To amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to establish a minimum period of care or services under such program, and for other purposes.

Bill: 114-hr-6516
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16]
Introduced: 2016-12-08
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Latest action: action_date: 2016-12-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-12-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) cover a veteran who is unable to schedule an appointment with his or her primary care physician at the same VA medical facility at which the veteran had the most recent appointment with the physician because the physician is no longer employed at such facility, and (2) establish a minimum one-year period of care or services under such program.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6516 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 8, 2016 Mr. O'Rourke (for himself and Mr. Walz ) 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 expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to establish a minimum period of care or services under such program, and for other purposes.

1. Expansion of Veterans Choice Program (a) Expansion of eligibility for program (1) In general Subsection (b)(2) of section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 ( Public Law 113–146 ; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended— (A) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking or ; (B) in subparagraph (D)(ii)(II)(dd), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or ; and (C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (E) is unable to schedule an appointment with the veteran’s primary care physician at the same medical facility of the Department at which the veteran had the most recent appointment with the physician because the physician is no longer employed at such facility. . (2) Conforming amendment Subsection (g)(3) of such section is amended by striking or (D) and inserting , (D), or (E) . (b) Minimum period of care or services Subsection (c)(1)(B)(i) of such section is amended by inserting , but not shorter than one year after Secretary .