Title: Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention Act
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a national network of state-based prescription drug monitoring programs under which VA health care providers shall query such network to support the safe and effective prescribing of controlled substances to patients who: (1) receive a prescription for a controlled substance for a period of 90 days or longer, and (2) are not receiving palliative care or enrolled in hospice care.
Under such memorandum of understanding, VA health care providers practicing in: (1) a participating state shall query such network in accordance with the agreement between that state's prescription drug monitoring program and such network, and (2) a nonparticipating state shall query the network through the drug monitoring program of the closest participating state.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3832 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3832

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into a memorandum 
 of understanding with the executive director of a national network of 
State-based prescription monitoring programs under which Department of 
 Veterans Affairs health care providers shall query such network, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2017

Mr. Dunn (for himself, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Poliquin, Mr. Arrington, and Mr. 
    Tonko) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into a memorandum 
 of understanding with the executive director of a national network of 
State-based prescription monitoring programs under which Department of 
 Veterans Affairs health care providers shall query such network, 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 Opioid Abuse Prevention 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL 
              NETWORK OF STATE-BASED PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the executive 
director of a national network of State-based prescription drug 
monitoring programs under which Department of Veterans Affairs health 
care providers shall query such network to support the safe and 
effective prescribing of controlled substances to covered patients. 
Under such memorandum of understanding--
            (1) Department health care providers practicing in a State 
        that participates in such network shall query such network in 
        accordance with the agreement between that State's prescription 
        drug monitoring program and such network in accordance with 
        applicable Veterans Health Administration policies; and
            (2) Department health care providers practicing in States 
        that do not participate in such network shall query such 
        network through the drug monitoring program of the 
        participating State that is in closest proximity to the State 
        where the provider is practicing.
    (b) Covered Patients.--For purposes of this section, a covered 
patient is a patient who--
            (1) receives a prescription for a controlled substance for 
        a period of 90 days or longer; and
            (2) is not receiving palliative care or enrolled in hospice 
        care.
    (c) Exception.--The memorandum of understanding under subsection 
(a) shall provide for an exception to ensure that Department health 
care providers are not obligated to comply with the provisions of the 
memorandum of understanding if such provisions are in violations of 
applicable State law.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``controlled substance'' has the meaning given 
        such term in paragraph (6) of section 102 of the Controlled 
        Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(6)).
            (2) The term ``national network of State-based prescription 
        monitoring programs'' means an interconnected nationwide system 
        that facilitates the transfer of State prescription drug 
        monitoring program data across State lines.
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