I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 71 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program 

to improve the ability of veterans to access medical care in medical 

facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and in the community 

by providing the veterans the ability to choose health care providers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2025 

Mr. BIGGS of Arizona (for himself, Mr. CRANE, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Ms. 

SALAZAR, Mr. GOSAR, Mrs. LUNA, and Mr. BRECHEEN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

a pilot program to improve the ability of veterans to 

access medical care in medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and in the community by providing the veterans the ability to choose health care 

providers. 

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 Health Care 

5 Freedom Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON ABILITY OF VETERANS TO 

2 CHOOSE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. 

3 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.— 

4 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 

5 Affairs, acting through the Center for Innovation for 

6 Care and Payment, shall carry out a pilot program 

7 to improve the ability of eligible veterans to access 

8 hospital care, medical services, and extended care 

9 services through the covered care system by pro10 viding the eligible veterans the ability to choose 

11 health care providers. 

12 (2) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall select a 

13 minimum of four Veterans Integrated Service Net14 works in which to carry out the pilot program under 

15 paragraph (1). In making such selection, the Sec16 retary shall ensure that the pilot program is carried 

17 out in varied geographic areas that include both 

18 rural and urban locations. 

19 (b) REMOVAL OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS TO AC20 CESS CARE.—In carrying out the pilot program under 

21 subsection (a), the Secretary shall furnish hospital care, 

22 medical services, and extended care services to eligible vet23 erans through the covered care system as follows: 

24 (1) At medical facilities of the Department of 

25 Veterans Affairs, regardless of whether the facility is 


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1 in the same Veterans Integrated Service Network as 

2 the Network in which the veteran resides. 

3 (2) At non-Department facilities pursuant to, 

4 as appropriate— 

5 (A) section 1703 of title 38, United States 

6 Code, without regard to the requirements speci7 fied in subsection (d) of such section; or 

8 (B) section 1703A of such title, without re9 gard to the requirements specified in subsection 

10 (a)(1)(C) of such section. 

11 (c) ELECTION OF VETERAN.—In accordance with 

12 subsections (d) and (e), an eligible veteran participating 

13 in the pilot program may elect to receive hospital care, 

14 medical services, and extended care services at any pro15 vider in the covered care system. 

16 (d) COORDINATION OF CARE.— 

17 (1) SELECTION.—Each eligible veteran partici18 pating in the pilot program shall select a primary 

19 care provider in the covered care system. The pri20 mary care provider shall— 

21 (A) coordinate with the Secretary and 

22 other health care providers the hospital care, 

23 medical services, and extended care services fur24 nished to the veteran under the pilot program; 

25 and 


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1 (B) refer the veteran to specialty care pro2 viders in the covered care system, as clinically 

3 necessary. 

4 (2) SYSTEMS.—The Secretary shall establish 

5 systems as the Secretary determines appropriate to 

6 ensure that a primary care provider can effectively 

7 coordinate the hospital care, medical services, and 

8 extended care services furnished to a veteran under 

9 the pilot program. 

10 (e) SPECIALTY CARE.— 

11 (1) ACCESS.—Subject to subsection (d)(1)(B), 

12 an eligible veteran participating in the pilot program 

13 may select any specialty care provider in the covered 

14 care system from which to receive specialty care. 

15 (2) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary may des16 ignate a specialty care provider as a primary care 

17 provider of an eligible veteran participating in the 

18 pilot program if the Secretary determines that such 

19 designation is in the health interests of the veteran 

20 (such as an endocrinologist with respect to a veteran 

21 diagnosed with diabetes, a neurologist with respect 

22 to a veteran diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, or 

23 an obstetrician-gynecologist with respect to a female 

24 veteran). 


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1 (f) MENTAL HEALTH CARE.—An eligible veteran 

2 participating in the pilot program may select a mental 

3 health care provider in the covered care system from which 

4 to receive mental health care. 

5 (g) INFORMATION.—In carrying out the pilot pro6 gram, the Secretary shall furnish to eligible veterans the 

7 information on eligibility, cost sharing, treatments, and 

8 providers required for veterans to make informed decisions 

9 with respect to— 

10 (1) selecting primary care providers and spe11 cialty care providers; and 

12 (2) treatments available to the veteran. 

13 (h) DURATION.— 

14 (1) PHASE IN.—The Secretary shall carry out 

15 the pilot program during the three-year period be16 ginning on the date that is one year after the date 

17 of the enactment of this Act. 

18 (2) PERMANENT REQUIREMENT.— 

19 (A) VETERANS COMMUNITY CARE PRO20 GRAM.—Section 1703(d) of title 38, United 

21 States Code, is amended— 

22 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The 

23 Secretary shall’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as 

24 provided by paragraph (5), the Secretary 

25 shall’’; and 


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1 (ii) by adding at the end the following 

2 new paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(5) Beginning on the date that is four years after 

4 the date of the enactment of the Veterans Health Care 

5 Freedom Act— 

6 ‘‘(A) the requirements under paragraphs (1), 

7 (2), and (3) shall not apply with respect to fur8 nishing hospital care, medical services, and extended 

9 care services to a covered veteran under this section; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(B) the Secretary shall furnish hospital care, 

12 medical services, and extended care services to a cov13 ered veteran under this section with the same condi14 tions on the ability of the veteran to choose health 

15 care providers as specified in the pilot program de16 scribed in section 2 of such Act.’’. 

17 (B) VETERANS CARE AGREEMENTS.—Sec18 tion 1703A(a)(1) of such title is amended— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

20 ‘‘For purposes’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as 

21 provided by subparagraph (E), for pur22 poses’’; and 

23 (ii) by adding at the end the following 

24 new subparagraph: 


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1 ‘‘(E) Beginning on the date that is four years after 

2 the date of the enactment of the Veterans Health Care 

3 Freedom Act— 

4 ‘‘(i) the requirements under subparagraph (C) 

5 shall not apply with respect to furnishing hospital 

6 care, medical services, and extended care services to 

7 a covered veteran under this section; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary shall furnish hospital care, 

9 medical services, and extended care services to a cov10 ered veteran under this section with the same condi11 tions on the ability of the veteran to choose health 

12 care providers as specified in the pilot program de13 scribed in section 2 of such Act.’’. 

14 (C) VISNS.—Beginning on the date that is 

15 four years after the date of the enactment of 

16 this Act, the Secretary shall furnish hospital 

17 care, medical services, and extended care serv18 ices to veterans under chapter 17 of title 38, 

19 United States Code, at medical facilities of the 

20 Department of Veterans Affairs, regardless of 

21 whether the facility is in the same Veterans In22 tegrated Service Network as the Network in 

23 which the veteran resides. 

24 (i) REPORTS.— 


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1 (1) IMPLEMENTATION.—On a quarterly basis 

2 during the two-year period beginning on the date of 

3 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

4 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

5 of Representatives and the Senate a report on the 

6 implementation of the pilot program. One such re7 port shall contain a description of the final design 

8 of the pilot program. 

9 (2) ANNUAL.—On an annual basis during the 

10 period beginning on the date that is one year after 

11 the date of the submission of the final report under 

12 paragraph (1) and ending on the date of the conclu13 sion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit 

14 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

15 of Representatives and the Senate a report on the 

16 results of the pilot program. 

17 (j) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary, in consultation 

18 with the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

19 of Representatives and the Senate, may prescribe regula20 tions to carry out this section. 

21 (k) NO ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS.—No addi22 tional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry 

23 out this section, and this section shall be carried out using 

24 amounts otherwise made available to the Veterans Health 

25 Administration. 


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1 (l) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) The term ‘‘covered care system’’ means 

3 each— 

4 (A) medical facility of the Department; 

5 (B) health care provider specified in sub6 section 1703(c) of title 38, United States Code; 

7 and 

8 (C) eligible entity or provider that has en9 tered into a Veterans Care Agreement under 

10 section 1703A of such title. 

11 (2) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a vet12 eran who is enrolled in the patient enrollment sys13 tem of the Department of Veterans Affairs under 

14 section 1705 of title 38, United States Code. 

15 (3) The term ‘‘non-Department facility’’ has 

16 the meaning given that term in section 1701 of title 

17 38, United States Code. 

Æ 


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