VA Supply Chain Management System Authorization Act
Bill: H.R.9091 | Sponsor: Rep. Mann, Tracey (R-KS)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Supply Chain Management System Authorization Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement an information technology system for the management of supply chains only if the system meets specified requirements (e.g., is cloud based) and does not require the use of a specific contract to procure supplies.

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out an 
   information technology system to manage supply chains for medical 
             facilities of Department of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``VA Supply Chain Management System 
Authorization Act''.

SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF SUPPLY CHAINS FOR MEDICAL FACILITIES OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided by paragraph (2), the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs may only carry out a covered 
        information technology system if--
                    (A) the system meets the requirements under 
                subsection (b); and
                    (B) the system does not require the use of a 
                specific contract to procure supplies.
            (2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect 
        to information technology systems used by the Secretary at 
        joint facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Department of Defense.
    (b) Requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that a covered 
information technology system meets the following requirements:
            (1) The system shall be cloud-based.
            (2) With respect to the items covered by the system--
                    (A) the system shall include--
                            (i) medical supplies;
                            (ii) surgical equipment and supplies;
                            (iii) laboratory equipment and supplies;
                            (iv) supplies and capital equipment 
                        pertaining to facilities or real property;
                            (v) biomedical equipment;
                            (vi) textiles and apparel;
                            (vii) dental equipment and supplies; and
                            (viii) equipment and supplies relating to 
                        the treatment of sleep apnea;
                    (B) the system may include (but, if not so included 
                in the system itself, the system shall include through 
                an interface with an external information technology 
                system)--
                            (i) prosthetic appliances requiring 
                        extensive customization or fitting;
                            (ii) prosthetic appliances not requiring 
                        extensive customization or fitting;
                            (iii) pharmaceuticals;
                            (iv) reusable medical equipment; and
                            (v) eyeglasses; and
                    (C) the system may not include--
                            (i) high-tech medical equipment;
                            (ii) surgical implants;
                            (iii) information technology;
                            (iv) equipment and supplies of the National 
                        Cemetery Administration that are not used by 
                        the Veterans Health Administration; and
                            (v) equipment and supplies of the Veterans 
                        Benefits Administration that are not used by 
                        the Veterans Health Administration.
            (3) The system shall include functions relating to--
                    (A) inventory management of both expendable and 
                nonexpendable items covered by the system, with respect 
                to both--
                            (i) physical inventory; and
                            (ii) perpetual inventory;
                    (B) management of the receipt of such items, with 
                respect to--
                            (i) intake;
                            (ii) returns; and
                            (iii) the identification of such items that 
                        are recalled;
                    (C) management of the storage of such items, with 
                respect to--
                            (i) local storage; and
                            (ii) centralized storage at a medical 
                        facility or warehousing at a different location 
                        for one or more medical facilities;
                    (D) management of the distribution such items;
                    (E) the generation and scanning of barcodes or the 
                use of radio frequency identification technology or 
                other similar inventory tracking technology; and
                    (F) reporting, consisting of--
                            (i) standard or preexisting reports; and
                            (ii) customizable or custom-generated 
                        reports.
            (4) The system shall include (either in the system itself 
        or through an interface with an external information technology 
        system) functions relating to--
                    (A) capital asset management;
                    (B) ordering of items covered by the system;
                    (C) maintenance of a catalog of available supplies; 
                and
                    (D) lifecycle tracking from acquisition of such 
                items through the disposal of such items.
            (5) The system shall have existing interfaces with or the 
        capability to interface with--
                    (A) the Integrated Financial and Acquisition 
                Management System of the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs; and
                    (B) the electronic health record systems of the 
                Department, including--
                            (i) the Veterans Health Information Systems 
                        and Technology Architecture and Computerized 
                        Patient Record System; and
                            (ii) the electronic health record system 
                        established under the Electronic Health Record 
                        Modernization Program (as defined in section 
                        503 of Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 
                        2018 (Public Law 115-407; 38 U.S.C. 5701 note 
                        prec.)).
            (6) The system shall have the capacity to accommodate not 
        fewer than 50,000 users.
            (7) The system shall include any other functions, 
        capabilities, or components as determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Completion of Implementation.--The Secretary shall complete the 
implementation of a covered information technology system by not later 
than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (d) Covered Information Technology System Defined.--In this 
section, the term ``covered information technology system'' means an 
information technology system, or a system of systems, for the 
management of supply chains, including with respect to inventory and 
other functions.
                                 <all>