I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 840 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to provide child care assistance to veterans receiving certain 
medical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 29, 2019 
Ms. BROWNLEY of California (for herself and Mr. HIGGINS of New York) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to provide child care assistance 
to veterans receiving certain medical services provided 
by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
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 ‘‘Veterans’ Access to 
Child Care Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE FOR VETERANS RECEIV-
ING MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND OTHER IN-
TENSIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES PROVIDED 
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 17 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1730D. Child care assistance for veterans receiving 
mental health care and other intensive 
health care services 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide child 
care assistance to an eligible veteran for any period that 
the veteran— 
‘‘(1) receives covered health care services at a 
facility of the Department; and 
‘‘(2) is required travel to and return from such 
facility for the receipt of such health care services. 
‘‘(b) CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.—(1) Child care as-
sistance provided under this section may include any of 
the following: 
‘‘(A) A stipend for the payment of child care of-
fered by a licensed child care center (either directly 
or through a voucher program) which shall be, to 
the extent practicable, modeled after the Depart-
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ment of Veterans Affairs Child Care Subsidy Pro-
gram established pursuant to section 590 of title 40. 
‘‘(B) Direct provision of child care at an on-site 
facility of the Department. 
‘‘(C) A payment made directly to a private child 
care agency. 
‘‘(D) A collaboration with a facility or program 
of another Federal department or agency. 
‘‘(E) Such other form of assistance as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate. 
‘‘(2) In the case that child care assistance under this 
section is provided as a stipend under paragraph (1)(A), 
such stipend shall cover the full cost of such child care. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘eligible veteran’ means a vet-
eran who— 
‘‘(A) is the primary caretaker of a child or 
children; and 
‘‘(B) is— 
‘‘(i) receiving covered health care serv-
ices from the Department; or 
‘‘(ii) in need of covered health care 
services, and but for lack of child care 
services, would receive such covered health 
care services from the Department. 
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