I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1496 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the access to child 
care for certain veterans receiving health care at a facility of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 19, 2015 
Mr. HIGGINS (for himself and Mr. ISRAEL) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
access to child care for certain veterans receiving health 
care at a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD CARE FOR CERTAIN 
VETERANS RECEIVING HEALTH CARE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 17 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
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‘‘§ 1730B. Assistance for child care 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—Beginning January 1, 2016, sub-
ject to subsection (b), the Secretary shall provide assist-
ance to qualified veterans described in subsection (c) to 
obtain child care so that such veterans can receive health 
care services described in subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON PERIOD OF PAYMENTS.—The 
Secretary may only provide assistance under subsection 
(a) to a qualified veteran for receipt of child care during 
the period that the qualified veteran— 
‘‘(1) receives the types of health care services 
described in subsection (c) at a facility of the De-
partment; and 
‘‘(2) requires travel to and return from such fa-
cility for the receipt of such health care services. 
‘‘(c) QUALIFIED VETERANS.—For purposes of this 
section, a qualified veteran is a veteran who is— 
‘‘(1) the primary caretaker of a child; and 
‘‘(2)(A) receiving from the Department— 
‘‘(i) regular mental health care services; 
‘‘(ii) intensive mental health care services; 
or 
‘‘(iii) such other intensive health care serv-
ices that the Secretary determines that provi-
sion of assistance to the veteran to obtain child 
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care would improve access to such health care 
services by the veteran; or 
‘‘(B) in need of regular or intensive mental 
health care services from the Department, and but 
for lack of child care services, would receive such 
health care services from the Department. 
‘‘(d) FORMS
OF CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.—(1) 
Child care assistance under this section may include the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Stipends for the payment of child care of-
fered by licensed child care centers (either directly 
or through a voucher program) which shall be, to 
the extent practicable, modeled after the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs Child Care Subsidy Pro-
gram established pursuant to section 590(g) of title 
40. 
‘‘(B) Direct provision of child care at an on-site 
facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
‘‘(C) Payments to private child care agencies. 
‘‘(D) Collaboration with facilities or programs 
of other Federal departments or agencies. 
‘‘(E) Such other forms of assistance as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate. 
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‘‘(2) In the case that child care assistance under this 
section is provided as a stipend under paragraph (1)(A), 
such stipend shall cover the full cost of such child care. 
‘‘(e) FUNDS.—The Secretary shall carry out this sec-
tion using funds made available to the facility of the De-
partment that provides the health care services for which 
assistance under subsection (a) is provided. The Secretary 
shall ensure that each administrator of such a facility has 
discretion to carry out such assistance in a manner that 
is appropriate for the facility and in accordance with this 
section.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 1730A the following new 
item: 
‘‘1730B. Assistance for child care.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING REPEAL.—Effective January 1, 
2016, section 205 of the Caregivers and Veterans Omni-
bus Health Services Act of 2010 (38 U.S.C. 1710 note) 
is repealed. 
Æ 
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