I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5057 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a continuing education 

requirement for employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs authorized to prescribe medication. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2016 

Mr. KEATING (for himself and Mr. ROTHFUS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a 

continuing education requirement for employees of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs authorized to prescribe 

medication. 

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 ‘‘Safe Prescribing for 

5 Veterans Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT FOR EM2 PLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF3 FAIRS AUTHORIZED TO PRESCRIBE MEDICA4 TION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 74 of title 

6 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

7 the following new section: 

8 ‘‘§ 7413. Continuing education requirement for em9 ployees authorized to prescribe medica10 tion 

11 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—(1) Except as provided in 

12 paragraph (2), the Secretary shall require each covered 

13 employee of the Department to complete not less than one 

14 accredited course of continuing education on pain manage15 ment once every two years. Such course shall include in16 formation on safe prescribing practices and disposal of 

17 controlled substances, principles of pain management, 

18 identification of potential substance use disorders and ad19 diction treatment. 

20 ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a covered em21 ployee if the covered employee is licensed or certified by 

22 a State licensure or specialty board that requires the com23 pletion of continuing education relative to pain manage24 ment or substance use disorder management. 

25 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered employee’ means any 

2 employee of the Department authorized to prescribe 

3 any controlled substance, including an employee 

4 hired under section 7405 of this title. 

5 ‘‘(2) The term ‘controlled substance’ has the 

6 meaning given such term in section 102 of the Con7 trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802). 

8 ‘‘(c) APPLICABILITY.—The requirement under sub9 section (a) shall apply with respect to a covered employee 

10 for any 24-month period during which the covered em11 ployee is employed by the Department for at least 180 

12 days.’’. 

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

14 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 

15 at the end of the items relating to subchapter I of such 

16 chapter the following new item: 

‘‘7413. Continuing education requirement for employees authorized to prescribe 

medication.’’. 

17 (c) APPLICABILITY.—Section 7413 of title 38, United 

18 States Code, as added by subsection (a) shall apply with 

19 respect to a 12-month period that begins on or after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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