Title: VREASA
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Reimbursement for Emergency Ambulance Services Act or VREASA
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat ambulance services as reimbursable emergency services in certain circumstances. Specifically, services are reimbursable when (1) the ambulance request was made because of the sudden onset of a medical condition that would reasonably be expected to be hazardous to the individual in the absence of immediate medical attention, and (2) the individual is transported to the closest and most appropriate medical facility capable of treating such emergency medical condition.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 485 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 485

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the circumstances 
      under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide 
            reimbursement for emergency ambulance services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 10, 2019

 Mr. Tipton (for himself, Ms. DeLauro, and Mr. Wittman) 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 the circumstances 
      under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide 
            reimbursement for emergency ambulance services.

    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 Reimbursement for Emergency 
Ambulance Services Act'' or the ``VREASA''.

SEC. 2. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS REIMBURSEMENT FOR EMERGENCY 
              AMBULANCE SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1725(c) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(5) In delineating the circumstances under which reimbursement 
may be made under this section for ambulance services for an 
individual, the Secretary shall treat such services as emergency 
services for which reimbursement may be made under this section if the 
Secretary determines that--
            ``(A) the request for ambulance services was made as a 
        result of the sudden onset of a medical condition of such a 
        nature that a prudent layperson who possesses an average 
        knowledge of health and medicine--
                    ``(i) would have reasonably expected that a delay 
                in seeking immediate medical attention would have been 
                hazardous to the life or health of the individual; or
                    ``(ii) could reasonably expect the absence of 
                immediate medical attention to result in placing the 
                health of the individual in serious jeopardy, the 
                serious impairment of bodily functions, or the serious 
                dysfunction of any bodily organ or part; and
            ``(B) the individual is transported to the closest and most 
        appropriate medical facility capable of treating such emergency 
        medical condition.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to ambulance services provided on or after January 
1, 2019.
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