124th Morrison Congress

2nd Session

H.R. 124-038
Title of the Bill:

Veterans Care Network

Main Author(s):

Rep. Jocelyn Tsai (R-OH)

Co-Sponsor(s):
BE IT ENACTED BY THE MORRISON CONGRESS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40

SECTION 1: Findings
Congress makes the following findings:
1) A new report from the Commission on Care concludes: "Although
VHA provides care... it is inconsistent from facility to facility, and can be
substantially compromised by problems with access, service, and poorly
functioning operational systems and processes." (i)
2) The commission suggests that the current Veterans Choice program
be expanded so that all vets can consult private physicians. (i)
a) In 2014, Congress passed Veterans Choice, which
allows a veteran to receive private care through the VA only if he/she
must wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40
miles from a VA facility in order. The system was set up in 2014 to
alleviate wait times by enabling veterans experiencing month-long
delays or more to seek private care. The report states the program
has only "aggravated wait times and frustrated veterans" due to
confusing eligibility requirements and conflicting processes for
coordinating with private health care providers.(iii)
b) The VHA scandal of 2014 was when the Veterans
Affairs internal investigations identified a total of 35 veterans who had
died while waiting for care in the Phoenix VHA system. Another audit
determined that "more than 57,000 veterans waited at least 90 days
to see a doctor, while another 63,000 over the last decade never
received an initial appointment." (ii)
3) NPR (National Public Radio) together with member stations from
across the country has been reporting on troubles with the Veterans
Choice program, a $10 billion plan created by Congress two years ago to
squash long wait times veterans were encountering when going to see a
doctor. (iv)
SECTION 2: Purpose
This bill provides that a network of VA, Department of Defense and VA-approved
private healthcare providers should be established and made available to all
veterans using the VA.
SECTION 3: General Provisions
A network of VA, Department of Defense and VA-approved private healthcare
providers should be established and made available to all veterans who are currently
using the VA. This will allow for all veterans to receive the physical and mental health
care that they need.
The network should distribute Choice Cards to veterans instead of having them use
VA Cards so that veterans may show up at approved private health centers of their
choice and still receive medical care.

41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77

By allowing for a network to be set up, the network will allow veterans medical care
from a medical care provider of their choice, be it from the VA or other options. This
will expand the number of medical professionals available to help veterans that
currently arent receiving any care for their needs and problems.
This network will also assist in clearing up confusion and problems that currently
plague both private medical care providers and veterans alike concerning Veterans
Choice.
Veterans will no longer need to worry about confusing eligibility for Veterans
Choice and will instead all be able to receive care without needing to wait for
long periods of time.
Private health care providers in the network will be able to provide service
and help veterans when they choose to use their Choice Card instead of their
VA Card. The VA Card currently only allows the VA to reimburse non-VA
health providers when a clinical service cannot be provided at a VA medical
center, when a veteran is unable to access VA health care facilities due to
geographic inaccessibility, or in emergencies when delays could lead to lifethreatening situations
The network should function more efficiently than Veterans Choice by allowing for all
veterans to receive medical care and providing more medical professionals to help
veterans. This all should function so that there are no more long, excessive waits for
veterans who are seeking help and do not immediately receive it.
SECTION 4: Definitions
VA (Veterans Affairs): The US Department of Veterans Affairs that provides patient
care and federal benefits to veterans and their dependents.
Private Health Care Providers: Private healthcare or private medicine is healthcare
and medicine provided by entities other than the government.
Veterans Affairs (VA) Card: card that allows veterans in the VA to receive medical
care.
Veterans Choice: an act that allows a veteran to receive private care through the VA
only if he/she must wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40
miles from a VA facility in order.
Veteran: an ex-member of the armed forces.
Network: An extended group of people with similar interests or concerns who interact
and remain in contact for mutual assistance or support.

Works Cited:
I.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-veterans-affairs-vavha-health-scandal-obama-edit-0905-jm-20160901-story.html?scrlybrkr=2a0756a2#
II.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran_Access_to_Care_Act_of_2014
III.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/politics/veterans-administration-va/?
scrlybrkr=bd1778a4#
IV.
http://www.npr.org/2016/05/17/478215589/how-congress-and-the-va-leftmany-veterans-without-a-choice?scrlybrkr=218e659c#
V.
https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/VAFAQ