I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5555 
To make certain improvements in the provision of medical care by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 8, 2020 
Mr. HUDSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To make certain improvements in the provision of medical 
care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ‘‘Care Veterans Deserve 
Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SERV-
ICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES TO RECEIVE 
NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
MEDICAL CARE UNDER VETERANS COMMU-
NITY CARE PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) of subsection (d) 
of section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, as amend-
ed by section 101 of the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 
2018 (Public Law 115–182) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(F) the covered veteran has a service-con-
nected disability rated at 50 percent or higher 
and elects to receive care or services through a 
non-Department provider.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall apply as if originally enacted in the 
Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2018 (Public Law 115– 
182). 
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SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF OPERATING HOURS FOR PHAR-
MACIES AND MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) EXTENSION OF OPERATING HOURS FOR PHAR-
MACIES.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall extend 
the operating hours for each pharmacy of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs during which the pharmacy offers 
services comparable to retail pharmacies to include— 
(1) operation on Saturday, Sunday, and Fed-
eral holidays; and 
(2) operation until 8:00 p.m. on weekdays that 
are not Federal holidays. 
(b) CONTRACTS WITH PROVIDERS DURING NIGHTS 
AND WEEKENDS.—The Secretary shall enter into con-
tracts, including through locum tenens arrangements, with 
physicians and nurses that meet qualifications set forth 
by the Secretary for purposes of this section under which 
such physicians and nurses work at medical facilities of 
the Department during nights and weekends. 
(c) SUPPORT STAFF.—The Secretary may obtain ad-
ditional support staff as necessary to carry out this sec-
tion, including by hiring employees or contracting for serv-
ices. 
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SEC. 4. CONDUCT OF BEST-PRACTICES PEER REVIEW OF 
EACH MEDICAL CENTER OF THE DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
may provide for the conduct by a nongovernmental hos-
pital organization of a best-practices peer review of each 
medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
evaluate the efficacy of health care delivered at each such 
medical center. 
(b) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority for 
peer review conducted under subsection (a) to the medical 
centers of the Department with the longest wait times for 
an appointment or the worst health outcomes, as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
Æ 
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