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
Improvement Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT OF CHIROPRACTORS IN THE VET-
ERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.
(a) APPOINTMENTS.—Section 7401 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘and chiropractic care’’ in the
matter preceding paragraph (1) after ‘‘medical
care’’; and
(2) by inserting ‘‘chiropractors,’’ in paragraph
(1) after ‘‘podiatrists,’’.
(b) 
QUALIFICATIONS
OF
APPOINTEES.—Section
7402(b) of such title is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraph (10) as para-
graph (11); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (9) the fol-
lowing new paragraph (10):
‘‘(10) CHIROPRACTOR.—To be eligible to be ap-
pointed to a chiropractor position, a person must—
‘‘(A) hold the degree of doctor of chiropractic,
or its equivalent, from a college of chiropractic ap-
proved by the Secretary; and
‘‘(B) be licensed to practice chiropractic in a
State.’’.
(c) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS.—
Section 7403(a)(2) of such title is amended by adding at
the end the following new subparagraph:
‘‘(H) Chiropractors.’’.
(d) GRADES AND PAY SCALES.—Section 7404(b)(1)
of such title is amended by striking the third center head-
ing in the table and inserting the following:
‘‘CLINICAL PODIATRIST, CHIROPRACTOR, AND OPTOMETRIST
SCHEDULE’’.
(e) TEMPORARY AND PART-TIME APPOINTMENTS.—
Section 7405(a) of such title is amended—
(1) by adding at the end of paragraph (1) the
following new subparagraph:
‘‘(E) Chiropractors.’’; and
(2) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the
following new subparagraph:
‘‘(D) Chiropractors.’’.
(f) 
RESIDENCIES
AND
INTERNSHIPS.—Section
7406(c) of such title is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(A) by inserting ‘‘and chiropractic’’ after
‘‘medical’’ the first place it appears; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘or chiropractic’’ after
‘‘medical’’ the second place it appears;
(2) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ‘‘or chiro-
practic’’ after ‘‘medical’’ the first place it appears;
and
(3) in paragraph (3)(A), by inserting ‘‘or chiro-
practic’’ after ‘‘medical’’.
(g) MALPRACTICE AND NEGLIGENCE PROTECTION.—
Section 7316(a) of such title is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or chiro-
practic’’ after ‘‘medical’’ each place it appears; and
(2) in paragraph (2)—
(A) by inserting ‘‘or chiropractic’’ after
‘‘medical’’ the first place it appears; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘chiropractor,’’ after ‘‘po-
diatrist,’’.
(h) TREATMENT AS SCARCE MEDICAL SPECIALISTS
FOR CONTRACTING PURPOSES.—Section 7409(a) of such
title is amended by inserting ‘‘chiropractors,’’ in the sec-
ond sentence after ‘‘optometrists,’’.
(i) REIMBURSEMENT
OF
CONTINUING
PROFES-
SIONAL EDUCATION EXPENSES.—Section 7411 of such
title is amended by striking ‘‘or dentist’’ and inserting ‘‘,
dentist, or chiropractic’’.
(j) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING EXEMPTION.—Section
7421(b) of such title is amended by adding at the end
the following new paragraph:
‘‘(8) Chiropractors.’’.
(k) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect at the end of the 180–day
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS HEALTH CARE OF CERTAIN FILIPINO
WORLD WAR II VETERANS RESIDING IN THE
UNITED STATES.
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—The text of section 1734 of title
38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(a) The Secretary shall furnish hospital and nursing
home care and medical services to any individual described
in subsection (b) in the same manner, and subject to the
same terms and conditions, as apply to the furnishing of
such care and services to individuals who are veterans as
defined in section 101(2) of this title. Any disability of
an individual described in subsection (b) that is a service-
connected disability for purposes of this subchapter (as
provided for under section 1735(2) of this title) shall be
considered to be a service-connected disability for purposes
of furnishing care and services under the preceding sen-
tence.
‘‘(b) Subsection (a) applies to any individual who is
a Commonwealth Army veteran or new Philippine Scout
and who—
‘‘(1) is residing in the United States; and
‘‘(2) is a citizen of the United States or an
alien lawfully admitted to the United States for per-
manent residence.’’.
(b) LIMITATION.—(1) The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall take effect on the date on which the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs submits to the Committees on
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa-
tives and publishes in the Federal Register a certification
described in paragraph (2).
(2) A certification referred to in paragraph (1) is a
certification that sufficient resources are available for the
fiscal year during which the certification is submitted to
carry out section 1734 of title 38, United States Code,
as amended by such amendment, during that fiscal year
at each significantly affected health care facility of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs.
(3) For purposes of paragraph (2), the term ‘‘signifi-
cantly affected health care facility’’ means a health care
facility at which, as determined by the Secretary, it is rea-
sonably foreseeable that the implementation of the provi-
sions of section 1734 of title 38, United States Code, as
amended by subsection (a), will result in a significant in-
crease in the use of health care resources due to the num-
ber of veterans described in subsection (b) of that section
who are considered to be likely to seek hospital or nursing
home care or medical services, as authorized by subsection
(a) of that section, at that facility.
Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2003.
Attest:
Clerk.