I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2982 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study of the barriers 
for women veterans to health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2019 
Mr. CUNNINGHAM (for himself and Mrs. MURPHY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a 
study of the barriers for women veterans to health care 
from 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women Veterans 
Health Care Accountability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STUDY OF BARRIERS FOR WOMEN VETERANS TO 
HEALTH CARE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF 
VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall conduct a comprehensive study of the bar-
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riers to the provision of comprehensive health care by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs encountered by women 
who are veterans. In conducting the study, the Secretary 
shall— 
(1) survey women veterans who seek or receive 
hospital care or medical services provided by the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs as well as women vet-
erans who do not seek or receive such care or serv-
ices; 
(2) administer the survey to a representative 
sample of women veterans from each Veterans Inte-
grated Service Network; and 
(3) ensure that the sample of women veterans 
surveyed is of sufficient size for the study results to 
be statistically significant and is a larger sample 
than that of the study referred to in subsection 
(b)(1). 
(b) USE OF PREVIOUS STUDIES.—In conducting the 
study required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall build 
on the work of the studies of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs titled— 
(1) ‘‘National Survey of Women Veterans in 
Fiscal Year 2007–2008’’; and 
(2) ‘‘Study of Barriers for Women Veterans to 
VA Health Care 2015’’. 
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(9) The location and operating hours of health 
care facilities that provide services to women vet-
erans. 
(10) Such other significant barriers as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate. 
(d) DISCHARGE BY CONTRACT.—The Secretary shall 
enter into a contract with a qualified independent entity 
or organization to carry out the study and research re-
quired under this section. 
(e) MANDATORY REVIEW OF DATA BY CERTAIN DE-
PARTMENT DIVISIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that the head of each division of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs specified in paragraph (2) reviews 
the results of the study conducted under this sec-
tion. The head of each such division shall submit 
findings with respect to the study to the Under Sec-
retary for responsibilities relating to health care 
services for women veterans. 
(2) SPECIFIED DIVISIONS.—The divisions of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs specified in this 
paragraph are the following: 
(A) The Center for Women Veterans estab-
lished under section 318 of title 38, United 
States Code. 
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(B) The Advisory Committee on Women 
Veterans established under section 542 of such 
title. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 30 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to Congress a report on the study required under this 
section. The report shall include recommendations for 
such administrative and legislative action as the Secretary 
considers appropriate. The report shall also include the 
findings of the head of each division of the Department 
specified under subsection (e)(2) and of the Under Sec-
retary for Health. 
Æ 
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