[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1153 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1153
To prohibit or suspend certain health care providers from providing
non-Department of Veterans Affairs health care services to veterans,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 17, 2017
Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit or suspend certain health care providers from providing
non-Department of Veterans Affairs health care services to veterans,
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 Acquiring Community Care
Expect Safe Services Act of 2017'' or the ``Veterans ACCESS Act''.
SEC. 2. PREVENTION OF CERTAIN HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS FROM PROVIDING NON-
DEPARTMENT HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO VETERANS.
(a) In General.--On and after the date that is one year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall deny or revoke the eligibility of a health care provider to
provide non-Department health care services to veterans if the
Secretary determines that the health care provider--
(1) was removed from employment with the Department of
Veterans Affairs due to conduct that violated a policy of the
Department relating to the delivery of safe and appropriate
health care;
(2) violated the requirements of a medical license of the
health care provider;
(3) had a Department credential revoked and the grounds for
such revocation impacts the ability of the health care provider
to deliver safe and appropriate health care; or
(4) violated a law for which a term of imprisonment of more
than one year may be imposed.
(b) Permissive Action.--On and after the date that is one year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary may deny,
revoke, or suspend the eligibility of a health care provider to provide
non-Department health care services if the Secretary has reasonable
belief that such action is necessary to immediately protect the health,
safety, or welfare of veterans and--
(1) the health care provider is under investigation by the
medical licensing board of a State in which the health care
provider is licensed or practices;
(2) the health care provider has entered into a settlement
agreement for a disciplinary charge relating to the practice of
medicine by the health care provider; or
(3) the Secretary otherwise determines that such action is
appropriate under the circumstances.
(c) Suspension.--The Secretary shall suspend the eligibility of a
health care provider to provide non-Department health care services to
veterans if the health care provider is suspended from serving as a
health care provider of the Department.
(d) Initial Review of Department Employment.--Not later than one
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, with respect to each
health care provider providing non-Department health care services, the
Secretary shall review the status of each such health care provider as
an employee of the Department and the history of employment of each
such health care provider with the Department to determine whether the
health care provider is described in any of subsections (a) through
(c).
(e) Comptroller General 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 Congress a report on the implementation
by the Secretary of this section, including the following:
(1) The aggregate number of health care providers denied or
suspended under this section from participation in providing
non-Department health care services.
(2) An evaluation of any impact on access to health care
for patients or staffing shortages in programs of the
Department providing non-Department health care services.
(3) An explanation of the coordination of the Department
with the medical licensing boards of States in implementing
this section, the amount of involvement of such boards in such
implementation, and efforts by the Department to address any
concerns raised by such boards with respect to such
implementation.
(4) Such recommendations as the Comptroller General
considers appropriate regarding harmonizing eligibility
criteria between health care providers of the Department and
health care providers eligible to provide non-Department health
care services.
(f) Non-Department Health Care Services Defined.--In this section,
the term ``non-Department health care services'' means services--
(1) provided under subchapter I of chapter 17 of title 38,
United States Code, at non-Department facilities (as defined in
section 1701 of such title);
(2) provided under section 101 of the Veterans Access,
Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38
U.S.C. 1701 note);
(3) purchased through the Medical Community Care account of
the Department; or
(4) purchased with amounts deposited in the Veterans Choice
Fund under section 802 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and
Accountability Act of 2014.
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