I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1416 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the capability of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the medical-care 

needs of veterans in southern New Jersey. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 10, 2009 

Mr. LOBIONDO (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr. ANDREWS) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the 

capability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the medical-care needs of veterans in southern 

New Jersey. 

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 ‘‘Southern New Jersey 

5 Veterans Comprehensive Health Care Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; DEFINITION. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The current and future health-care needs of 

2 veterans residing in the eight southern counties of 

3 New Jersey are not being fully met by the Depart4 ment of Veterans Affairs. 

5 (2) Travel times for southern New Jersey vet6 erans to existing Department of Veterans Affairs 

7 health-care facilities in Pennsylvania and Delaware 

8 fall within the Department of Veterans Affairs 

9 health-planning criteria, but those criteria fail to 

10 recognize that the area is largely rural and its road11 ways are congested, creating significant access bar12 riers to veterans in need of care and thereby result13 ing in suppressed demand for care. 

14 (3) Projections of future growth in demand for 

15 health care by veterans in southern New Jersey sup16 port sustainable enrollment of veterans needing De17 partment of Veterans Affairs health care. 

18 (4) The number of veterans residing in south19 ern New Jersey is increasing as more veterans retire 

20 in the area and new veterans seek services in the 

21 wake of large-scale deployments of National Guard 

22 and Reservists from the area. According to United 

23 States census data, the veteran population in the 

24 eight counties of southern New Jersey is greater 

25 than 235,000. 


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1 (b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this Act, the term 

2 ‘‘southern New Jersey’’ means the following counties of 

3 the State of New Jersey: Ocean, Burlington, Camden, 

4 Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Cape May. 

5 SEC. 3. MEDICAL CARE FOR VETERANS IN SOUTHERN NEW 

6 JERSEY. 

7 (a) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 90 days after 

8 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

9 Veterans Affairs shall determine, and notify Congress pur10 suant to subsection (b), whether the needs of veterans in 

11 southern New Jersey for full-service medical care shall be 

12 met— 

13 (1) through a project to provide inpatient and 

14 outpatient services and long-term care to veterans at 

15 an existing facility in southern New Jersey; or 

16 (2) through a project for construction of a new 

17 full-service Department of Veterans Affairs medical 

18 center to provide inpatient and outpatient services 

19 and long-term care to veterans with an appropriate 

20 number of beds and services in southern New Jer21 sey. 

22 (b) NOTIFICATION AND PROSPECTUS.—Not later 

23 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

24 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress 

25 a report— 


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1 (1) identifying which of the two options speci2 fied in subsection (a) has been selected by the Sec3 retary; and 

4 (2) providing, for the option selected, a pro5 spectus that includes, at a minimum, the matter 

6 specified in paragraphs (1) through (8) of section 

7 8104(b) of title 38, United States Code, and the 

8 project time lines. 

9 SEC. 4. EXISTING FACILITY OPTION FOR MEDICAL CARE 

10 FOR VETERANS IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. 

11 (a) PROJECT.—If the option selected by the Sec12 retary of Veterans Affairs under section 3(a) is the option 

13 specified in paragraph (1) of that section for a project to 

14 provide inpatient and outpatient services and long-term 

15 care to veterans at an existing facility in southern New 

16 Jersey, then the Secretary shall, subject to the availability 

17 of appropriations for such purpose, take such steps as nec18 essary to enter into an agreement with an appropriate pri19 vate-sector entity to provide for such services and care for 

20 veterans at an existing facility in southern New Jersey. 

21 Such an agreement may include provision for construction 

22 of a new wing or other addition at such facility to provide 

23 additional services that will, under the agreement, be 

24 leased by the United States and dedicated to care and 


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1 treatment of veterans by the Secretary under title 38, 

2 United States Code. 

3 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

4 authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary for 

5 a public-private venture project under this section. 

6 SEC. 5. NEW DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MED7 ICAL CENTER, SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. 

8 (a) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—If the option se9 lected by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 

10 3(a) is the option specified in paragraph (2) of that section 

11 for a project for construction of a new full-service Depart12 ment of Veterans Affairs medical center providing inpa13 tient and outpatient services and long-term care to vet14 erans with an appropriate number of beds in southern 

15 New Jersey, then the Secretary shall, subject to the avail16 ability of appropriations for such purpose, carry out a 

17 major medical facility construction project for construc18 tion in southern New Jersey of such a medical facility. 

19 Such facility shall be located in the county in southern 

20 New Jersey that the Secretary determines most suitable 

21 to meet the health-care needs of veterans in the region. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated to the Construction, Major 

24 Projects account of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

25 in addition to any other amounts authorized for that acVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:39 Mar 10, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1416.IH H1416

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1 count, such sums as necessary to complete the project au2 thorized by subsection (a). 

Æ 


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