I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1562
To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the authority of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to recover costs of medical care furnished 
to veterans and other persons by the Department from third parties 
that provide health insurance coverage to such veterans and other per-
sons. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 2, 2003
Mr. BEAUPREZ (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. EVANS, Mr. SIM-
MONS, and Mr. RODRIGUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the 
authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to re-
cover costs of medical care furnished to veterans and 
other persons by the Department from third parties that 
provide health insurance coverage to such veterans and 
other persons.
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 Health Care 
Cost Recovery Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS TO RECOVER MEDICAL COSTS FROM 
THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS AS IF IT IS A PRE-
FERRED PROVIDER ORGANIZATION. 
Section 1729(f) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: 
‘‘The absence of a participation agreement or other con-
tractual arrangement entered into by the Secretary with 
a person obligated to provide, or to pay, the expenses of 
health services under a health-plan contract or with a 
third party that is a preferred provider organization may 
not be used or operate to prevent, or reduce the amount 
of, any such recovery or collection by the United States.’’. 
SEC. 3. RECOVERY OF COSTS OF HEALTH CARE AND SERV-
ICES PROVIDED TO PERSONS OTHER THAN 
VETERANS. 
(a) COST RECOVERY.—Section 1729 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(j)(1) Whenever the Secretary furnishes care and 
services to a person other than a veteran, the United 
States shall have the right to recover or collect charges 
for such care or services in the same manner, and to the 
same extent, as is provided under this section for care and 
services furnished to a veteran, except that for such pur-
pose the terms ‘health-plan contract’ and ‘third-party’
shall have the meanings set forth in paragraphs (2) and 
(3), respectively, of section 1725(f) of this title. 
‘‘(2) The amounts of charges under paragraph (1) 
shall be in such amounts as the Secretary may prescribe 
by regulation.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Subsection (a)(2) of 
such section is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘or’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (C); and 
(2) by striking subparagraphs (D) and (E) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(D) that is incurred by a veteran who is enti-
tled to care (or payment of the expenses of care) 
under a health-plan contract, but, in the case of a 
veteran who has a service-connected disability, only 
with respect to care and services furnished before 
October 1, 2007.’’. 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by sections 2 and 3(a) shall 
apply only with respect to care and services furnished 
under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, on and 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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