I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5516 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain requirements 

relating to the immunization of veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 10, 2010 

Mr. STEARNS 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 certain 

requirements relating to the immunization of veterans, 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Access to Appropriate 

5 Immunizations for Veterans Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ENSURING VETERAN ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE IM7 MUNIZATIONS. 

8 (a) INCLUSION OF RECOMMENDED ADULT VACCINA9 TIONS AS MEDICAL SERVICES.— 


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1 (1) COVERED BENEFIT.—Subparagraph (F) of 

2 section 1701(9) of title 38, United States Code, is 

3 amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(F) immunizations against infectious dis5 eases, including each immunization on the rec6 ommended adult immunization schedule at the 

7 time such immunization is indicated on that 

8 schedule;’’. 

9 (2) DEFINITION.—Section 1701 of title 38, 

10 United States Code, is amended by adding after 

11 paragraph (9) the following new paragraph: 

12 ‘‘(10) The term ‘recommended adult immuniza13 tion schedule’ means the schedule established (and 

14 periodically reviewed and, as appropriate, revised) by 

15 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices 

16 established by the Secretary of Health and Human 

17 Services and delegated to the Centers for Disease 

18 Control and Prevention.’’. 

19 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Section 1704(1)(A) of 

20 title 38, United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the 

23 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following 

25 new clause: 


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1 ‘‘(iii) to ensure that veterans have re2 ceived each immunization on the rec3 ommended adult immunization schedule at 

4 the time such immunization is indicated on 

5 that schedule.’’. 

6 (c) ASSURANCE THAT ADMINISTRATION OF VACCINA7 TIONS CONSTITUTES APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT AND

8 COST-EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE SERV9 ICES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1706(a) of title 38, 

11 United States Code, is amended— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘In managing the provi13 sion’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) In managing the provi14 sion’’; and 

15 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

16 subsection: 

17 ‘‘(2) In managing the provision of medical services 

18 under such section, the Secretary shall develop and imple19 ment quality measures and metrics to ensure that veterans 

20 receiving medical services under this title receive each im21 munization on the recommended adult immunization 

22 schedule at the time such immunization is indicated on 

23 that schedule. Such quality measures and metrics shall in24 clude targets for compliance. The Secretary shall, to the 

25 maximum extent feasible, develop and implement such 


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1 measures and metrics concurrently and consistently with 

2 the metrics in place, as of the date of the enactment of 

3 this paragraph, with respect to influenza and pneumo4 coccal vaccinations.’’ 

5 (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Section 1704(1) of 

6 title 38, United States Code, as amended by sub7 section (c)(1)(C), is further amended by adding after 

8 subparagraph (G) the following new subparagraph: 

9 ‘‘(H) Statistics related to the quality meas10 ures and metrics established under section 

11 1706(a)(2) of this title.’’. 

12 (3) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 

13 (A) DEVELOPMENT OF INITIAL SCHED14 ULE.—The Secretary shall establish the quality 

15 measures and metrics described in paragraph 

16 (2) of subsection (a) of section 1706 of title 38, 

17 United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), 

18 through notice and comment rulemaking in the 

19 Federal Register. The Secretary shall cause to 

20 have published in the Federal Register proposed 

21 measures and metrics by no later than July 1, 

22 2010, and shall finalize such measures and 

23 metrics by no later than December 31, 2010. 

24 (B) IMPLEMENTATION OF MEASURES AND

25 METRICS.—The Secretary shall implement paraVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:19 Jun 12, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5516.IH H5516

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1 graph (2) of subsection (a) of section 1706 of 

2 title 38, United States Code, as added by para3 graph (1) on January 1, 2011. 

4 (C) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Subpara5 graph (H) of paragraph (1) of section 1704 of 

6 title 38, United States Code, as added by para7 graph (2), shall apply with respect to the first 

8 report submitted under such section after Janu9 ary 1, 2011. 

Æ 


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