I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2312 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for covered agreements 
and contracts between the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and eligible 
academic affiliates for the mutually beneficial coordination, use, or ex-
change of health-care resources, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 3, 2017 
Mr. O’ROURKE (for himself, Mr. COFFMAN, Mr. SARBANES, and Mr. MCGOV-
ERN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for cov-
ered agreements and contracts between the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs and eligible academic affiliates for 
the mutually beneficial coordination, use, or exchange 
of health-care resources, 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 ‘‘Enhanced Veteran 
Healthcare Act of 2017’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:25 May 09, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2312.IH
H2312
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. COVERED AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS FOR MU-
TUALLY BENEFICIAL COORDINATION, USE, 
OR 
EXCHANGE 
OF 
HEALTH-CARE 
RE-
SOURCES. 
Section 8153 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding pursuant to paragraph (4)’’ before the 
period at the end; 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) In carrying out paragraph (1), in order to carry 
out more effectively the primary function of the Veterans 
Health Administration and notwithstanding any other 
provision of this section, the Secretary shall seek to enter 
into covered agreements and contracts for the mutually 
beneficial coordination, use, or exchange of use of covered 
health-care resources of the Department with eligible aca-
demic affiliates with the goal of improving the access to, 
and quality of, the hospital care and medical services fur-
nished by the Department.’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (3)(A), by adding at the 
end the following new sentence: ‘‘In the case of 
a covered agreement or contract under para-
graph (4) for the coordination, use, or exchange 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:25 May 09, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2312.IH
H2312
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
of a clinical service, the use of medical equip-
ment or space, research, the construction or 
lease of clinical space, the use of any full-time 
equivalent employee of the Department or a 
contractor of the Department or the use of any 
full-time equivalent employee jointly hired by 
the Department and an eligible academic affil-
iate, the Secretary shall make arrangements for 
the acquisition of the resource by using proce-
dures other than competitive procedures.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(h) In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘covered agreement or contract’ 
means a partnership or contracts between the Sec-
retary and an eligible academic affiliate for the mu-
tually beneficial coordination, use, or exchange of 
use of covered health-care resources. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘covered health-care resource’ 
means, with respect to covered agreements or con-
tracts, any clinical service, direct patient care, space 
(whether leased or constructed) used for clinical 
services or research, and employees responsible for 
providing direct patient care. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:25 May 09, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2312.IH
H2312
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(3) The term ‘eligible academic affiliate’ 
means an accredited school of allopathic medicine, 
osteopathic medicine, or dentistry, a university 
health sciences center, or a teaching hospital affili-
ated with such a school or center.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:25 May 09, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H2312.IH
H2312
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS