I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3387
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve health care programs 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to extend certain expiring 
authorities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 29, 2003
Mr. EVANS (for himself and Mr. RODRIGUEZ) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve health 
care programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
and to extend certain expiring authorities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES TO TITLE 38. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Health Pro-
grams Improvement Act of 2003’’. 
(b) REFERENCES TO TITLE 38.—Except as otherwise 
expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment 
or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or 
repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall
be considered to be made to a section or other provision 
of title 38, United States Code. 
SEC. 2. CARE FOR NEWBORN CHILDREN OF WOMEN VET-
ERANS RECEIVING MATERNITY CARE. 
(a) AUTHORITY
TO PROVIDE NEWBORN INFANT 
CARE.—Subchapter VIII of chapter 17 is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1785. Care for newborn children of women vet-
erans receiving maternity care 
‘‘The Secretary may furnish care to a newborn child 
of a woman veteran who is receiving maternity care fur-
nished by the Department for up to 14 days after the birth 
of the child if the veteran delivered the child in a Depart-
ment facility or in a non-Department facility under a De-
partment contract for the delivery services.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such subchapter is amended by insert-
ing after the item relating to section 1784 the following 
new item:
‘‘1785. Care for newborn children of women veterans receiving maternity care.’’.
SEC. 3. ENHANCEMENT OF REHABILITATIVE SERVICES. 
(a) REHABILITATIVE SERVICES THROUGH MEDICAL 
CARE AUTHORITY.—Section 1701(8) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘(other than those types of vocational rehabilitation 
services provided under chapter 31 of this title)’’. 
(b) Section 1718 is amended—
(1) in subsection (c)(1)—
(A) by striking ‘‘subsection (b) of this sec-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b) or (d)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (2) of such 
subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(2)’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and 
(f) as subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing new subsection (d): 
‘‘(d) In providing to a veteran rehabilitative services 
under this chapter, the Secretary may furnish the veteran 
with the following: 
‘‘(1) Work skills training and development serv-
ices. 
‘‘(2) Employment support services. 
‘‘(3) Job development and placement services.’’. 
SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF EXPIRED SPECIAL TREATMENT AU-
THORITIES. 
(a) 
VIETNAM-ERA
HERBICIDE-EXPOSED
VET-
ERANS.—Section 1710(e)(3)(A) is amended by striking 
‘‘December 31, 2002’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 
2008’’. 
(b) 
PERSIAN
GULF
VETERANS.—Section 
1710(e)(3)(B) is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 
2002’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2008’’.
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT FOR PATIENTS TO PROVIDE CER-
TAIN HEALTH-PLAN INFORMATION. 
(a) Subchapter I of chapter 17 is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1709. Provision of health-plan contract informa-
tion 
‘‘(a) An individual who applies for or is in receipt 
of hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care, medical, re-
habilitative, or preventive health services, or other medical 
care under laws administered by the Secretary shall, at 
the time of such application, or otherwise when requested 
by the Secretary, furnish the Secretary with such current 
information as the Secretary may require to identify any 
health-plan contract, as defined in section 1729(i)(1) of 
this title, under which such individual is covered. Such 
identifying information may include, as applicable, the 
name, address, and telephone number of such health-plan 
contract, the name of the individual’s spouse, if the indi-
vidual’s coverage is under the spouse’s health-plan con-
tract, the plan number, and the plan’s group code. 
‘‘(b) The Secretary shall deny the individual’s appli-
cation for, or terminate the individual’s enrollment in, the 
system of patient enrollment established by the Secretary 
under section 1705 of this title if the individual does not 
provide the health-plan contract identifying information 
required or requested to be furnished pursuant to sub-
section (a). The Secretary, following such denial or termi-
nation, may, upon receipt of the information required or 
requested, approve the individual’s application or reinstate 
the individual’s enrollment (if otherwise in order), for such 
medical care and services provided on and after the date 
of such receipt of information. 
‘‘(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as au-
thority to deny medical care or treatment to an individual 
in a medical emergency.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 1708 the following new 
item:
‘‘1709. Provision of health-plan contract information.’’.
SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR LEASE TO NON-
PROFITS OR STATES OF PROPERTIES ON 
WHICH VETERANS HAVE DEFAULTED ON 
GUARANTEED HOME LOANS. 
(a) EXTENSION.—Section 2041(c) is amended by 
striking ‘‘December 31, 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘December 
31, 2008’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—The first sentence of 
section 2041(a)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘this chapter’’ 
and inserting ‘‘chapter 37 of this title’’.
SEC. 7. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF CERTAIN ANNUAL RE-
PORTS. 
(a) REPORT ON COMMITTEE ON CARE OF SEVERELY 
CHRONICALLY
MENTALLY
ILL
VETERANS.—Section 
7321(d)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘February 1, 1998, 
and February 1 of each of the six following years’’ and 
inserting ‘‘February 1 of each year through 2009’’. 
(b) PTSD REPORT.—Section 110(e)(2) of the Vet-
erans Health Care Act of 1984 (38 U.S.C. 1712A note) 
is amended by striking ‘‘February 1, 2001, and February 
1 of each of the three following years’’ and inserting ‘‘Feb-
ruary 1 of each year through 2009’’. 
SEC. 8. FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF READJUSTMENT COUN-
SELING FOR VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS. 
Section 1712(a)(1)(B)(ii) is amended by striking 
‘‘January 1, 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘January 1, 2009’’. 
SEC. 9. PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR SEXUAL TRAUMA 
COUNSELING. 
Section 1720D(a) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘During the 
period through December 31, 2004, the’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘The’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, during the 
period through December 31, 2004,’’.
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