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Union Calendar No. 290 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2123 

[Report No. 115–394] 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of health 

care professionals to treat veterans through the use of telemedicine, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 25, 2017 

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, 

Mr. LOBIONDO, and Mr. ESPAILLAT) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 

Additional sponsors: Mr. COOPER, Mr. RUSH, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, 

Mr. POCAN, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. 

GRAVES of Missouri, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. 

JONES, Mr. WALDEN, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. WELCH, Ms. KUSTER of 

New Hampshire, Mr. BERGMAN, Mr. ARRINGTON, Miss GONZA ́LEZCOLO ́N of Puerto Rico, Mr. COFFMAN, Mr. YOUNG of Iowa, Mr. MESSER, 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER, and Ms. SINEMA

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 

and ordered to be printed 


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A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 

ability of health care professionals to treat veterans 

through the use of telemedicine, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Veterans E-Health and 

5 Telemedicine Support Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘VETS Act 

6 of 2017’’. 

7 SEC. 2. LICENSURE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS OF 

8 THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

9 PROVIDING TREATMENT VIA TELEMEDICINE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 17 of title 38, United 

11 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1730A 

12 the following new section: 

13 ‘‘§ 1730B. Licensure of health care professionals pro14 viding treatment via telemedicine 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any provision 

16 of law regarding the licensure of health care professionals, 

17 a covered health care professional may practice the health 

18 care profession of the health care professional at any loca19 tion in any State, regardless of where the covered health 

20 care professional or the patient is located, if the covered 

21 health care professional is using telemedicine to provide 

22 treatment to an individual under this chapter. 

23 ‘‘(b) PROPERTY OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.—Sub24 section (a) shall apply to a covered health care professional 

25 providing treatment to a patient regardless of whether the 


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1 covered health care professional or patient is located in 

2 a facility owned by the Federal Government during such 

3 treatment. 

4 ‘‘(c) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section may 

5 be construed to remove, limit, or otherwise affect any obli6 gation of a covered health care professional under the Con7 trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.). 

8 ‘‘(d) COVERED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL DE9 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘covered health care pro10 fessional’ means a health care professional who— 

11 ‘‘(1) is an employee of the Department ap12 pointed under the authority under sections 7306, 

13 7401, 7405, 7406, or 7408 of this title, or title 5; 

14 ‘‘(2) is authorized by the Secretary to provide 

15 health care under this chapter; 

16 ‘‘(3) is required to adhere to all quality stand17 ards relating to the provision of telemedicine in ac18 cordance with applicable policies of the Department; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(4) has an active, current, full, and unre21 stricted license, registration, or certification in a 

22 State to practice the health care profession of the 

23 health care professional.’’. 

24 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

25 at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended 


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1 by inserting after the item relating to section 1730A the 

2 following new item: 

‘‘1730B. Licensure of health care professionals providing treatment via telemedicine.’’. 

3 (c) REPORT ON TELEMEDICINE.— 

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

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Com7 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

8 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

9 Representatives a report on the effectiveness of the 

10 use of telemedicine by the Department of Veterans 

11 Affairs. 

12 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para13 graph (1) shall include an assessment of the fol14 lowing: 

15 (A) The satisfaction of veterans with tele16 medicine furnished by the Department. 

17 (B) The satisfaction of health care pro18 viders in providing telemedicine furnished by 

19 the Department. 

20 (C) The effect of telemedicine furnished by 

21 the Department on the following: 

22 (i) The ability of veterans to access 

23 health care, whether from the Department 


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1 or from non-Department health care pro2 viders. 

3 (ii) The frequency of use by veterans 

4 of telemedicine. 

5 (iii) The productivity of health care 

6 providers. 

7 (iv) Wait times for an appointment 

8 for the receipt of health care from the De9 partment. 

10 (v) The reduction, if any, in the use 

11 by veterans of in-person services at De12 partment facilities and non-Department fa13 cilities. 

14 (D) The types of appointments for the re15 ceipt of telemedicine furnished by the Depart16 ment that were provided during the one-year 

17 period preceding the submittal of the report. 

18 (E) The number of appointments for the 

19 receipt of telemedicine furnished by the Depart20 ment that were requested during such period, 

21 disaggregated by Veterans Integrated Service 

22 Network. 

23 (F) Savings by the Department, if any, in24 cluding travel costs, of furnishing health care 


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1 through the use of telemedicine during such pe2 riod. 


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Union Calendar No. 290 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2123 

[Report No. 115–394] 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve 

other purposes. veterans through the use of telemedicine, and for the ability of health care professionals to treat 

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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