Title: Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts to place certain disabled veterans in medical foster homes at the request of such veterans. Specifically, the bill concerns veterans with service-connected disabilities to whom the VA is required to provide nursing home care. Medical foster homes are homes designed to provide non-institutional, long-term, supportive care for veterans who are unable to live independently and prefer a family setting.
In any year, not more than a daily average of 900 veterans placed in a medical foster home may have their care covered.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1527 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1527

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
    Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the 
   placement of veterans in non-Department medical foster homes for 
         certain veterans who are unable to live independently.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2019

 Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself, Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto 
Rico, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Steube, Mr. Barr, and Mr. Correa) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
    Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the 
   placement of veterans in non-Department medical foster homes for 
         certain veterans who are unable to live independently.

    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 ``Long-Term Care Veterans Choice 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR PLACEMENT 
              OF VETERANS IN NON-DEPARTMENT MEDICAL FOSTER HOMES.

    (a) Authority.--Section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h)(1) During the three-year period beginning on October 1, 2020, 
and subject to paragraph (2), at the request of a veteran for whom the 
Secretary is required to provide nursing home care under section 1710A 
of this title, the Secretary may place the veteran in a medical foster 
home that meets Department standards, at the expense of the United 
States, pursuant to a contract, agreement, or other arrangement entered 
into between the Secretary and the medical foster home for such 
purpose. A veteran who is placed in a medical foster home under this 
subsection shall agree, as a condition of such placement, to accept 
home health services furnished by the Secretary under section 1717 of 
this title.
    ``(2) In any year, not more than a daily average of 900 veterans 
placed in a medical foster home, whether placed before or after the 
date of the enactment of this subsection, may have their care covered 
at the expense of the United States under subsection (a).
    ``(3) In this subsection, the term `medical foster home' means a 
home designed to provide non-institutional, long-term, supportive care 
for veterans who are unable to live independently and prefer a family 
setting.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (h) of section 1720 of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on 
October 1, 2020.
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