I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2752 
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish medically necessary 
transportation for newborn children of certain women veterans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2019 
Mr. ALLRED introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish 
medically necessary transportation for newborn children 
of certain women veterans. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VA Newborn Emer-
gency Treatment Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS TO FURNISH MEDICALLY NECESSARY 
TRANSPORTATION FOR NEWBORN CHILDREN 
OF CERTAIN WOMEN VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1786 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the matter before paragraph (1)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘and transportation 
necessary to receive such services’’ after 
‘‘described in subsection (b)’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘, except as provided 
in subsection (e),’’ after ‘‘seven days’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) another location, including a health care 
facility, if the veteran delivers the child before arriv-
ing at a facility described in paragraph (1) or (2).’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting before the pe-
riod at the end the following: ‘‘, including necessary 
health care services provided by a facility other than 
the facility where the newborn child was delivered 
(including a specialty pediatric hospital) that accepts 
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transfer of the newborn child and responsibility for 
treatment of the newborn child’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(c) TRANSPORTATION.—(1) Transportation fur-
nished under subsection (a) to, from, or between care set-
tings to meet the needs of a newborn child includes costs 
for either or both the newborn child and parents. 
‘‘(2) Transportation furnished under subsection (a) 
includes transportation by ambulance, including air ambu-
lance, or other appropriate medically staffed modes of 
transportation— 
‘‘(A) to another health care facility (including a 
specialty pediatric hospital) that accepts transfer of 
the newborn child or otherwise provides post-delivery 
care services when the treating facility is not capable 
of furnishing the care or services required; or 
‘‘(B) to a health care facility in a medical emer-
gency of such nature that a prudent layperson rea-
sonably expects that delay in seeking immediate 
medical attention would be hazardous to life or 
health. 
‘‘(3) Amounts paid by the Department for transpor-
tation under this section shall be derived from the Medical 
Services appropriations account of the Department. 
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‘‘(d) REIMBURSEMENT OR PAYMENT FOR HEALTH 
CARE SERVICES OR TRANSPORTATION.—(1) Pursuant to 
regulations the Secretary shall prescribe to establish rates 
of reimbursement and any limitations thereto under this 
section, the Secretary shall directly reimburse a covered 
entity for health care services or transportation services 
provided under this section, unless the cost of the services 
or transportation is covered by an established agreement 
or contract. If such an agreement or contract exists, its 
negotiated payment terms shall apply. 
‘‘(2)(A) Reimbursement or payment by the Secretary 
under this section on behalf of an individual to a covered 
entity shall, unless rejected and refunded by the covered 
entity within 30 days of receipt, extinguish any liability 
on the part of the individual for the health care services 
or transportation covered by such payment. 
‘‘(B) Neither the absence of a contract or agreement 
between the Secretary and a covered entity nor any provi-
sion of a contract, agreement, or assignment to the con-
trary shall operate to modify, limit, or negate the require-
ments of subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(3) In this subsection, the term ‘covered entity’ 
means any individual, transportation carrier, organization, 
or other entity that furnished or paid for health care serv-
ices or transportation under this section. 
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‘‘(e) EXCEPTION.—Pursuant to such regulations as 
the Secretary shall prescribe to carry out this section, the 
Secretary may furnish more than seven days of health care 
services described in subsection (b), and transportation 
necessary to receive such services, to a newborn child 
based on medical necessity if the child is in need of addi-
tional care, including a case in which the newborn child 
has been discharged or released from a hospital and re-
quires readmittance to ensure the health and welfare of 
the newborn child.’’. 
(b) TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DEBTS ALREADY IN-
CURRED.—Pursuant to such regulations as the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe, the Secretary may 
waive a debt for or reimburse a veteran billed for the cost 
of transportation that was furnished in order for a new-
born child to receive health care services under section 
1786 of title 38, United States Code, before the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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