TITLE III—MISCELLANEOUS
SEC. 301. REVIEW OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO OPERATION
OF MEDICAL FACILITIES.
Section 8110 is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsections:
‘‘(d) The Secretary may not in any fiscal year close
more than 50 percent of the beds within a bed section
(of 20 or more beds) of a Department medical center un-
less the Secretary first submits to the Committees on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representa-
tives a report providing a justification for the closure. No
action to carry out such closure may be taken after the
submission of such report until the end of the 21-day pe-
riod beginning on the date of the submission of the report.
‘‘(e) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives, not later than January 20 of each year, a
report documenting by network for the preceding fiscal
year the following:
‘‘(1) The number of medical service and sur-
gical service beds, respectively, that were closed dur-
ing that fiscal year and, for each such closure, a de-
scription of the changes in delivery of services that
allowed such closure to occur.
‘‘(2) The number of nursing home beds that
were the subject of a mission change during that fis-
cal year and the nature of each such mission change.
‘‘(f) For purposes of this section:
‘‘(1) The term ‘closure’, with respect to beds in
a medical center, means ceasing to provide staffing
for, and to operate, those beds. Such term includes
converting the provision of such bed care from care
in a Department facility to care under contract ar-
rangements.
‘‘(2) The term ‘bed section’, with respect to a
medical center, means psychiatric beds (including
beds for treatment of substance abuse and post-trau-
matic stress disorder), intermediate, neurology, and
rehabilitation medicine beds, extended care (other
than nursing home) beds, and domiciliary beds.
‘‘(3) The term ‘justification’, with respect to
closure of beds, means a written report that includes
the following:
‘‘(A) An explanation of the reasons for the
determination that the closure is appropriate
and advisable.
‘‘(B) A description of the changes in the
functions to be carried out and the means by
which such care and services would continue to
be provided to eligible veterans.
‘‘(C) A description of the anticipated ef-
fects of the closure on veterans and on their ac-
cess to care.’’.
SEC. 302. PATIENT SERVICES AT DEPARTMENT FACILITIES.
(a) 
SCOPE
OF
SERVICES.—Section 
7803 
is
amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘(a)’’ before ‘‘The can-
teens’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘in this subsection;’’ and
all that follows through ‘‘the premises’’ and in-
serting ‘‘in this section’’; and
(2) by striking subsection (b).
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—(1) Paragraphs (1)
and (11) of section 7802 are each amended by striking
‘‘hospitals and homes’’ and inserting ‘‘medical facilities’’.
(2) Section 7803, as amended by subsection (a), is
amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘hospitals and homes’’ each
place it appears and inserting ‘‘medical facilities’’;
and
(B) by striking ‘‘hospital or home’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘medical facility’’.
SEC. 303. REPORT ON ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES.
Not later than April 1, 2000, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans
Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a re-
port on the feasibility of establishing a pilot program to
assist veterans in receiving needed assisted living services.
The Secretary shall include in such report recommenda-
tions on—
(1) the services and staffing that should be pro-
vided to a veteran receiving assisted living services
under such a pilot program;
(2) the appropriate design of such a pilot pro-
gram; and
(3) the issues that such a pilot program should
be designed to address.
SEC. 304. CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF PROGRAM.—Within 120
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under
Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, after consultation with chiropractors, shall establish
a policy for the Veterans Health Administration regarding
the role of chiropractic treatment in the care of veterans
under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section:
(1) The term ‘‘chiropractic treatment’’ means
the manual manipulation of the spine performed by
a chiropractor for the treatment of such musculo-
skeletal conditions as the Secretary considers appro-
priate.
(2) The term ‘‘chiropractor’’ means an indi-
vidual who—
(A) is licensed to practice chiropractic in
the State in which the individual performs
chiropractic services; and
(B) holds the degree of doctor of chiro-
practic from a chiropractic college accredited by
the Council on Chiropractic Education.
SEC. 305. DESIGNATION OF HOSPITAL BED REPLACEMENT
BUILDING AT IOANNIS A. LOUGARIS DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CEN-
TER, RENO, NEVADA.
The hospital bed replacement building under con-
struction at the Ioannis A. Lougaris Department of Vet-
erans Affairs Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, is hereby
designated as the ‘‘Jack Streeter Building’’. Any reference
to that building in any law, regulation, map, document,
record, or other paper of the United States shall be consid-
ered to be a reference to the Jack Streeter Building.
TITLE IV—CONSTRUCTION AND
FACILITIES MATTERS
SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY
PROJECTS.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may carry out the
following major medical facility projects, with each project
to be carried out in the amount specified for that project:
(1) Renovation to provide a domiciliary at Or-
lando, Florida, in a total amount not to exceed
$2,400,000, to be derived only from funds appro-
priated for Construction, Major Projects, for a fiscal
year before fiscal year 2000 that remain available
for obligation.
(2) Surgical addition at the Kansas City, Mis-
souri, Department of Veterans Affairs medical cen-
ter, in an amount not to exceed $13,000,000.
SEC. 402. AUTHORIZATION OF MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY
LEASES.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into
leases for medical facilities as follows:
(1) Lease of an outpatient clinic, Lubbock,
Texas, in an amount not to exceed $1,112,000.
(2) Lease of a research building, San Diego,
California, in an amount not to exceed $1,066,500.
SEC. 403. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year
2000 and for fiscal year 2001—
(1) for the Construction, Major Projects, ac-
count $13,000,000 for the project authorized in sec-
tion 401(2); and
(2) for the Medical Care account, $2,178,500
for the leases authorized in section 402.
(b) LIMITATION.—The project authorized in section
401(2) may only be carried out using—
(1) funds appropriated for fiscal year 2000 or
fiscal year 2001 pursuant to the authorization of ap-
propriations in subsection (a);
(2) funds appropriated for Construction, Major
Projects, for a fiscal year before fiscal year 2000
that remain available for obligation; and
(3) funds appropriated for Construction, Major
Projects, for fiscal year 2000 for a category of activ-
ity not specific to a project.
Passed the House of Representatives September 21,
1999.
Attest:
Clerk.