[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6393 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6393

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Veterans Affairs to consider the best interest of the veteran when 
   determining whether the veteran should receive certain contracted 
  health care, to amend the Wounded Warrior Act to improve access to 
certain medical care for former members of the Armed Forces with severe 
             injuries or illnesses, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2012

Mr. Barber (for himself and Mr. Platts) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Veterans Affairs to consider the best interest of the veteran when 
   determining whether the veteran should receive certain contracted 
  health care, to amend the Wounded Warrior Act to improve access to 
certain medical care for former members of the Armed Forces with severe 
             injuries or illnesses, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Health Access Act''.

SEC. 2. DETERMINATION OF CONTRACT CARE AUTHORITY FOR HEALTH CARE NEEDS 
              OF VETERANS.

    Section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``When Department 
        facilities'' and everything that follows through ``required,'' 
        and inserting ``In any case described in subsection (e)(1),''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Eligibility.--(1) A case described in this paragraph is any 
case--
            ``(A) when Department facilities are not capable of 
        furnishing--
                    ``(i) economical hospital care or medical services 
                because of geographical inaccessibility; or
                    ``(ii) the care or services required; or
            ``(B) in which a physician of the Department determines 
        that it is in the best interest of a veteran to receive 
        hospital or medical services furnished in a non-Department 
        facility in accordance with subsection (a).
    ``(2) The Secretary shall determine whether or not to furnish to a 
veteran care or services in a non-Department facility pursuant to this 
section by the date that is 30 days after the date on which the veteran 
requests such care or services.''.

SEC. 3. ACCESS TO CERTAIN MEDICAL CARE FOR FORMER MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
              FORCES WITH SEVERE INJURIES OR ILLNESSES.

    Section 1631(a) of the Wounded Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 
110-181; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``not reasonably 
        available'' and all that follows through the period and 
        inserting the following: ``that is not reasonably available to 
        such former member in the Department of Veterans Affairs or is 
        determined by the physician of the former member to be in the 
        best interest of the former member.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``December 31, 2012'' and 
        inserting ``December 31, 2016''.
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