II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2095 

To reauthorize and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides health 

services to veterans through qualifying non-Department of Veterans Affairs health care providers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 6, 2014 

Mr. MORAN (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, and Mr. KING) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and modify the pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs under which the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs provides health services to veterans 

through qualifying non-Department of Veterans Affairs 

health care providers, 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 ‘‘Veterans Health Care 

5 Access Received Closer to Home Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 


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1 (1) veterans who are authorized by the Sec2 retary of Veterans Affairs to receive health care in 

3 the community must not lose the high quality, safe4 ty, care coordination, and other veteran-centric ele5 ments that the health care system of the Depart6 ment of Veterans Affairs provides; 

7 (2) many veterans receive health care from both 

8 the Department and community providers but the 

9 lack of care coordination among the Department and 

10 community providers when veterans receive pur11 chased care places veterans at risk for poor health 

12 outcomes and results in inefficient use of finite 

13 health care resources; 

14 (3) veteran-centric care coordination is associ15 ated with improved patient outcomes, as Department 

16 and non-Department health care teams coordinate 

17 and collaborate to provide the best care for veterans; 

18 and 

19 (4) if the Secretary purchases care for veterans 

20 from the private sector, such care must be secured 

21 in a cost-effective manner, in a way that com22 plements the larger health care system of the De23 partment by using industry standards for care and 

24 costs. 


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1 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND MODIFICATION OF PILOT 

2 PROGRAM OF ENHANCED CONTRACT CARE 

3 AUTHORITY FOR HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF 

4 VETERANS. 

5 Section 403 of the Veterans’ Mental Health and 

6 Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 (Public Law 110– 

7 387; 38 U.S.C. 1703 note) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘120 

10 days after the date of the enactment of this 

11 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘90 days after the date of 

12 the enactment of the Veterans Health Care Ac13 cess Received Closer to Home Act of 2014’’; 

14 and 

15 (B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM LOCATIONS.—The Secretary 

18 shall carry out the pilot program at locations in the 

19 following Veterans Integrated Service Networks (and 

20 such other locations as the Secretary considers ap21 propriate): 

22 ‘‘(A) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

23 1. 

24 ‘‘(B) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

25 6. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

2 15. 

3 ‘‘(D) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

4 18. 

5 ‘‘(E) Veterans Integrated Service Network 

6 19.’’; 

7 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol8 lows: 

9 ‘‘(b) COVERED VETERANS.—For purposes of the 

10 pilot program under this section, a covered veteran is any 

11 rural or highly rural veteran who— 

12 ‘‘(1) is— 

13 ‘‘(A) enrolled in the system of patient en14 rollment established under section 1705(a) of 

15 title 38, United States Code; 

16 ‘‘(B) eligible for health care under the laws 

17 administered by the Secretary and enrolls in 

18 such system of patient enrollment not later 

19 than 30 days after the veteran begins receiving 

20 covered health services under the pilot program; 

21 or 

22 ‘‘(C) eligible for health care under section 

23 1710(e)(3) of such title; and 

24 ‘‘(2) resides in a location that is— 


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1 ‘‘(A) more than 60 minutes driving dis2 tance from the nearest Department health care 

3 facility providing primary care services, if the 

4 veteran is seeking such services; 

5 ‘‘(B) more than 120 minutes driving dis6 tance from the nearest Department health care 

7 facility providing acute hospital care, if the vet8 eran is seeking such care; or 

9 ‘‘(C) more than 240 minutes driving dis10 tance from the nearest Department health care 

11 facility providing tertiary care, if the veteran is 

12 seeking such care.’’; 

13 (3) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub14 section (j); 

15 (4) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol16 lowing new subsections: 

17 ‘‘(h) APPOINTMENTS.—In carrying out the pilot pro18 gram under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that 

19 medical appointments for veterans occur during the 30- 

20 day period beginning on the date that is 15 days after 

21 the date on which the appointment is requested. 

22 ‘‘(i) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall ensure that a 

23 veteran eligible for the pilot program under this section 

24 is informed of such program.’’; and 


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1 (5) in paragraph (2)(B) of subsection (j), as re2 designated by paragraph (3) of this section, by strik3 ing the semicolon at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’. 

Æ 


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