II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1838 

To provide for the health care needs of veterans in far South Texas. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 19, 2007 

Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mrs. HUTCHISON) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for the health care needs of veterans in far 

South Texas. 

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 ‘‘South Texas Veterans 

5 Access to Care Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The current and future health care needs of 

9 veterans residing in the Far South Texas area are 

10 not being fully met by the Department of Veterans 

11 Affairs. 


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1 (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs esti2 mates that more than 100,000 veterans reside in 

3 Far South Texas. 

4 (3) In its Capital Asset Realignment for En5 hanced Services study, the Department of Veterans 

6 Affairs found that fewer than three percent of its 

7 enrollees in the Valley-Coastal Bend Market of Vet8 erans Integrated Service Network 17 reside within 

9 its acute hospital access standards. 

10 (4) Travel times for veterans from the market 

11 referred to in paragraph (3) can exceed six hours 

12 from their residences to the nearest Department of 

13 Veterans Affairs hospital for acute inpatient health 

14 care. 

15 (5) Even with the significant travel times, vet16 erans from Far South Texas demonstrate a high de17 mand for health care services from the Department 

18 of Veterans Affairs. 

19 (6) Deployments involving members of the 

20 Texas National Guard and Reservists from Texas 

21 will serve to continue to increase the population of 

22 veterans in Far South Texas. 


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1 SEC. 3. MEDICAL CARE FOR VETERANS IN FAR SOUTH 

2 TEXAS. 

3 (a) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

5 Veterans Affairs shall determine, and notify Congress pur6 suant to subsection (b), whether the needs of veterans in 

7 Far South Texas for acute inpatient hospital care should 

8 be met— 

9 (1) through a project for a public-private ven10 ture to provide inpatient services and long-term care 

11 to veterans in an existing facility in Far South 

12 Texas; 

13 (2) through a project for construction of a new 

14 full-service, 50-bed hospital with a 125-bed nursing 

15 home in Far South Texas; or 

16 (3) through a sharing agreement with a mili17 tary treatment facility in Far South Texas. 

18 (b) NOTIFICATION AND PROSPECTUS.—Not later 

19 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

20 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report— 

21 (1) identifying which of the three options speci22 fied in subsection (a) has been selected by the Sec23 retary; and 

24 (2) providing, for the option selected, a pro25 spectus that includes, at a minimum, the matter 

26 specified in paragraphs (1) through (8) of section 


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1 8104(b) of title 38, United States Code, and the 

2 project timelines. 

3 SEC. 4. PUBLIC-PRIVATE VENTURE FOR MEDICAL CARE 

4 FOR VETERANS IN FAR SOUTH TEXAS. 

5 (a) PROJECT.—If the option selected by the Sec6 retary of Veterans Affairs under subsection (a) of section 

7 3 is the option specified in paragraph (1) of such sub8 section for a project of a public-private venture to provide 

9 inpatient and long-term care to veterans at an existing fa10 cility in Far South Texas, then the Secretary shall, subject 

11 to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, take 

12 such steps as necessary to enter into an agreement with 

13 an appropriate private-sector entity to provide for inpa14 tient and long-term care services for veterans at an exist15 ing facility in one of the counties of Far South Texas. 

16 Such an agreement may include provision for construction 

17 of a new wing or other addition at such facility to provide 

18 additional services that will, under the agreement, be 

19 leased by the United States and dedicated to care and 

20 treatment of veterans by the Secretary under title 38, 

21 United States Code. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary 

24 for a public-private venture project under this section. 


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1 SEC. 5. NEW DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MED2 ICAL CENTER, FAR SOUTH TEXAS. 

3 (a) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—If the option se4 lected by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under sub5 section (a) of section 3 is the option specified in paragraph 

6 (2) of such subsection for a project for construction in 

7 Far South Texas of a new full-service, 175-bed facility 

8 providing inpatient and long-term care services, such facil9 ity shall be located in the county in Far South Texas that 

10 the Secretary determines most suitable to meet the health 

11 care needs of veterans in the region. 

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to the Construction, Major 

14 Projects, account of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

15 in addition to any other amounts authorized for that ac16 count, the amount of $175,000,000 for the project author17 ized by subsection (a). 

18 SEC. 6. SHARED FACILITY WITH DEPARTMENT OF DE19 FENSE, FAR SOUTH TEXAS. 

20 (a) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—If the option se21 lected by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under sub22 section (a) of section 3 is the option specified in paragraph 

23 (3) of such subsection for a project of a Department of 

24 Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense shared facility to 

25 provide inpatient and long-term care to veterans at an ex26 isting facility in Far South Texas, then the Secretary 


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1 shall, subject to the availability of appropriations for such 

2 purpose, take such steps as necessary to enter into an 

3 agreement with an appropriate military treatment facility 

4 to provide for inpatient and long-term care services for 

5 veterans at an existing facility in one of the counties of 

6 Far South Texas. Such an agreement may include provi7 sion for construction of a new wing or other addition at 

8 such facility to provide additional services that will, under 

9 the agreement, be leased by the United States and dedi10 cated to care and treatment of veterans by the Secretary 

11 under title 38, United States Code. 

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary 

14 for a Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of De15 fense venture project under this section. 

16 SEC. 7. FAR SOUTH TEXAS DEFINED. 

17 In this Act, the term ‘‘Far South Texas’’ means the 

18 following counties of the State of Texas: Aransas, Bee, 

19 Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, 

20 Duval, Goliad, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, 

21 Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, 

22 Victoria, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata. 

Æ 


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