I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9178 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve access of health care 
providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs to prescription drug 
monitoring programs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2024 
Mr. ZINKE (for himself, Mr. BOST, Mr. VAN ORDEN, and Mr. CISCOMANI) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve access 
of health care providers of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to prescription drug monitoring programs, and 
for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Veteran Prescription 
Safety Improvement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAMS 
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) EXPANSION OF ACCESS OF HEALTH CARE PRO-
VIDERS OF THE DEPARTMENT.—Section 1730B of title 
38, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘to covered 
patients’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(3) The term ‘licensed health care provider’ 
means a health care provider who is— 
‘‘(A) an employee or contractor of the De-
partment; and 
‘‘(B) licensed, certified, or registered by a 
State to fill or prescribe medication within the 
scope of practice for the Department.’’. 
(b) GUIDANCE AND TRAINING.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Such section is further 
amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(b) GUIDANCE AND TRAINING.—(1) The Secretary 
shall issue guidance to pharmacy personnel of the Depart-
ment (including licensed health care providers) that pre-
scribes best practices for conducting a query described in 
subsection (a) upon receipt of a prescription for a con-
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trolled substance from a health care provider who provides 
health care to a veteran under section 1703 of this title. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall provide such pharmacy per-
sonnel with annual training on— 
‘‘(A) best practices prescribed under paragraph 
(1); and 
‘‘(B) the requirements of State and regional 
prescription drug monitoring programs.’’. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall carry out subsection (b) of such 
section, as amended by this subsection, not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(c) AUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.— 
Subsection (l) of section 5701 of such title is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(l) Under regulations prescribed the Secretary, the 
Secretary may disclose information about an individual to 
a State controlled substance monitoring program, includ-
ing a program approved by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services under section 399O of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g–3).’’. 
Æ 
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