Title: Veterans Patient Advocacy Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans Patient Advocacy Act
This bill requires the Office of Patient Advocacy within the Veterans Health Administration to ensure (1) there is not fewer than one patient advocate for every 13,500 veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, and (2) highly rural veterans may access the services of patient advocates. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the implementation of such policies.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5755 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5755

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assignment of 
 patient advocates at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 27, 2021

    Mr. Moolenaar (for himself, Mrs. Dingell, Mrs. McClain, and Ms. 
   Slotkin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assignment of 
 patient advocates at medical facilities of 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 ``Veterans Patient Advocacy Act''.

SEC. 2. PATIENT ADVOCATES AT MEDICAL FACILITIES OF DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 7309A of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection (e):
    ``(e) Number of Patient Advocates.--Beginning on the date that is 
one year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the 
Director shall ensure that--
            ``(1) there is not fewer than one patient advocate for 
        every 13,500 veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient 
        enrollment established and operated under section 1705 of this 
        title; and
            ``(2) highly rural veterans may access the services of 
        patient advocates, including, to the extent practicable, with 
        respect to assigning patient advocates to rural community-based 
        outpatient clinics.''.
    (b) GAO Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate a report evaluating the implementation 
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of section 7309A of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a).
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