Title: ACT for Veterans Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Addressing Care Timelines for Veterans Act or the ACT for Veterans Act
This bill modifies the Veterans Community Care Program to extend the authorization period for emergency treatment in non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to deem as authorized emergency care or services provided by a non-VA health care provider to a covered veteran if such veteran applies for authorization within 96 hours (currently 72 hours under VA regulations) of admission for care. Covered veterans are those who are enrolled in the VA health care system or those who are not enrolled but are eligible for care due to a service-connected disability.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2493 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2493

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authorization 
 period for emergency treatment in non-Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical facilities under the Veterans Community Care Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 2, 2019

 Mr. Gibbs (for himself, Mr. Balderson, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Meadows, 
 Mr. Gallagher, and Mr. Fulcher) introduced the following bill; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the authorization 
 period for emergency treatment in non-Department of Veterans Affairs 
     medical facilities under the Veterans Community Care Program.

    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 ``Addressing Care Timelines for 
Veterans Act'' or the ``ACT for Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION PERIOD FOR EMERGENCY TREATMENT IN NON-DEPARTMENT 
              OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FACILITIES.

    (a) Authorization Period.--Section 1703(a)(3) of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``A covered veteran'' and inserting ``(A) 
        Except as provided by subparagraph (B), a covered veteran''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
    ``(B) In the case of an emergency which existed at the time of 
admission of a covered veteran to a health care provider, the Secretary 
shall deem the care or services received by the veteran during such 
admission to be authorized under subparagraph (A) if the covered 
veteran (or an individual acting on behalf of the covered veteran) 
makes an application for such authorization during the period following 
such admission that the Secretary determines appropriate for purposes 
of this paragraph, except such period may not be less than 96 hours.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date specified in section 101(b) of the Caring for 
Our Veterans Act of 2018 (38 U.S.C. 1703 note; Public Law 115-182; 132 
Stat. 1403).
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