S. 2248 

One Hundred Fifteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen 

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. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans 

Benefits and Transition Act of 2018’’. 

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

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. 
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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. 

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. 

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

by striking ‘‘or 12304’’ and inserting ‘‘12304, 12304a, or 12304b’’. 

SEC. 102. PROVISION OF MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND INFORMATION 

UNDER POST-9/11 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

Section 3313 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 

adding at the end the following new subsection: 

‘‘(k) PROVISION OF HOUSING STIPEND PAYMENT INFORMATION.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall furnish to individuals receiving educational assistance under this chapter documentation that verifies the amount of the monthly housing 

stipend the individual receives under this section. 

‘‘(2) MANNER.—The Secretary shall make such documentation available to the individual using an internet website in 

the same manner the Secretary provides documentation 

verifying compensation and other benefits furnished by the 

Secretary to individuals.’’. 

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. 

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

is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

‘‘(e)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, 

beginning on August 1, 2019, a State approving agency, or the 

Secretary when acting in the role of the State approving agency, 

shall disapprove a course of education provided by an educational 

institution that has in effect a policy that is inconsistent with 

any of the following: 

‘‘(A) A policy that permits any covered individual to attend 

or participate in the course of education during the period 

beginning on the date on which the individual provides to 
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the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 of this 

title and ending on the earlier of the following dates: 

‘‘(i) The date on which the Secretary provides payment 

for such course of education to such institution. 

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

the educational institution certifies for tuition and fees 

following receipt from the student such certificate of eligibility. 

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

will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late 

fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual 

borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because 

of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of 

a payment to be provided by the Secretary under chapter 

31 or 33 of this title. 

‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, a covered individual is 

any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under 

chapter 31 or 33 of this title. 

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

(1) as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

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

paragraph (1) for an educational institution to require a covered 

individual to take the following additional actions: 

‘‘(A) Submit a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to 

educational assistance not later than the first day of a course 

of education for which the individual has indicated the individual wishes to use the individual’s entitlement to educational 

assistance. 

‘‘(B) Submit a written request to use such entitlement. 

‘‘(C) Provide additional information necessary to the proper 

certification of enrollment by the educational institution.’’. 

(b) PROMPT PAYMENTS.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that the 

Secretary makes a payment to an educational institution on 

behalf of an individual, who is entitled to educational assistance 

under chapter 31 or 33 of title 38, United States Code, and 

who is using such assistance to pursue a program of education 

at the educational institution, not later than 60 days after 

the date on which the educational institution certifies to the 

Secretary the applicable tuition and fees for the individual. 

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

October 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

a semiannual report summarizing any cases in which the Secretary failed to make a payment described in paragraph (1) 

within the period set forth in such paragraph and an explanation for each delayed disbursement of payment. 

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

is unable to meet a financial obligation to an educational institution 

due to the delayed disbursement of a payment to be provided 

by the Secretary under chapter 31 or 33 of such title and the 

amount of such disbursement is less than anticipated, nothing 
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in section 3679(e) of such title, as added by subsection (a), shall 

be construed to prohibit an educational institution from requiring 

additional payment or imposing a fee for the amount that is the 

difference between the amount of the financial obligation and the 

amount of the disbursement. 

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. 

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

amended— 

(1) in clause (x), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

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

inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following new clause: 

‘‘(xii) information on whether the institution requires 

a covered individual to take additional action pursuant 

to section 3679(e)(4) of this title to stay enrolled in a 

course pending receipt of educational assistance under a 

law administered by the Secretary.’’. 

SEC. 105. CALCULATION OF MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND UNDER HIGH 

TECHNOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM BASED ON LOCATION OF 

CAMPUS WHERE VETERAN ATTENDS CLASSES. 

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

Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48, 38 U.S.C. 3001 (note)), 

is amended— 

(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘the institution at 

which the individual is enrolled’’ and inserting ‘‘the campus 

of the institution where the individual physically participates 

in a majority of classes’’; and 

(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘the amount payable’’ 

and all that follows through ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ and inserting 

‘‘the national average of the monthly amount of the basic allowance for housing payable under section 403 of title 37, United 

States Code, for a member with dependents in pay grade E– 

5’’. 

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. 

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

Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115– 

48; 131 Stat. 990) is amended to read as follows (and the table 

of contents for such Act is conformed accordingly): 
S. 2248—5 

‘‘SEC. 302. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE 

UNDER ANY OF THE EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 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. 

Section 2306 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting ‘‘or a veterans’ cemetery 

owned by a tribal organization or on land owned by or held 

in trust for a tribal organization’’ after ‘‘State’’; 

(2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘, a veterans’ cemetery 

of a tribal organization or on land owned by or held in trust 

for a tribal organization’’ after ‘‘owned by a State’’; 

(3) in subsection (f)— 

(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; 

(B) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) The 

Secretary’’; 

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

cemetery of a State or tribal organization for which the 

Department has provided a grant under section 2408 of 

this title’’ and inserting ‘‘a covered cemetery’’; and 

(D) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(2) The term ‘covered cemetery’ means any of the following: 

‘‘(A) A national cemetery. 

‘‘(B) A veterans’ cemetery of a State for which the Department has provided a grant under section 2408 of this title. 

‘‘(C) A veterans’ cemetery of a tribal organization or on 

land owned by or held in trust for a tribal organization for 

which the Department has provided a grant under subsection 

(f) of such section.’’; and 

(4) by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

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

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

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. 

(a) HEADSTONES AND MARKERS.—Section 2306(b)(2) of title 38, 

United States Code, is amended— 

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

a member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty under 

conditions other than dishonorable, as shown by a statement 

from a general court-martial convening authority, at the time 

of the spouse’s death if such death occurs before October 1, 

2024’’ after ‘‘veteran’’; and 

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

dependent child of a member of the Armed Forces serving 

on active duty under conditions other than dishonorable, as 
S. 2248—6 

shown by a statement from a general court-martial convening 

authority, at the time of the child’s death if such death occurs 

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

(b) INTERMENT IN NATIONAL CEMETERIES.—Section 2402(a)(5) 

of such title is amended by inserting ‘‘, and the spouse, minor 

child, and, in the discretion of the Secretary, unmarried adult 

child of a member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty 

under conditions other than dishonorable, as shown by a statement 

from a general court-martial convening authority, at the time of 

the spouse’s or child’s death if such death occurs before October 

1, 2024’’ after ‘‘paragraph (7)’’. 

TITLE III—CIVIL RELIEF 

SEC. 301. TERMINATION OF LEASES OF PREMISES OF DECEASED 

SERVICEMEMBERS WHO DIE WHILE IN MILITARY SERVICE. 

Section 305(a) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 

3955) is amended— 

(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘BY LESSEE’’; 

(2) in the heading for paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘TERMINATION BY LESSEE’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(3) DEATH OF LESSEE.—The spouse of the lessee on a 

lease described in subsection (b)(1) may terminate the lease 

during the one-year period beginning on the date of the death 

of the lessee, if the lessee dies while in military service or 

while performing full-time National Guard duty, active Guard 

and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training (as such terms 

are defined in section 101(d) of title 10, United States Code).’’. 

SEC. 302. RESIDENCE OF SPOUSES OF SERVICEMEMBERS FOR TAX 

PURPOSES. 

(a) RESIDENCE FOR TAX PURPOSES.—Section 511(a)(2) of the 

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 4001(a)(2)) is amended— 

(1) by striking ‘‘A spouse’’ and inserting the following: 

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A spouse’’; and 

(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 

‘‘(B) ELECTION.—For any taxable year of the marriage, 

the spouse of a servicemember may elect to use the same 

residence for purposes of taxation as the servicemember 

regardless of the date on which the marriage of the spouse 

and the servicemember occurred.’’. 

(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by subsection (a) 

shall apply with respect to any return of State or local income 

tax filed for any taxable year beginning with the taxable year 

that includes the date of the enactment of this Act. 

SEC. 303. RESIDENCE OF SPOUSES OF SERVICEMEMBERS FOR VOTING. 

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

Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 4025(b)) is amended— 

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

through the period at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting 

‘‘State or local office—’’; and 

(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: 

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

person is accompanying the person’s spouse who is absent 
S. 2248—7 

from that same State in compliance with military or naval 

orders shall not, solely by reason of that absence— 

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

in that State, without regard to whether or not the person 

intends to return to that State; 

‘‘(B) be deemed to have acquired a residence or domicile 

in any other State; or 

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

resident of any other State; and 

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

same residence as the servicemember regardless of the date 

on which the marriage of the spouse and the servicemember 

occurred.’’. 

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by subsection 

(a) shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after the date 

of the enactment of this Act. 

SEC. 304. TERMINATION OF MULTICHANNEL VIDEO PROGRAMMING 

AND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE CONTRACTS. 

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

Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 3956) is amended— 

(1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘, MULTICHANNEL

VIDEO PROGRAMMING, AND INTERNET ACCESS’’ after ‘‘TELEPHONE’’; 

(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘cellular telephone service 

or telephone exchange service’’ and inserting ‘‘commercial 

mobile service, telephone exchange service, internet access 

service, or multichannel video programming service’’; 

(3) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘for commercial mobile 

service or telephone exchange service’’ before ‘‘terminated’’; 

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

(1), by striking ‘‘cellular telephone service’’ and inserting 

‘‘commercial mobile service’’; 

(5) in subsection (e)— 

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

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For any’’; 

(B) by striking ‘‘If the’’ and inserting the following: 

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

(C) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(3) RETURN OF PROVIDER-OWNED EQUIPMENT.—If a servicemember terminates a contract under subsection (a), the servicemember shall return any provider-owned consumer premises 

equipment to the service provider not later than 10 days after 

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

(6) in subsection (g)— 

(A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (4); 

and 

(B) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following: 

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

given that term in section 332(d) of the Communications Act 

of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)). 

‘‘(2) The term ‘multichannel video programming service’ 

means a subscription video service offered by a multichannel 

video programming distributor, as that term is defined in section 602 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 522), 

over a system the distributor owns or controls. 
S. 2248—8 

‘‘(3) The term ‘provider-owned consumer premises equipment’ means any equipment that a provider of internet access 

service or multichannel video programming service rents or 

loans to a customer during the provision of that service, 

including gateways, routers, cable modems, voice-capable 

modems, CableCARDs, converters, digital adapters, remote controls, and any other equipment provided.’’. 

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

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

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended by striking ‘‘TELEPHONE’’ and inserting ‘‘COMMUNICATIONS’’. 

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

1(b) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended— 

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

inserting the following new item: 

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

ASSIGNMENT, LEASES, COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE CONTRACTS’’; 

and 

(B) by striking the item relating to section 305A and 

inserting the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 305A. Termination of telephone, 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. 

(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation 

with State entities that serve members of the Armed Forces who 

are retired, separated, or discharged from the Armed Forces, shall 

enter into an agreement with an appropriate non-Federal entity 

to carry out a study to identify community-based programs— 

(1) that provide transition assistance to such members; 

and 

(2) operated by nonprofit entities. 

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

Affairs shall transmit the list of programs identified under this 

section to the Secretary of Defense so the Secretaries of the military 

departments may provide information in the list to members of 

the Armed Forces who participate in the Transition Assistance 

Program under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States 

Code. 

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

shall publish the most recent version of the list of programs identified under this section on a public website of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs. 
S. 2248—9 

TITLE V—DEPARTMENTAL 

ADMINISTRATION 

SEC. 501. MISUSE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PURCHASE 

CARDS BY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 7 of title 38, United 

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

new section: 

‘‘§ 728. Misuse of Department purchase cards 

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

employee of the Department who the Secretary or the Inspector 

General of the Department determines has knowingly misused a 

purchase card from serving as a purchase card holder or approving 

official. 

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

applicable penalty. 

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

means— 

‘‘(1) splitting purchases; 

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

thresholds; 

‘‘(3) purchasing any unauthorized item; 

‘‘(4) using a purchase card without being an authorized 

purchase card holder; or 

‘‘(5) violating ethics standards.’’. 

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating 

to section 728 the following new item: 

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

SEC. 502. UPDATING DEPENDENT INFORMATION. 

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make such changes 

to such information technology systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the eBenefits system or successor system, 

as may be necessary so that whenever the Secretary records in 

such systems information about a dependent of a person, the person 

is able to review and revise such information. 

SEC. 503. OVERSIGHT OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD MODERNIZATION PROGRAM. 

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

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

shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the following documents concerning the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program: 

(1) Integrated Master Plan. 

(2) Integrated Master Schedule. 

(3) Program Management Plan. 

(4) Annual and lifecycle cost estimates, including, at a 

minimum, cost elements relating to— 

(A) Federal Government labor; 

(B) contractor labor; 

(C) hardware; 

(D) software; and 

(E) testing and evaluation. 
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(5) Cost baseline. 

(6) Risk Management Plan. 

(7) Health IT Strategic Architecture Plan. 

(8) Transition Plan for implementing updated architecture. 

(9) Data Migration Plan. 

(10) System and Data Security Plan. 

(11) Application Implementation Plan. 

(12) System Design Documents. 

(13) Legacy Veterans Information Systems and Technology 

Architecture Standardization, Security Enhancement, and 

Consolidation Project Plan. 

(14) Health Data Interoperability Management Plan. 

(15) Community Care Vision and Implementation Plan, 

including milestones and a detailed description of how complete 

interoperability with non-Department health care providers will 

be achieved. 

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

end of each fiscal quarter during the period beginning with the 

fiscal quarter in which this Act is enacted and ending on the 

date on which the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program 

is completed, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the most recent updated versions, if any exist, 

of the following documents: 

(1) Integrated Master Schedule. 

(2) Program Management Plan, including any written Program Management Review material developed for the Program 

Management Plan during the fiscal quarter covered by the 

submission. 

(3) Each document described in subsection (a)(4). 

(4) Performance Baseline Report for the fiscal quarter covered by the submission or for the fiscal quarter ending the 

fiscal year prior to the submission. 

(5) Budget Reconciliation Report. 

(6) Risk Management Plan and Risk Register. 

(c) CONTRACTS.—Not later than 5 days after awarding a contract, order, or agreement, including any modifications thereto, 

under the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, the 

Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

a copy of the entire such contract, order, agreement, or modification. 

(d) NOTIFICATION.— 

(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 10 days after an event 

described in paragraph (2) occurs, the Secretary shall notify 

the appropriate congressional committees of such occurrence, 

including a description of the event and an explanation for 

why such event occurred. 

(2) EVENT DESCRIBED.—An event described in this paragraph is any of the following events regarding the Electronic 

Health Record Modernization Program: 

(A) The delay of any milestone or deliverable by 30 

or more days. 

(B) A request for equitable adjustment, equitable 

adjustment, or change order exceeding $1,000,000 (as such 

terms are defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation). 

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

and the resolution of any protest, claim, or dispute (as 

such terms are defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation). 
S. 2248—11 

(D) A loss of clinical or other data. 

(E) A breach of patient privacy, including any— 

(i) disclosure of protected health information that 

is not permitted under regulations promulgated under 

section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and 

Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191; 42 

U.S.C. 1320d–2 note); and 

(ii) breach of sensitive personal information (as 

defined in section 5727 of title 38, United States Code). 

(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

(1) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 

means— 

(A) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

of Representatives and the Senate; and 

(B) the Committees on Appropriations of the House 

of Representatives and the Senate. 

(2) The term ‘‘Electronic Health Record Modernization Program’’ means— 

(A) any activities by the Department of Veterans 

Affairs to procure or implement an electronic health or 

medical record system to replace any or all of the Veterans 

Information Systems and Technology Architecture, the 

Computerized Patient Record System, the Joint Legacy 

Viewer, or the Enterprise Health Management Platform; 

and 

(B) any contracts or agreements entered into by the 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out, support, or analyze the activities under subparagraph (A). 

SEC. 504. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NOTICE RELATING 

TO DEBT COLLECTION ACTIVITIES. 

(a) DEBT NOTIFICATION LETTER FORMATS.—The Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs shall collaborate with veterans service organizations to develop a standard format for any letter provided to an 

individual who the Secretary determines is indebted to the United 

States by virtue of such individual’s participation in a benefits 

program administered by the Secretary. Such letter shall be written 

in plain language and shall include a notice of the debt and a 

clear explanation of— 

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

by virtue of such person’s participation in a benefits program 

administered by the Secretary; and 

(2) the options available to the individual. 

(b) DELIVERY OF DEBT NOTICES BY STANDARD MAIL AND ELECTRONIC MEANS.—The Secretary shall develop a method by which 

individuals may elect to receive notice of debt by electronic means 

and shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that the letter developed 

under subsection (a) is delivered— 

(1) by both standard mail and by electronic means to 

intended recipients who have made such an election; and 

(2) only by standard mail to intended recipients who have 

not made such an election. 

(c) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.— 

(1) NOTICES OF COMPLETION.—Upon completion of the 

development of the standard letter format required under subsection (a) and upon completion of development of the method 

by which individuals may elect to receive notice of debt by 
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electronic means under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 

submit to Congress notice of the completion of the respective 

development. 

(2) PROGRESS REPORTS.—If the Secretary has not submitted 

each notice required by paragraph (1) by the date that is 

90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 

(A) submit to Congress a report describing the progress 

of the Secretary toward implementing subsections (a) and 

(b) and an explanation for why the respective development 

has not been completed; and 

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

required by paragraph (1) have been submitted, submit 

to Congress an update to the report under subparagraph 

(A) that includes an additional explanation for the failure 

to complete the respective development. 

(d) STUDY AND REPORT.— 

(1) STUDY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall conduct a study 

on the process by which individuals who are indebted to the 

United States by virtue of their participation in a benefits 

program administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

are notified of debt collection efforts relating to such indebtedness. 

(2) ELEMENTS.—The study required by paragraph (1) shall 

include the following: 

(A) An analysis of the scope of the problem of individuals who are indebted to the United States by virtue of 

their participation in a benefits program administered by 

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs not receiving debt collection notices relating to such indebtedness. 

(B) Identification of administrative actions the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of the Treasury 

can carry out to reduce the number of incorrect or unknown 

addresses of such individuals in the databases of the 

Department Veterans Affairs and the Department of the 

Treasury and a timeline for carrying out such actions. 

(C) An estimate of the costs associated with sending 

debt collection notices to such individuals by certified mail. 

(D) An analysis of whether, or to what extent, sending 

debt collection notices to such individuals by certified mail 

would address the problem analyzed under subparagraph 

(A). 

(E) An analysis of the requirements and resources 

that would be necessary for the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to establish a method for the Secretary to display 

in one consolidated document the details regarding all of 

the debts of an individual to the United States by virtue 

of such individual’s participation in a benefits program 

administered by the Secretary. 

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

are so indebted by reason of actions by the Secretary or 

by actions of the individual, including any trends relating 

to whether the actions of the individual may be by reason 

of error, misrepresentation, or fraud. 

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

the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
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in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit 

to Congress a report on the findings of the Secretaries with 

respect to the study conducted under paragraph (1). 

TITLE VI—MEDICAL FACILITIES 

SEC. 601. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS 

FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019. 

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

out the following major medical facility projects in fiscal year 2019 

at the locations specified and in an amount for each project not 

to exceed the amount specified for such location: 

(1) Construction of a community living center and renovation of domiciliary and outpatient facilities in Canandaigua, 

New York, in an amount not to exceed $351,980,000 (an 

increase of $193,000,000 as compared to the previous authorization for such project). 

(2) Renovation of space for a simulation training education 

center in North Chicago, Illinois, in an amount not to exceed 

$15,980,000. 

(3) Construction of a surgical intensive care unit and renovation to expand the operating room suite in Oklahoma City, 

Oklahoma, in an amount not to exceed $29,461,000. 

(4) Construction of a new medical facility in Louisville, 

Kentucky, in an amount not to exceed $450,000,000 (an increase 

of $300,000,000 as compared to the previous authorization for 

such project). 

(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 

to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal 

year 2019 or the year in which funds are appropriated for the 

Construction, Major Projects account, $847,421,000 for the projects 

authorized in subsection (a). 

SEC. 602. PLANS TO IMPROVE MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

(a) PLANS REQUIRED.— 

(1) PLANS OF DIRECTORS OF MEDICAL FACILITIES.—Not later 

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

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require each director 

of a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

to submit to the director of the Veterans Integrated Service 

Network that covers the facility a plan to improve such facility. 

(2) PLANS OF DIRECTORS OF VETERANS INTEGRATED SERVICE

NETWORKS.—The Secretary shall require each director of a Veterans Integrated Service Network to submit to the Secretary, 

not later than 60 days after receiving all of the plans under 

paragraph (1), a plan, based on the plans received under paragraph (1), to improve the facilities within that Veterans 

Integrated Service Network in such a fashion that would 

improve the ability of all facilities within that network to 

provide the best and most efficient care to patients. 

(b) REGULAR REPORTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that each 

director of a Veterans Integrated Service Network submits to the 

Secretary, not later than two years after the date of the enactment 

of this Act and not less frequently than once every two years 

thereafter, a report on the actions taken by the director to improve 
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the facilities within that Veterans Integrated Service Network and 

what further such actions might be necessary. 

(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON USE OF AUTHORITIES TO INVESTIGATE MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS.—It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs should make full use of the authorities provided by section 

2 of the Enhancing Veteran Care Act (Public Law 115–95; 38 

U.S.C. 1701 note). 

TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

SEC. 701. HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRATION PROGRAMS. 

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

(1) by striking ‘‘reintegration of homeless veterans into 

the labor force.’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘reintegration 

into the labor force of—’’; and 

(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: 

‘‘(1) homeless veterans (including veterans who were homeless but found housing during the 60-day period preceding 

the date on which the veteran begins to participate in a program 

under this section); 

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

Affairs supported housing program for which rental assistance 

is provided pursuant to section 8(o)(19) of the United States 

Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) or the Tribal 

HUD–VA Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD–VASH) program; 

‘‘(3) Indians who are veterans and receiving assistance 

under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.); 

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

any other veterans who are transitioning from being incarcerated; and 

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

Affairs rapid rehousing and prevention program authorized 

in section 2044 of this title.’’. 

SEC. 702. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

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

follows: 

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

55, by inserting a period at the end of the item relating to 

section 5501A. 

(2) In section 7463(c)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘to answer to 

answer’’ and inserting ‘‘to answer’’. 

(b) VETERANS’ BENEFITS IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 1996.—Section 

504 of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public 

Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended by redesignating 

the second subsection (c) as subsection (d). 

SEC. 703. MEDICAL SURGICAL PRIME VENDOR PROGRAM. 

(a) VENDORS.—In procuring certain medical, surgical, and 

dental supplies or laboratory supplies for medical centers of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

shall carry out the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor program, or 

successor program, in a manner that— 
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(1) requires the Secretary to award contracts to multiple 

regional prime vendors instead of a single nationwide prime 

vendor; and 

(2) prohibits a prime vendor from solely designing the 

formulary of such supplies. 

(b) CLINICALLY DRIVEN SOURCING.— 

(1) EXPERTISE.—In carrying out the formulary of supplies 

under the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor program, or successor 

program, the Secretary shall ensure that each employee of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs who conducts formulary 

analyses or makes decisions with respect to including items 

on the formulary has medical expertise relevant to the items 

for which the employee conducts such analyses or makes such 

decisions. 

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

enactment of this Act, and every six months thereafter with 

respect to any updates, the Secretary shall submit to the 

Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a list of each employee described in 

paragraph (1) and the relevant medical expertise of the 

employee, listed by the categories of items in the formulary 

described in such paragraph. 

SEC. 704. REPORT ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO DENTAL CARE FOR VETERANS ELIGIBLE FOR HEALTH CARE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

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

the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

a report on the feasibility and advisability of expanding access 

to dental care for eligible veterans. 

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

include the following: 

(1) An analysis of access to dental care for eligible veterans 

outside of the Department, including— 

(A) the percentage of eligible veterans currently 

enrolled in dental insurance through a third-party payer, 

including— 

(i) the dental insurance plan for veterans and survivors and dependents of veterans under section 1712C 

of title 38, United States Code; 

(ii) the Medicaid program under title XIX of the 

Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.); and 

(iii) employer-sponsored dental insurance; 

(B) the affordability of dental insurance described in 

subparagraph (A); and 

(C) the comprehensiveness of benefits of dental insurance described in subparagraph (A). 

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

veterans, including an estimate of the number of eligible veterans who— 

(A) experience untreated cavities or decay; 

(B) require dentures, implants, or other restorative 

dental services; or 

(C) have not received regular dental cleanings within 

the two-year period preceding the report. 
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(3) An analysis of the financial impact to the Department 

of Veterans Affairs of providing dental care to eligible veterans, 

including— 

(A) whether the provision of such services would result 

in a reduction in total health care costs; 

(B) a cost-benefit analysis that indicates potential cost 

savings to the Department over a 5-, 10-, and 20-year 

period; and 

(C) projected cost savings to the Department and across 

the broader health care system. 

(4) An analysis of the number and types of dental providers 

necessary to treat eligible veterans, including— 

(A) dentists; 

(B) hygienists; 

(C) dental technicians; and 

(D) dental therapists. 

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

by subsection (a) shall be disaggregated by each of the following 

categories of eligible veterans: 

(1) Veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment of the Department pursuant to the priority group under 

subsection (a)(6) of section 1705 of such title. 

(2) Veterans enrolled in such system pursuant to the priority group under subsection (a)(5) of such section. 

(3) Veterans enrolled in such system pursuant to a priority 

group under any of subsections (a)(1) through (a)(4) of such 

section. 

(4) Veterans enrolled in such system pursuant to a priority 

group under subsection (a)(7) or (a)(8) of such section. 

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

‘‘eligible veterans’’ means veterans enrolled in the system of annual 

patient enrollment of the Department of Veterans Affairs established and operated under section 1705 of title 38, United States 

Code. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.