I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3052
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the capability of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the medical care 
needs of veterans in southern New Jersey. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 23, 2005
Mr. LOBIONDO (for himself, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr. 
ANDREWS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the 
capability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to pro-
vide for the medical care needs of veterans in southern 
New Jersey.
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 ‘‘Southern New Jersey 
Veterans Comprehensive Health Care Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; DEFINITION. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) The current and future health care needs of 
veterans residing in the eight southern counties of 
New Jersey are not being fully met by the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. 
(2) Travel times for southern New Jersey vet-
erans to existing Department of Veterans Affairs 
health care facilities in Pennsylvania and Delaware 
fall within the Department of Veterans Affairs 
health planning criteria, but those criteria fail to 
recognize that the area is largely rural and its road-
ways are congested, creating significant access bar-
riers to veterans in need of care and thereby result-
ing in suppressed demand for care. 
(3) Projections of future growth in demand for 
health care by veterans in southern New Jersey sup-
port sustainable enrollment of veterans needing De-
partment of Veterans Affairs health care. 
(4) The number of veterans residing in south-
ern New Jersey is increasing as more veterans retire 
in the area and new veterans seek services in the 
wake of large-scale deployments of National Guard 
and Reservists from the area. According to United 
States census data, the veteran population in the 
eight counties of southern New Jersey is greater 
than 235,000.
(5) By the end of 2004, 62 percent of the serv-
ing members of the New Jersey National Guard will 
have been deployed on active duty in support of the 
global war on terror and will be eligible for enroll-
ment in the Department of Veterans Affairs health 
care system. 
(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this Act, the term 
‘‘southern New Jersey’’ means the following counties of 
the State of New Jersey: Ocean, Burlington, Camden, 
Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Cape May. 
SEC. 3. MEDICAL CARE FOR VETERANS IN SOUTHERN NEW 
JERSEY. 
(a) DETERMINATION.—Not later than March 15, 
2006, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall determine, 
and notify Congress pursuant to subsection (b), whether 
the needs of veterans in southern New Jersey for full-serv-
ice medical care shall be met—
(1) through a project for a public-private ven-
ture to provide inpatient and outpatient services and 
long-term care to veterans at an existing facility in 
southern New Jersey; or 
(2) through a project for construction of a new 
full-service, 100-bed Department of Veterans Affairs 
medical center in southern New Jersey.
(b) NOTIFICATION
AND PROSPECTUS.—Not later 
than March 15, 2006, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall submit to Congress a report—
(1) identifying which of the two options speci-
fied in subsection (a) has been selected by the Sec-
retary; and 
(2) providing, for the option selected, a pro-
spectus that includes, at a minimum, the matter 
specified in paragraphs (1) through (8) of section 
8104(b) of title 38, United States Code, and the 
project time lines. 
SEC. 4. PUBLIC-PRIVATE VENTURE FOR MEDICAL CARE 
FOR VETERANS IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. 
(a) PROJECT.—If the option selected by the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs under section 3(a) is the option 
specified in paragraph (1) of that section for a project for 
a public-private venture to provide inpatient and out-
patient services and long-term care to veterans at an exist-
ing facility in southern New Jersey, then the Secretary 
shall, subject to the availability of appropriations for such 
purpose, take such steps as necessary to enter into an 
agreement with an appropriate private-sector entity to 
provide for inpatient and outpatient services and long-
term care for veterans at an existing facility in southern 
New Jersey. Such an agreement may include provision for
construction of a new wing or other addition at such facil-
ity to provide additional services that will, under the 
agreement, be leased by the United States and dedicated 
to care and treatment of veterans by the Secretary under 
title 38, United States Code. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary for 
a public-private venture project under this section. 
SEC. 5. NEW DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MED-
ICAL CENTER, SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. 
(a) PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.—If the option se-
lected by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 
3(a) is the option specified in paragraph (2) of that section 
for a project for construction of a new full-service, 100-
bed Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in 
southern New Jersey, then the Secretary shall, subject to 
the availability of appropriations for such purpose, carry 
out a major medical facility construction project for con-
struction in southern New Jersey of a 100-bed medical 
facility providing inpatient and outpatient services and 
long-term care. Such facility shall be located in the county 
in southern New Jersey that the Secretary determines 
most suitable to meet the health care needs of veterans 
in the region.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Construction, Major 
Projects, account of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
in addition to any other amounts authorized for that ac-
count, the amount of $120,000,000 for the project author-
ized by subsection (a).
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