Title: To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand health care coverage provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs during the transition of members of the Armed Forces from service in the Armed Forces to civilian life, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill expands eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital care and medical services to recently discharged or released veterans during the one-year period following their discharge or release from active service or active reserve status. Such veterans shall be eligible for care even if they fail to enroll in the VA health care system.
The Department of Labor must promote the expanded eligibility for such VA care to members of the Armed Forces transitioning from service in the Armed Forces to civilian life through the Transition Assistance Program. In addition, the VA must publish notification of the expanded eligibility for such care on a VA website.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5024 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5024

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand health care coverage 
provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs during the transition of 
    members of the Armed Forces from service in the Armed Forces to 
                 civilian life, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 8, 2019

 Mr. Sablan (for himself and Mrs. Radewagen) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand health care coverage 
provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs during the transition of 
    members of the Armed Forces from service in the Armed Forces to 
                 civilian life, 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. EXPANSION OF HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1710(a)(1) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); 
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new 
        subparagraph (B):
            ``(B) to any veteran during the one-year period following 
        the discharge or release of the veteran from active military, 
        naval, or air service, or from active status (as defined in 
        section 101 of title 10); and''.
    (b) Patient Enrollment System.--Section 1705(c) of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the 
Secretary from providing hospital care and medical services to a 
veteran under section 1710(a)(1)(B) of this title during the period 
specified in such section notwithstanding the failure of the veteran to 
enroll in the system of patient enrollment established by the Secretary 
under subsection (a).''.
    (c) Promotion of Expanded Eligibility.--
            (1) Transition assistance program.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of Labor, in 
                consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall promote to members 
                of the Armed Forces transitioning from service in the 
                Armed Forces to civilian life through the Transition 
                Assistance Program the expanded eligibility of veterans 
                for health care under the laws administered by the 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs pursuant to the 
                amendments made by this section.
                    (B) Transition assistance program defined.--In this 
                paragraph, the term ``Transition Assistance Program'' 
                means the Transition Assistance Program under sections 
                1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
            (2) Publication by department of veterans affairs.--Not 
        later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall publish on a website of 
        the Department of Veterans Affairs notification of the expanded 
        eligibility of veterans for health care under the laws 
        administered by the Secretary pursuant to the amendments made 
        by this section.
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