I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5231 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the inspection 
of kitchens and food service areas at medical facilities of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs to ensure that the same standards for kitchens 
and food service areas at hospitals in the private sector are being met 
at kitchens and food service areas at medical facilities of the Department. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2016 
Mr. BOST introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for 
the inspection of kitchens and food service areas at med-
ical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
ensure that the same standards for kitchens and food 
service areas at hospitals in the private sector are being 
met at kitchens and food service areas at medical facili-
ties of the Department. 
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 ‘‘Requiring Account-
ability and Inspections for Dining Service Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. INSPECTION OF KITCHENS AND FOOD SERVICE 
AREAS AT MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE DE-
PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently 
than annually thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall provide for the conduct of inspections of kitch-
ens and food service areas at each medical facility of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that the same 
standards for kitchens and food service areas at hospitals 
in the private sector are being met at kitchens and food 
service areas at medical facilities of the Department. 
(b) AGREEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall seek to 
enter into an agreement with the Joint Commission 
on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations under 
which the Joint Commission on Accreditation of 
Hospital Organizations conducts the inspections re-
quired under subsection (a). 
(2) ALTERNATE
ORGANIZATION.—If the Sec-
retary is unable to enter into an agreement de-
scribed in paragraph (1) with the Joint Commission 
on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations on terms 
acceptable to the Secretary, the Secretary shall seek 
to enter into such an agreement with another appro-
priate organization that— 
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(A) is not part of the Federal Government; 
(B) operates as a not-for-profit entity; and 
(C) has expertise and objectivity com-
parable to that of the Joint Commission on Ac-
creditation of Hospital Organizations. 
(c) REMEDIATION PLAN.— 
(1) INITIAL
FAILURE.—If a kitchen or food 
service area of a medical facility of the Department 
is determined pursuant to an inspection conducted 
under subsection (a) not to meet the standards for 
kitchens and food service areas in hospitals in the 
private sector, that medical facility fails the inspec-
tion and the Secretary shall— 
(A) implement a remediation plan for that 
medical facility within 48 hours; and 
(B) conduct a second inspection under sub-
section (a) at that medical facility within 7 days 
of the failed inspection. 
(2) SECOND FAILURE.—If a medical facility of 
the Department fails the second inspection con-
ducted under paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall 
close the kitchen or food service area at that medical 
facility that did not meet the standards for kitchens 
and food service areas in hospitals in the private sec-
tor until remediation is completed and all kitchens 
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and food service areas at that medical facility meet 
such standards. 
(3) PROVISION OF FOOD.—If a kitchen or food 
service area is closed at a medical facility of the De-
partment pursuant to paragraph (2), the Director of 
the Veterans Integrated Service Network in which 
the medical facility is located shall enter into a con-
tract with a vendor approved by the General Serv-
ices Administration to provide food at the medical 
facility. 
(d) REPORTS.— 
(1) QUARTERLY.—Not less frequently than 
quarterly, the Director of each Veterans Integrated 
Service Network shall submit to Congress a report 
on inspections conducted under this section during 
that quarter at medical facilities of the Department 
under the jurisdiction of that Director. 
(2) SUBSEQUENT
PERIOD.—A Director of a 
Veterans Integrated Service Network may submit to 
Congress the report described in paragraph (1) not 
less frequently than semiannually if the Director 
does not report any failed inspections for the one- 
year period preceding the submittal of the report. 
Æ 
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