I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3711
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an assessment of
the provision of health care services and the conduct of research by
the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to women veterans.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 25, 1996
Ms. BROWN of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an
assessment of the provision of health care services and
the conduct of research by the Department of Veterans
Affairs relating to women veterans.
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 Assessment Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Health care for veterans has traditionally
been considered in terms of male veterans.
(2) Women constitute nearly 5 percent of the
total veteran population, a percentage that is grow-
ing.
(3) There are currently 1,200,000 female veter-
ans in the United States, a number which is steadily
increasing.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE AND RE-
SEARCH.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 1999,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Com-
mittees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of
Representatives a report on the provision of health care
services and the conduct of research carried out by, or
under the jurisdiction of, the Secretary relating to women
veterans. The report shall be prepared through the Center
for Women Veterans established under section 318 of title
38, United States Code, which shall prepare the report
in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Women
Veterans established under section 542 of that title.
(b) CONTENTS.—The report under subsection (a)
shall include the following information:
(1) The number of women veterans who have
received general health care services and the number
who have received gender-specific health care serv-
ices in facilities under the jurisdiction of the Sec-
retary (or the Secretary of Defense), shown by ref-
erence to the Department facility which provided
(or, in the case of Department of Defense facilities,
arranged for) those services.
(2) A description of—
(A) the services provided at each such fa-
cility;
(B) the type and amount of services pro-
vided by such personnel, including information
on the numbers of inpatient stays and the num-
ber of outpatient visits through which such
services were provided; and
(C) the extent to which each such facility
relies on contractual arrangements under sec-
tion 1703 or 8153 of title 38, United States
Code, to furnish care to women veterans in fa-
cilities which are not under the jurisdiction of
the Secretary where the provision of such care
is not furnished in a medical emergency.
(3) The steps taken by each such facility to ex-
pand the provision of services at such facility (or
under arrangements with the Department of De-
fense facility) to women veterans.
(4) A description of the personnel of the De-
partment who provided such services to women vet-
erans, including the number of employees (including
both the number of individual employees and the
number of full-time employee equivalents) and the
professional qualifications or specialty training of
such employees and the Department facilities to
which such personnel were assigned.
(5) A description of any actions taken by the
Secretary to ensure the retention of the personnel
described in paragraph (4) and any actions under-
taken to recruit such additional personnel or person-
nel to replace such personnel.
(6) An assessment by the Secretary of any dif-
ficulties experienced by the Secretary in the furnish-
ing of such services and the actions taken by the
Secretary to resolve such difficulties.
(7) A description (as of October 1 of the year
preceding the year in which the report is submitted)
of the status of any research relating to women vet-
erans being carried out by or under the jurisdiction
of the Secretary.
(8) A description of the actions taken by the
Secretary to foster and encourage the expansion of
such research.
(9) A description of any psychological intimida-
tion of women veterans who seek health care from
the Department, together with the relative preva-
lence of diagnosis referred to as the ‘‘it’s all in your
head’’ syndrome.
(10) A description of the range in ages for
women veterans who seek care at Department medi-
cal facilities, together with a determination as to
whether younger women veterans (women in their
fifties) are more likely, or less likely, to seek care at
Department medical facilities than older women vet-
erans (women in their seventies).
(11) A description of deficiencies relating to pa-
tient privacy for women veterans in Department
medical facilities.
(12) A description of any difficulty experienced
by the Secretary in compiling any of the information
required for the submission of such report.
SEC. 4. POPULATION STUDY.
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, sub-
ject to subsection (f), shall conduct a study to determine
the needs of women veterans for health care services. The
study shall be carried out through the Center for Women
Veterans.