Keeping our Promises to Veterans Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1532
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Emmer, Tom [R-MN-6]
Introduced: 2015-03-23
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Government information and archives

Health care coverage and access

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2015-04-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Keeping our Promises to Veterans Act of 2015</strong></p> <p>This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 regarding the veterans choice program to: </p> <ul> <li>reduce the 40-mile radius requirement to 20 miles, and require that the closest medical facility is able to provide a veteran with the care and services needed; </li> <li>reduce the 30-day wait-time goal to 15 days; and </li> <li>require the Veterans Administration (VA) to implement the prompt payment system by the earlier of February 1, 2016, or 180 days after the Comptroller General submits a certain report on the timeliness of VA payments for hospital care, medical services, and other health care furnished by non-VA health care providers.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1532 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 23, 2015 Mr. Emmer of Minnesota (for himself, Mr. Schweikert , Mr. Latta , and Mr. Hurd of Texas ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the distance requirements regarding the eligibility of certain veterans to receive medical care and services from non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Keeping our Promises to Veterans Act of 2015 . 2. Modification of eligibility of Veterans Choice Program and implementation of prompt payment requirement (a) Eligibility requirements (1) Distance Subsection (b)(2)(B) of section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 ( 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended to read as follows: (B) resides more than 20 miles from the closest medical facility of the Department, including a community-based outpatient clinic, that is able to provide to the veteran the care and services that the veteran seeks; . (2) Wait-time goal Subsection (s) of such section is amended to read as follows: (s) Wait-Time Goals of the Veterans Health Administration In this section, the term wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration means not more than 15 days from the date on which a veteran requests an appointment for hospital care or medical services from the Department. . (b) Prompt payment Section 105(b)(1) of such Act is amended by adding at the end the following new sentences: The Secretary shall implement such system by not later than the earlier of the date that is 180 days after the date on which the Comptroller General of the United States submits the report under subsection (c) or February 1, 2016. The Secretary shall publish on the Internet website of the Department an explanation of how such system will standardize payments. .