Title: Sgt. Brandon Ketchum Never Again Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Sgt. Brandon Ketchum Never Again Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish inpatient psychiatric care upon request by a covered veteran at (1) the VA facility that is closest to where the veteran resides and that has the capacity and capability to provide such care, or (2) at a non-VA facility if the VA facility lacks such capacity or capability. A covered veteran is a veteran who is enrolled in the VA health care system and is entitled to inpatient psychiatric care.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2997 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2997

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that certain veterans 
   receive in-patient psychiatric care provided by the Department of 
                           Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2019

 Mr. Loebsack (for himself, Mr. Stivers, Mrs. Bustos, Ms. Finkenauer, 
   Mrs. Axne, Mr. Vela, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. McCaul, Ms. Gabbard, Mrs. 
 Dingell, Mr. Soto, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Ryan, Mr. 
  Katko, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Himes, Mr. Cox of California, Mr. Swalwell of 
  California, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. 
 Gallego, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Olson, Mr. Young, 
Mr. Payne, Ms. Lofgren, and Mr. Veasey) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that certain veterans 
   receive in-patient psychiatric care provided by the 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 ``Sgt. Brandon Ketchum Never Again 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF IN-PATIENT PSYCHIATRIC CARE FOR VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1720I the following new section:
``Sec. 1720J. Provision of in-patient psychiatric care
    ``(a) Requirement To Furnish Care.--Except as provided by 
subsection (b), upon the request of a covered veteran, the Secretary 
shall furnish, or continue to furnish, to the covered veteran in-
patient psychiatric care at the facility of the Department that--
            ``(1) is closest to where the veteran resides; and
            ``(2) has the capacity and capability to provide such care.
    ``(b) Non-Department Facilities.--(1) If the Secretary determines, 
on a case-by-case basis, that a facility of the Department does not 
have the capability or capacity to furnish in-patient psychiatric care 
to a covered veteran pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
furnish such care to such veteran at a non-Department facility.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall determine the rates of payment for a non-
Department facility that furnishes in-patient psychiatric care pursuant 
to paragraph (1) in accordance with the rates paid by the United States 
under section 1703(i) of this title.
    ``(c) Covered Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term `covered 
veteran' means a veteran who is--
            ``(1) enrolled in the health care system established under 
        section 1705(a) of this title; and
            ``(2) entitled to in-patient psychiatric care furnished by 
        the Secretary under this chapter.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1720I the following new item:

``1720J. Provision of in-patient psychiatric care.''.
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