IIB 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2357
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 22 (legislative day, JULY 21), 2003
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
AN ACT 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the 
appointment of chiropractors in the Veterans Health Ad-
ministration of the Department of Veterans Affairs and 
to provide eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs 
health care for certain Filipino World War II veterans 
residing in the United States.
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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
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‘‘(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;
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(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:
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‘‘(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—
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‘‘(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
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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: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.