II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3313 

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

by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, to improve 

health care furnished by the Department, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 19, 2012 

Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Mr. TESTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

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

assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to women veterans, to improve health care furnished 

by the Department, 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. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvements 

6 Act of 2012’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research. 

Sec. 3. Clarification that fertility counseling and treatment are medical services 

which the Secretary may furnish to veterans like other medical 

services. 

Sec. 4. Reproductive treatment and care delivery for spouses and surrogates of 

veterans. 

Sec. 5. Requirement to improve Department of Veterans Affairs women veterans call center. 

Sec. 6. Modification of pilot program on counseling in retreat settings for 

women veterans newly separated from service in the Armed 

Forces. 

Sec. 7. Pilot programs on assistance for child care for certain veterans. 

1 SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF REPRODUCTION AND INFER2 TILITY RESEARCH. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 of 

4 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 7330B. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility 

7 research 

8 ‘‘(a) FACILITATION OF RESEARCH REQUIRED.—The 

9 Secretary shall facilitate research conducted collabo10 ratively by the Secretary of Defense and the Director of 

11 the National Institutes of Health to improve the ability 

12 of the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet the long13 term reproductive health care needs of veterans who have 

14 a service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition 

15 that was incurred or aggravated in line of duty in the ac16 tive military, naval, or air service, such as spinal cord in17 jury, that affects the veterans’ ability to reproduce. 

18 ‘‘(b) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec19 retary shall ensure that information produced by the reVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:54 Jun 22, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3313.IS S3313

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1 search facilitated under this section that may be useful 

2 for other activities of the Veterans Health Administration 

3 is disseminated throughout the Veterans Health Adminis4 tration.’’. 

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

6 at the beginning of chapter 73 is amended by inserting 

7 after the item relating to section 7330A the following new 

8 item: 

‘‘7330B. Facilitation of reproduction and infertility research.’’. 

9 (c) REPORT.—Not later than three years after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet11 erans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on the re12 search activities conducted by the Secretary under section 

13 7330B of title 38, United States Code, as added by sub14 section (a). 

15 SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION THAT FERTILITY COUNSELING AND 

16 TREATMENT ARE MEDICAL SERVICES WHICH 

17 THE SECRETARY MAY FURNISH TO VET18 ERANS LIKE OTHER MEDICAL SERVICES. 

19 Section 1701(6) of such title is amended by adding 

20 at the end the following new subparagraph: 

21 ‘‘(H) Fertility counseling and treatment, 

22 including treatment using assisted reproductive 

23 technology.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. REPRODUCTIVE TREATMENT AND CARE DELIVERY 

2 FOR SPOUSES AND SURROGATES OF VET3 ERANS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VIII of chapter 17 of 

5 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1787. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses 

8 and surrogates of veterans 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall furnish fer10 tility counseling and treatment, including through the use 

11 of assisted reproductive technology, to a spouse or surro12 gate of a severely wounded veteran who has an infertility 

13 condition incurred or aggravated in line of duty in the ac14 tive military, naval, or air service and who is enrolled in 

15 the health care system established under section 1705(a) 

16 of this title if the spouse and the veteran apply jointly 

17 for such counseling and treatment through a process pre18 scribed by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(b) COORDINATION OF CARE FOR OTHER SPOUSES

20 AND SURROGATES.—In the case of a spouse or surrogate 

21 of a veteran not described in subsection (a) who is seeking 

22 fertility counseling and treatment, the Secretary may co23 ordinate fertility counseling and treatment for such spouse 

24 or surrogate.’’. 

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

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


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1 by inserting after the item relating to section 1786 the 

2 following new section: 

‘‘1787. Reproductive treatment and care for spouses and surrogates of veterans.’’. 

3 (c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than one year after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet5 erans Affairs shall prescribe regulations to carry out sec6 tion 1787 of title 38, United States Code, as added by 

7 paragraph (1). 

8 SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT TO IMPROVE DEPARTMENT OF VET9 ERANS AFFAIRS WOMEN VETERANS CALL 

10 CENTER. 

11 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall enhance the 

12 capabilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs women 

13 veterans call center— 

14 (1) to respond to requests by women veterans 

15 for assistance with accessing health care and bene16 fits furnished under laws administered by the Sec17 retary; and 

18 (2) for referral of such veterans to community 

19 resources to obtain assistance with services not fur20 nished by the Department. 


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1 SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF PILOT PROGRAM ON COUN2 SELING IN RETREAT SETTINGS FOR WOMEN 

3 VETERANS NEWLY SEPARATED FROM SERV4 ICE IN THE ARMED FORCES. 

5 (a) INCREASE IN NUMBER OF LOCATIONS.—Sub6 section (c) of section 203 of the Caregivers and Veterans 

7 Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111– 

8 163; 38 U.S.C. 1712A note) is amended by striking ‘‘three 

9 locations’’ and inserting ‘‘14 locations’’. 

10 (b) EXTENSION OF DURATION.—Subsection (d) of 

11 such section is amended by striking ‘‘2-year’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘four-year’’. 

13 SEC. 7. PILOT PROGRAMS ON ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD 

14 CARE FOR CERTAIN VETERANS. 

15 (a) MODIFICATION OF DURATION OF PILOT PRO16 GRAM ON ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD CARE FOR CERTAIN

17 VETERANS RECEIVING HEALTH CARE.—Subsection (e) of 

18 section 205 of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus 

19 Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–163; 38 

20 U.S.C. 1710 note) is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(e) DURATION.—A child care center that is estab22 lished as part of the pilot program may operate until the 

23 date that is two years after the date on which the pilot 

24 program is established in the third Veterans Integrated 

25 Service Network required by subsection (d).’’. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENT FOR PILOT PROGRAM ON ASSIST2 ANCE FOR CHILD CARE FOR CERTAIN VETERANS RECEIV3 ING READJUSTMENT COUNSELING AND RELATED MEN4 TAL HEALTH SERVICES.— 

5 (1) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Sec6 retary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot 

7 program to assess the feasibility and advisability of 

8 providing, subject to paragraph (2), assistance to 

9 qualified veterans described in paragraph (3) to ob10 tain child care so that such veterans can receive re11 adjustment counseling and related mental health 

12 services. 

13 (2) LIMITATION ON PERIOD OF PAYMENTS.— 

14 Assistance may only be provided to a qualified vet15 eran under the pilot program required by paragraph 

16 (1) for receipt of child care during the period that 

17 the qualified veteran receives readjustment coun18 seling and related health care services at a Vet Cen19 ter. 

20 (3) QUALIFIED VETERANS.—For purposes of 

21 this subsection, a qualified veteran is a veteran who 

22 is— 

23 (A) the primary caretaker of a child or 

24 children; and 


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1 (B)(i) receiving from the Department reg2 ular readjustment counseling and related men3 tal health services; or 

4 (ii) in need of readjustment counseling and 

5 related mental health services from the Depart6 ment, and but for lack of child care services, 

7 would receive such counseling and services from 

8 the Department. 

9 (4) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall carry out 

10 the pilot program under this subsection in no fewer 

11 than three Readjustment Counseling Service Regions 

12 selected by the Secretary for purposes of the pilot 

13 program. 

14 (5) DURATION.—The pilot program under this 

15 subsection shall be carried out until the end of the 

16 two-year period beginning on the day on which the 

17 Secretary begins carrying out the pilot program at 

18 the last Readjustment Counseling Service Region se19 lected under paragraph (4) at which the Secretary 

20 begins carrying out the pilot program. 

21 (6) FORMS OF CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Child care assistance 

23 under this subsection may include the following: 

24 (i) Stipends for the payment of child 

25 care offered by licensed child care centers 


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1 (either directly or through a voucher pro2 gram) which shall be, to the extent prac3 ticable, modeled after the Department of 

4 Veterans Affairs Child Care Subsidy Pro5 gram established pursuant to section 630 

6 of the Treasury and General Government 

7 Appropriations Act, 2002 (Public Law 

8 107–67; 115 Stat. 552). 

9 (ii) Payments to private child care 

10 agencies. 

11 (iii) Collaboration with facilities or 

12 programs of other Federal departments or 

13 agencies. 

14 (iv) Such other forms of assistance as 

15 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

16 (B) AMOUNTS OF STIPENDS.—In the case 

17 that child care assistance under this subsection 

18 is provided as a stipend under subparagraph 

19 (A)(i), such stipend shall cover the full cost of 

20 such child care. 

21 (7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

22 the completion of the pilot program required by 

23 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Con24 gress a report on the pilot program. The report shall 

25 include the findings and conclusions of the Secretary 


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1 as a result of the pilot program, and shall include 

2 such recommendations for the continuation or ex3 pansion of the pilot program as the Secretary con4 siders appropriate. 

5 (8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec7 retary of Veterans Affairs to carry out the pilot pro8 gram required by paragraph (1) $1,000,000 for each 

9 of fiscal years 2014 and 2015. 

10 (9) VET CENTER DEFINED.—In this section, 

11 the term ‘‘Vet Center’’ means a center for readjust12 ment counseling and related mental health services 

13 for veterans under section 1712A of title 38, United 

14 States Code. 

Æ 


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