I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2516 

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

care professionals to treat veterans via telemedicine. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2015 

Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 

LOWENTHAL, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, 

Mr. RUSH, Mr. JONES, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. POLIS, Mrs. 

CAPPS, and Mr. MCDERMOTT) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

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

ability of health care professionals to treat veterans via 

telemedicine. 

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 & 

5 Telemedicine Support Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘VETS Act 

6 of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. LICENSURE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS OF 

2 THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

3 PROVIDING TREATMENT VIA TELEMEDICINE. 

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

5 States Code, is amended by adding after section 1730A 

6 the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1730B. Licensure of health care professionals pro8 viding treatment via telemedicine 

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

10 of law regarding the licensure of health care professionals, 

11 a covered health care professional may practice the health 

12 profession of the health care professional at any location 

13 in any State, the District of Columbia, or a Common14 wealth, territory, or possession of the United States, re15 gardless of where such health care professional or the pa16 tient is located, if the health care professional is using tele17 medicine to provide treatment to an individual under this 

18 chapter. 

19 ‘‘(b) PROPERTY OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.—Sub20 section (a) shall apply to a covered health care professional 

21 providing treatment to a patient regardless of whether 

22 such health care professional or patient is located in a fa23 cility owned by the Federal Government during such treat24 ment. 

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


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1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered health care professional’ 

2 means a health care professional who is— 

3 ‘‘(A) authorized by the Secretary to pro4 vide health care under this chapter, including a 

5 private health care professional who provides 

6 such care under a contract entered into with 

7 the Secretary, including a contract entered into 

8 under section 1703 of this title; and 

9 ‘‘(B) licensed, nationally registered, or cer10 tified to practice the health care profession of 

11 the health care professional. 

12 ‘‘(2) The term ‘telemedicine’ means the use of 

13 telecommunication technology and information tech14 nology to support the provision of health care in sit15 uations where the patient and health care profes16 sional are separated by geographic distance. 

17 ‘‘(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section may 

18 be construed to remove, limit, or otherwise affect any obli19 gation of a covered health care professional under the Con20 trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.).’’. 

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

22 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

23 after the item relating to section 1730A the following new 

24 item: 


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

Æ 


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