pursuant to 

9 a priority group under any of subsections (a)(1) 

10 through (a)(4) of such section. 

11 (4) Veterans enrolled in such system pursuant to 

12 a priority group under subsection (a)(7) or (a)(8) of 

13 such section. 

14 (d) ELIGIBLE VETERANS DEFINED.—In this section, 

15 the term ‘‘eligible veterans’’ means veterans enrolled in the 

16 system of annual patient enrollment of the Department of 

17 Veterans Affairs established and operated under section 

18 1705 of title 38, United States Code. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2248 

AMENDMENT