I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3642 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program 
to improve the access to private health care for veterans who are sur-
vivors of military sexual trauma. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 4, 2017 
Mr. BARR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
a pilot program to improve the access to private health 
care for veterans who are survivors of military sexual 
trauma. 
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 ‘‘Military Sexual Assault 
Victims Empowerment Act’’ or the ‘‘Military SAVE Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR PRIVATE HEALTH CARE FOR 
VETERANS WHO ARE SURVIVORS OF MILI-
TARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, acting through the Office of Community Care of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall carry out a pilot 
program to furnish hospital care and medical services to 
eligible veterans at non-Department health care providers 
to treat physical and psychological injuries or illnesses 
which in the judgment of a mental health professional em-
ployed by the Department resulted from a physical assault 
of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual 
harassment which occurred while the veteran was serving 
on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty 
training. 
(b) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 
pilot program under subsection (a) for a three-year period. 
If at the completion of the pilot program an eligible vet-
eran is receiving hospital care and medical services from 
a non-Department health care provider under the pilot 
program, the Secretary may approve, on a case by case 
basis, the continuation of such hospital care and medical 
services from that non-Department health care provider 
until the completion of the episode of care. 
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(c) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—A veteran is eligible to 
participate in the pilot program under subsection (a) if 
the veteran— 
(1) is eligible to participate in the program 
under section 1720D of title 38, United States Code; 
and 
(2) resides in a location selected under sub-
section (d). 
(d) LOCATIONS.— 
(1) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select not 
more than five locations in which to carry out the 
pilot program under subsection (a). Each location 
shall meet each of the following criteria: 
(A) The location is within 100 miles of a 
major military installation, as determined by 
the Secretary, in the same State as the location. 
(B) Except as provided by paragraph (2), 
the location consists of a city with a population 
between 200,000 and 500,000, as determined 
by the Bureau of the Census. 
(C) The location is in a State in which the 
National Violence Against Women Prevention 
Research Center or the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, or both, has deter-
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mined the rate of sexual assault to be a sub-
stantial problem. 
(D) The location is in a State that has a 
weighted percentage of reported rape of not less 
than 20 percent but not more than 25 percent 
of sexual assault cases, in accordance with the 
finding of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention contained in the ‘‘ ‘Lifetime Preva-
lence of Sexual Violence by any Perpetrator’’ 
(NISVS 2010). 
(2) RURAL LOCATION.—Not fewer than one lo-
cation selected under paragraph (1) shall be rural, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
(e) PARTICIPATION.— 
(1) ELECTION.—An eligible veteran may elect 
to participate in the pilot program under subsection 
(a). Such an election shall include an affidavit at-
testing that the veteran is eligible to participate in 
the program under section 1720D of title 38, United 
States Code. Such election shall not affect the ability 
of the veteran to receive health care furnished by 
Department providers with respect to illnesses or in-
juries that are not described in subsection (a). 
(2) CHOICE
OF
NON-DEPARTMENT
HEALTH 
CARE PROVIDERS.—The Secretary may not restrict 
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the ability of an eligible veteran who participates in 
the pilot program under subsection (a) to choose 
from which non-Department health care provider the 
veteran receives hospital care or medical treatment 
under the pilot program. 
(3) PROVISION
OF
INFORMATION.—The Sec-
retary shall— 
(A) notify each eligible veteran of the abil-
ity of the veteran to make an election under 
paragraph (1), and that such election is made 
without prejudice; and 
(B) provide to such veterans educational 
referral materials, including through pamphlets 
and internet websites, on the non-Department 
providers in the locations selected under sub-
section (d). 
(f) PAYMENTS.— 
(1) CURRENT
PROVIDERS.—If a non-Depart-
ment health care provider is entered into a contract 
or other agreement with the Secretary pursuant to 
another provision of law to furnish hospital care or 
medical treatment to veterans, the Secretary shall 
pay the health care provider for hospital care or 
medical treatment furnished under this section using 
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the same rates and payment schedules as provided 
for in such contract or agreement. 
(2) NEW
PROVIDERS.—If a non-Department 
health care provider is not entered into an agree-
ment with the Secretary pursuant to another provi-
sion of law to furnish hospital care or medical treat-
ment to veterans, the Secretary shall pay the health 
care provider for hospital care or medical treatment 
furnished under this section using the same rates 
and payment schedule as if such care and treatment 
was furnished pursuant to section 1703 of title 38, 
United States Code. 
(g) COLLECTION OF DATA.— 
(1) SURVEYS.—The Secretary shall survey each 
eligible veteran, regardless of whether the veteran 
elects to participate in the pilot program under sub-
section (a), to assess the hospital care and medical 
treatment furnished to the veteran either pursuant 
to this section or section 1720D of title 38, United 
States Code, as the case may be. 
(2) MATTERS INCLUDED.—With respect to the 
hospital care or medical treatment covered by this 
section or section 1720D of title 38, United States 
Code, the surveys under paragraph (1) shall ascer-
tain the following information: 
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(I) The distance that the eligible veteran 
has to travel for an appointment with health 
care providers. 
(J) The frequency of follow-up appoint-
ments made by the eligible veteran. 
(K) The duration of treatment furnished 
by health care providers. 
(L) Whether the eligible veteran has trou-
ble falling asleep, and if so, the reasons why. 
(M) The types of any medication taken by 
the eligible veteran and the reasons for such 
use. 
(N) Whether the eligible veteran had an 
emergency situation that required mental health 
treatment before a scheduled appointment, and 
if so— 
(i) the mental health services that 
were offered and from whom; and 
(ii) whether the eligible veteran ac-
cepted such services, and if not, why not. 
(3) TIMING.—The Secretary shall conduct sur-
veys of eligible veterans under paragraph (1) at the 
following periods: 
(A) Upon the election made by a veteran 
to participate in the pilot program under sub-
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section (a), or as soon as practicable after the 
Secretary determines the veteran will not make 
such an election. 
(B) During each six-month period in which 
the pilot program under subsection (a) is being 
carried out. 
(C) Upon the completion of the pilot pro-
gram under subsection (a). 
(4) QUESTIONNAIRES.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that each eligible veteran participating in the 
pilot program under subsection (a) completes the 
following: 
(A) PTSD Checklist for DSM–5 (PCL–5). 
(B) 
Patient 
Health 
Questionnaire-9 
(PHQ–9). 
(C) The World Health Organization Qual-
ity of Life (WHOQOL)–BREF. 
(D) 
Columbia-Suicide 
Severity 
Rating 
Scale. 
(5) RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall assign a 
researcher of the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
the element of the Department administering the 
pilot program under subsection (a) to ensure the 
quality and integrity of the collection and analysis of 
the data collected under this subsection. 
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(h) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days before the com-
pletion of the pilot program under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 
of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 
on the pilot program. The report shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The results of the pilot program, including 
whether eligible veterans who participated in the 
pilot program, as compared to eligible veterans who 
did not so participate— 
(A) are sleeping better; 
(B) experience fewer or more episodes of 
post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety; 
(C) take fewer or more medications relat-
ing to illnesses or injuries described in sub-
section (a); 
(D) selected non-Department health care 
providers based on the gender of the provider; 
(E) have a lower rate of suicidal thoughts; 
(F) have a lower rate of suicide; and 
(G) believe that the eligible veterans are 
receiving the care that best fits the specific 
needs of the veterans. 
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(2) Information with respect to the health care 
results of eligible veterans who did not participate in 
the pilot program. 
(3) The recommendation of the Secretary with 
respect to extending or making permanent the pilot 
program. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘non-Department health care pro-
vider’’ 
means 
an 
entity 
specified 
in 
section 
101(a)(1)(B) of section 101 of the Veterans Access, 
Choice, and Accountability Act of 2015 (Public Law 
113–146; 38 U.S.C. 1701) or any other health care 
provider that has entered into a contract or other 
agreement with the Secretary pursuant to another 
provision of law to furnish hospital care or medical 
treatment to veterans. 
(2) The term ‘‘sexual harassment’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 1720D of title 
38, United States Code. 
(3) The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 101(20) of title 38, United 
States Code. 
Æ 
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