Veterans’ Cancer Care Coordinator Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.9002 | Sponsor: Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. (D-TX)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans' Cancer Care Coordinator Act of 2022
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a pilot program to provide gynecologic cancer care coordination at the VA, including through the designation of a gynecologic cancer care coordinator.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot 
 program for gynecologic cancer care coordination at the Department of 
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Cancer Care Coordinator 
Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON GYNECOLOGIC CANCER CARE COORDINATION.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
establish a pilot program (in this section referred to as the 
``Program'') for gynecologic cancer care coordination at the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, including through the designation of a gynecologic 
cancer care coordinator of the Department.
    (b) Eligible Participants.--A veteran is eligible to participate in 
the program if the veteran--
            (1) has been diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer; and
            (2) is eligible for health care furnished through the 
        Veterans Community Care Program under section 1703 of title 38, 
        United States Code, at a non-Department facility.
    (c) Locations.--The Secretary shall select not fewer than five 
medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs at which to carry 
out the Program, including one medical center that primarily serves 
rural veterans, as determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Duties of Gynecologic Cancer Care Coordinator.--Under the 
Program, the designated gynecologic cancer care coordinator shall be 
responsible for carrying out the following duties:
            (1) Ensuring the coordination of care between--
                    (A) clinicians of the Department and community 
                gynecologic cancer care providers;
                    (B) clinicians of the Department, Women's Veteran 
                Program Managers, and Women's Health Medical Directors; 
                and
                    (C) any other relevant clinicians of the Department 
                and community care providers who provide care to 
                participating veterans.
            (2) Working with the Office of Community Care of the 
        relevant medical facility of the Department regarding 
        authorizations of care in the community, including for 
        participating veterans whose mental health screening results 
        indicate the presence of military sexual trauma, depression, 
        domestic or intimate partner violence, or post-traumatic stress 
        disorder.
            (3) Making regular contact with each participating veteran 
        when the veteran receives care from a community care provider 
        to evaluate the needs of the veteran, including through an 
        assessment of the mental health of the veteran (including as 
        such mental health and trauma history related to the cancer 
        diagnosis of the veteran).
            (4) Monitoring--
                    (A) the services furnished under the Program to 
                participating veterans;
                    (B) the outcomes relating to the health of such 
                participating veterans, including remission, 
                metastasis, and death; and
                    (C) the data relating to gynecologic cancer care 
                collected at a medical facility of the Department 
                (using relevant databases of the Veterans Health 
                Administration or other Department databases), 
                including--
                            (i) the demographics of participating 
                        veterans who have gynecologic cancer; and
                            (ii) the number of participating veterans 
                        being treated for gynecologic cancer.
            (5) Providing particular information to participating 
        veterans, including--
                    (A) how to seek emergency care at the emergency 
                department closest to the veteran, including the 
                requirement for the veteran or the community care 
                provider to notify the Department when the veteran 
                receives emergency treatment relating to the cancer of 
                the veteran for the Department to authorize payment for 
                such emergency treatment; and
                    (B) information about mental health resources, 
                including with respect to information encouraging 
                follow-up care for depression.
            (6) Documenting certain information in the electronic 
        health records of participating veterans, including--
                    (A) the documentation of the contact described in 
                paragraph (3);
                    (B) the contact information of the community 
                gynecologic cancer care providers of such participating 
                veterans; and
                    (C) the cancer diagnosis of such participating 
                veterans.
            (7) Carrying out such other duties as may be determined 
        appropriate by the Secretary.
    (e) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date on 
        which the Secretary commences the Program, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and 
        the House of Representatives a report containing the following:
                    (A) A comparison of the outcomes of veterans who 
                have participated in the Program to the outcomes of 
                non-participating veterans described in paragraph (2), 
                including with respect to the following:
                            (i) Health outcomes, including (for the 
                        most recent two years of available data)--
                                    (I) the percentage of such veterans 
                                who have experienced a cancer-related 
                                death;
                                    (II) the percentage of such 
                                veterans who have entered remission for 
                                gynecologic cancer; and
                                    (III) the percentage of such 
                                veterans who have been diagnosed with 
                                mental health disorders determined 
                                relevant by the Secretary for purposes 
                                of the comparison (including anxiety, 
                                depression, and post-traumatic stress 
                                disorder).
                            (ii) Timeliness of care furnished under 
                        chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, 
                        including the average time that elapses between 
                        the initial diagnosis and each successive stage 
                        of treatment for gynecologic cancer.
                            (iii) Patient safety associated with such 
                        care, including the number of errors in medical 
                        care that rise to the level of ``never events'' 
                        (such as a foreign body left in a veteran 
                        during surgery).
                            (iv) Patient satisfaction associated with 
                        such care, including the results of a patient 
                        satisfaction survey administered to such 
                        veterans on the receipt of adequate pain 
                        management from health care providers of the 
                        Department, mental health resources from such 
                        providers, and overall quality of such care.
                    (B) An evaluation of whether to expand the Program 
                or make such Program permanent.
                    (C) Any other matter the Secretary determines 
                appropriate.
            (2) Non-participating veterans described.--A non-
        participating veteran described in this paragraph is a female 
        veteran who--
                    (A) has not participated in the Program;
                    (B) is enrolled in the patient enrollment system of 
                the Department of Veterans Affairs established and 
                operated under section 1705 of title 38, United States 
                Code; and
                    (C) has been diagnosed with gynecologic cancer.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``community care provider'' means a health 
        care provider located at a non-Department facility who provides 
        care (other than care related to gynecologic cancer) to 
        veterans under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, or 
        any other law administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs.
            (2) The term ``community gynecologic cancer care provider'' 
        means a gynecologic cancer care provider located at a non-
        Department facility who provides care related to gynecologic 
        cancer to veterans under section 1703 of title 38, United 
        States Code, or any other law administered by the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (3) The term ``gynecologic cancer'' means cervical cancer, 
        ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar 
        cancer.
            (4) The term ``non-Department facilities'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 1701 of title 38, United States 
        Code.
            (5) The term ``participating veteran'' means a veteran who 
        is participating in the Program.
            (6) The term ``Women's Health Medical Director'' means a 
        Women's Health Medical Director described in the directive of 
        the Veterans Health Administration titled ``Health Care 
        Services for Women Veterans'' (directive 1330.01), or any 
        successor directive.
            (7) The term ``Women's Veteran Program Manager'' means a 
        Women's Veterans Program Manager described in the directive of 
        the Veterans Health Administration titled ``Women Veterans 
        Program Manager'' (directive 1330.02), or any successor 
        directive.
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