I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3246 

To provide for the temporary use of Veterans Choice Funds for certain 

programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 28, 2015 

Ms. BROWN of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the 

Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide for the temporary use of Veterans Choice Funds 

for certain programs, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION OF USE OF VET4 ERANS CHOICE FUNDS FOR CERTAIN PRO5 GRAMS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (c) of section 802 of 

7 the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 

8 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 128 Stat. 1802) is amend9 ed— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Any 

2 amounts’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided by 

3 paragraph (3), any amounts’’; and 

4 (2) by adding at the end the following para5 graph: 

6 ‘‘(3) TEMPORARY AUTHORITY FOR OTHER

7 USES.— 

8 ‘‘(A) OTHER NON-DEPARTMENT CARE.—In 

9 addition to the use of amounts described in 

10 paragraph (1), of the amounts deposited in the 

11 Veterans Choice Fund, not more than 

12 $3,348,500,000 may be used by the Secretary 

13 during the period described in subparagraph 

14 (C) for amounts obligated by the Secretary on 

15 or after May 1, 2015, to furnish health care to 

16 individuals pursuant to chapter 17 of title 38, 

17 United States Code, at non-Department facili18 ties, including pursuant to non-Department 

19 provider programs other than the program es20 tablished by section 101. 

21 ‘‘(B) HEPATITIS C.—Of the amount speci22 fied in subparagraph (A), not more than 

23 $500,000,000 may be used by the Secretary 

24 during the period described in subparagraph 


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1 (C) for pharmaceutical expenses relating to the 

2 treatment of Hepatitis C. 

3 ‘‘(C) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period de4 scribed in this subparagraph is the period be5 ginning on the date of the enactment of the VA 

6 Budget and Choice Improvement Act and end7 ing on October 1, 2015. 

8 ‘‘(D) REPORTS.—Not later than 14 days 

9 after the date of the enactment of the VA 

10 Budget and Choice Improvement Act, and not 

11 less frequently than once every 14-day period 

12 thereafter during the period described in sub13 paragraph (C), the Secretary shall submit to 

14 the appropriate congressional committees a re15 port detailing— 

16 ‘‘(i) the amounts used by the Sec17 retary pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and 

18 (B); and 

19 ‘‘(ii) an identification of such amounts 

20 listed by the non-Department provider pro21 gram for which the amounts were used. 

22 ‘‘(E) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(i) The term ‘appropriate congres24 sional committees’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the Committee on Veterans’ 

2 Affairs and the Committee on Appro3 priations of the House of Representa4 tives; and 

5 ‘‘(II) the Committee on Veterans’ 

6 Affairs and the Committee on Appro7 priations of the Senate. 

8 ‘‘(ii) The term ‘non-Department facili9 ties’ has the meaning given that term in 

10 section 1701 of title 38, United States 

11 Code. 

12 ‘‘(iii) The term ‘non-Department pro13 vider programs’ means each program ad14 ministered by the Secretary of Veterans 

15 Affairs under which the Secretary enters 

16 into contracts or other agreements with 

17 health care providers at non-Department 

18 facilities to furnish hospital care and med19 ical services to veterans, including pursu20 ant to the following: 

21 ‘‘(I) Section 1703 of title 38, 

22 United States Code. 

23 ‘‘(II) The Veterans Choice Pro24 gram established by section 101 of the 

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1 countability Act of 2014 (Public Law 

2 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note). 

3 ‘‘(III) The Patient Centered 

4 Community Care Program (known as 

5 ‘PC3’). 

6 ‘‘(IV) The pilot program estab7 lished by section 403 of the Veterans’ 

8 Mental Health and Other Care Im9 provements Act of 2008 (Public Law 

10 110–387; 38 U.S.C. 1703 note) 

11 (known as ‘Project ARCH’). 

12 ‘‘(V) Contracts relating to dialy13 sis. 

14 ‘‘(VI) Agreements entered into by 

15 the Secretary with— 

16 ‘‘(aa) the Secretary of De17 fense, the Director of the Indian 

18 Health Service, or the head of 

19 any other department or agency 

20 of the Federal Government; or 

21 ‘‘(bb) any academic affiliate 

22 or other non-governmental entity. 

23 ‘‘(VII) Programs relating to 

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1 tions 1725 and 1728 of title 38, 

2 United States Code.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (d)(1) 

4 of such section is amended by inserting before the period 

5 at the end the following: ‘‘(or for hospital care and medical 

6 services pursuant to subsection (c)(3) of this section)’’. 

7 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY DESIGNATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—This title, except for section 7, is 

9 designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to sec10 tion 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 

11 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

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

13 title, except for section 7, is designated as an emergency 

14 requirement pursuant to section 403(a) of S. Con. Res. 

15 13 (111th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the 

16 budget for fiscal year 2010. 

Æ 


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