I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8312 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program 
to permit certain members of the Armed Forces to pre-enroll in the 
system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under 
section 1705 of title 38, United States Code. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 8, 2024 
Mrs. KIM of California (for herself, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. TOKUDA, and Mr. 
CISCOMANI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a 
pilot program to permit certain members of the Armed 
Forces to pre-enroll in the system of annual patient 
enrollment established and operated under section 1705 
of title 38, United States Code. 
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 ‘‘Combat Veterans Pre- 
Enrollment Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR PRE-ENROLLMENT OF CER-
TAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES IN 
SYSTEM OF ANNUAL PATIENT ENROLLMENT 
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than October 1, 2026, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a pro-
gram to carry out, to the maximum extent practicable, all 
activities necessary to permit a member of the Armed 
Forces specified in subsection (b) to elect to enroll in the 
system of annual patient enrollment established and oper-
ated under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, 
on the date of the separation of such member from active 
military, naval, air, or space service. 
(b) MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES SPECIFIED.— 
A member of the Armed Forces specified in this subsection 
is a member of the Armed Forces that the Secretary deter-
mines— 
(1) is performing active military, naval, air, or 
space service; 
(2) would be eligible for enrollment in the sys-
tem of annual patient enrollment established and op-
erated under such section on the date of the separa-
tion of such member from such service; and 
(3) is described in section 1710(e)(1)(D) of title 
38, United States Code. 
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(c) PRE-ENROLLMENT MECHANISM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Under the program required 
by subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish a 
mechanism to permit a member of the Armed Forces 
specified in subsection (b) to elect to pre-enroll in 
such system of annual patient enrollment, pursuant 
to the program required by subsection (a), during 
the 180-day period that precedes the date of the sep-
aration of such member from active military, naval, 
air, or space service. 
(2) BRIEFINGS
ON
MECHANISM.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and annually thereafter for the duration of 
the program required by subsection (a), the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense 
Joint Executive Committee established under section 
320 of title 38, United States Code, shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a briefing 
on efforts of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 
the Secretary of Defense with respect to the imple-
mentation of the mechanism required by paragraph 
(1) during the period covered by the briefing. 
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(d) REPORT
ON PRE-ENROLLED MEMBERS.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and annually thereafter for the duration of such 
program, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that includes, with re-
spect to the fiscal year that precedes the period covered 
by the report— 
(1) the number of members of the Armed 
Forces specified in subsection (b) who— 
(A) elected to participate in such program 
and who were subsequently— 
(i) enrolled in the system of annual 
patient enrollment established and oper-
ated under section 1705 of title 38, United 
States Code; and 
(ii) denied enrollment in such system; 
and 
(B) elected not to participate in such pro-
gram; and 
(2) aggregated demographic information on 
members of the Armed Forces described in para-
graph (1), including— 
(A) age; 
(B) ethnicity; 
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(C) duration of active military, naval, air, 
or space service; 
(D) grade; and 
(E) Armed Force. 
(e) TERMINATION DATE.—The authority of the Sec-
retary to carry out the program required by subsection 
(a) shall terminate on the date that is three years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(f) GAO REPORT ON PROGRAM.—Not later than the 
date that is two years after the date of the termination 
of such authority, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report that includes— 
(1) an analysis of the effectiveness of the pro-
gram required by subsection (a) with respect to the 
enrollment of members of the Armed Forces speci-
fied in subsection (b) in the system of annual pa-
tient enrollment established and operated under sec-
tion 1705 of title 38, United States Code; and 
(2) recommendations of the Comptroller Gen-
eral, if any, with respect to methods to improve to 
such program. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) The term ‘‘active military, naval, air, or 
space service’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 101 of title 38, United States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate; 
and 
(B) the Committees on Armed Services of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate. 
Æ 
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