Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2021

To make certain improvements in the provision of medical care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2021 2. Eligibility of certain veterans with service-connected disabilities to receive non-Department of Veterans Affairs medical care under Veterans Community Care Program (a) In general Paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 101 of the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–182 (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking or (2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period and inserting ; or (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (F) the covered veteran has a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or higher and elects to receive care or services through a non-Department provider. . (b) Effective date The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply as if originally enacted in the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–182 3. Extension of operating hours for pharmacies and medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) Extension of operating hours for pharmacies The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall extend the operating hours for each pharmacy of the Department of Veterans Affairs during which the pharmacy offers services comparable to retail pharmacies to include— (1) operation on Saturday, Sunday, and Federal holidays; and (2) operation until 8:00 p.m. on weekdays that are not Federal holidays. (b) Contracts with providers during nights and weekends The Secretary shall enter into contracts, including through locum tenens arrangements, with physicians and nurses that meet qualifications set forth by the Secretary for purposes of this section under which such physicians and nurses work at medical facilities of the Department during nights and weekends. (c) Support staff The Secretary may obtain additional support staff as necessary to carry out this section, including by hiring employees or contracting for services. 4. Conduct of best-practices peer review of each medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may provide for the conduct by a nongovernmental hospital organization of a best-practices peer review of each medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs to evaluate the efficacy of health care delivered at each such medical center. (b) Priority The Secretary shall give priority for peer review conducted under subsection (a) to the medical centers of the Department with the longest wait times for an appointment or the worst health outcomes, as determined by the Secretary.

Summary: Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2021 This bill expands the availability of care for veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities and non-VA facilities. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to furnish hospital care, medical services, and extended care services via providers under the Veterans Community Care Program to veterans with a service-connected disability rated at 50% or more who elect to receive care or services through a non-VA provider. The bill requires the VA to extend the operating hours of its pharmacies. The VA must enter into contracts with physicians and nurses to work at VA medical facilities during nights and weekends. Finally, the bill authorizes the VA to provide for a best-practices peer review of each VA medical center by a nongovernmental hospital organization to evaluate the efficacy of the care provided at each center. VA medical centers with the longest wait times for appointments or the worst health outcomes shall be given priority for peer review.