I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2145 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans program to seek to employ physicians at the 

Department of Veterans Affairs on a without compensation basis in 

practice areas and specialties with staffing shortages and long appointment waiting times. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2015 

Mr. CULBERSON (for himself, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. HUELSKAMP, Mr. 

THORNBERRY, and Mr. FARENTHOLD) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

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

Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans program to 

seek to employ physicians at the Department of Veterans 

Affairs on a without compensation basis in practice areas 

and specialties with staffing shortages and long appointment waiting times. 

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 ‘‘Physician Ambas5 sadors Helping Veterans Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PHYSICIAN AMBASSADORS HELPING VETERANS 

2 PROGRAM. 

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

4 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after sec5 tion 7405 the following new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 7405A. Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans 

7 program 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use the au9 thority under section 7405 of this title to seek to employ 

10 physicians on a without compensation basis in any prac11 tice area or speciality for which— 

12 ‘‘(1) the average waiting time for veterans seek13 ing an appointment with a physician in such practice 

14 area or specialty exceeds the waiting time goals es15 tablished by the Department; or 

16 ‘‘(2) the medical facility of the Department 

17 where the physician will be employed has dem18 onstrated staffing shortages, as determined by the 

19 Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(b) VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS.—There shall be in 

21 each medical facility of the Department a volunteer coordi22 nator. The volunteer coordinator for a medical facility 

23 shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) seek to establish relationships with medical 

25 associations serving the area where the facility is lo26 cated; 


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1 ‘‘(2) recruit physicians for employment on a 

2 without compensation basis in the facility; and 

3 ‘‘(3) serve as the initial point of contact for 

4 physicians seeking employment on a without com5 pensation basis in the facility. 

6 ‘‘(c) QUALIFICATIONS.—A physician employed on a 

7 without compensation basis under this section shall agree, 

8 as a condition of being granted a credential or privilege 

9 to practice medicine in a medical facility of the Depart10 ment, to commit to serving a minimum of 40 hours in 

11 the facility during the one-year period beginning on the 

12 date on which such credential or privilege is granted. 

13 ‘‘(d) CREDENTIALING PROCESS.—(1) The Secretary 

14 shall ensure that each physician who seeks employment 

15 at the Department on a without compensation basis under 

16 this section receives a credential or privilege to practice 

17 medicine in the Department, or a decision that such a cre18 dential or privilege will not be granted, by not later than 

19 60 days after the date on which the physician requests 

20 such credential or privilege. 

21 ‘‘(2) The director of a medical facility of the Depart22 ment shall approve, and accept the services of, any physi23 cian who meets the qualifications under subsection (c) and 

24 receives a credential or privilege to practice medicine in 

25 the facility under paragraph (1). 


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1 ‘‘(e) ANNUAL REPORT.—(1) Not later than March 31 

2 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

3 on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations 

4 of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and 

5 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep6 resentatives a report on physicians employed on a without 

7 compensation basis at the Department under this section. 

8 ‘‘(2) Each report submitted under paragraph (1) 

9 shall include, for the year preceding the year during which 

10 the report is submitted, each of the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) The number of physicians employed on a 

12 without compensation basis under this section by the 

13 Department in each of the Veterans Integrated 

14 Service Networks. 

15 ‘‘(B) Information about staffing levels and ap16 pointment waiting times for facilities located in each 

17 such Veterans Integrated Service Network. 

18 ‘‘(f) TREATMENT OF PHYSICIANS IN ANNUAL STAFF19 ING DETERMINATION.—Any physician employed on a 

20 without compensation basis under this section shall not 

21 be considered in determining under section 7412(a) of this 

22 title whether there is a staffing shortage throughout the 

23 Department with respect to a particular occupation.’’. 

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

25 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 


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1 after the item relating to section 7405 the following new 

2 item: 

‘‘7405A. Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans program.’’. 

Æ 


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