Title: Vietnam-Era Veterans Hepatitis C Testing Enhancement Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Vietnam-Era Veterans Hepatitis C Testing Enhancement Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a one-year pilot program to make hepatitis C testing available to certain veterans at events organized by veterans service organizations. To be eligible, a veteran must have served in the active military, naval, or air service between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975, and must have been discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.
The program shall be carried out in two rural and three urban Veterans Integrated Service Networks (regional VA health care administrative areas).
The VA shall expand the program to all networks if at least 350,000 veterans are tested for hepatitis C by the program's termination date.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2816 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2816

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
   program to increase access to hepatitis C testing for Vietnam-era 
                   veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2019

Ms. Stefanik (for herself, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Kilmer, 
  Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Cook, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Espaillat, and Miss 
Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot 
   program to increase access to hepatitis C testing for Vietnam-era 
                   veterans, 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 ``Vietnam-Era Veterans Hepatitis C 
Testing Enhancement Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HEPATITIS C TESTING FOR 
              VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS.

    (a) Establishment.--Beginning not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall carry out a one-year pilot program to make hepatitis C testing 
available to covered veterans at certain outreach events organized by 
veterans service organizations.
    (b) Selection of Veteran Integrated Service Networks.--The 
Secretary shall select five Veterans Integrated Service Networks of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs in which to carry out the pilot program 
as follows:
            (1) Two such networks that predominantly serve rural areas.
            (2) Three such networks that predominantly serve urban 
        areas.
    (c) Termination Date.--The pilot program described under subsection 
(a) shall terminate on the date that is one year after the date on 
which the Secretary begins to carry out such program.
    (d) Automatic Trigger.--If at least 350,000 veterans are tested for 
hepatitis C by the termination date described in subsection (c), the 
Secretary shall expand the program to all Veterans Integrated Service 
Networks of the Department not later than one year after the date on 
which the pilot program ends.
    (e) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date on 
which the pilot program ends, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report on the pilot program that includes--
            (1) the number of covered veterans tested for hepatitis C 
        under the pilot program; and
            (2) a list of resources needed to expand the pilot program 
        to all Veterans Integrated Service Networks for the length of 
        time necessary to test all covered veterans for hepatitis C.
    (f) Covered Veteran Defined.--In this Act, the term ``covered 
veteran'' means a person who served in the active military, naval, or 
air service between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975, and was 
discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than 
dishonorable, regardless of whether such person is enrolled in the 
patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
established under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--No additional funds are 
authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements 
shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the express 
purpose of providing hepatitis C-related care.
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