II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 761 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to designate certain medical facilities 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs as health professional shortage 

areas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17, 2015 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. GRASSLEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to designate certain 

medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

as health professional shortage areas, 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 Access to 

5 Care Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE DE2 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AS 

3 HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS. 

4 (a) PHSA.—Section 332(a)(1) of the Public Health 

5 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)) is amended in the sec6 ond sentence by inserting ‘‘and medical facilities of the 

7 Department of Veterans Affairs (including State homes, 

8 as defined in section 101(19) of title 38, United States 

9 Code)’’ after ‘‘(42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)),’’. 

10 (b) CONCURRENT BENEFITS.— 

11 (1) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.—Section 338A(b) 

12 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l(b)) 

13 is amended— 

14 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the pe16 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

18 paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(5) not be participating in the Department of 

20 Veterans Affairs Health Professionals Educational 

21 Assistance Program under chapter 76 of title 38, 

22 United States Code.’’. 

23 (2) DEBT REDUCTION PROGRAM.—Section 

24 338B(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42 

25 U.S.C. 254l–1(b)) is amended— 

26 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe2 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

4 paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(4) not be participating in the Department of 

6 Veterans Affairs Health Professionals Educational 

7 Assistance Program under chapter 76 of title 38, 

8 United States Code.’’. 

9 (c) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the National 

10 Health Service Corps Program under subpart II of part 

11 D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 254d et seq.), the Secretary of Health and Human Serv13 ices shall consult with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

14 with respect to health professional shortage areas that are 

15 medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

16 (including State homes, as defined in section 101(19) of 

17 title 38, United States Code). 

18 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

19 this section shall take effect on the date that is 90 days 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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