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H.R. 23 · 116th Congress

Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2019

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

1 cosponsor · 1 R

0 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill expands and makes permanent the Veterans Choice Program. The program allows eligible veterans to receive health care in their communities rather than at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility when certain hardships exist (e.g., when a veteran resides more than 40 miles from a VA facility).

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Jan 3, 2019

Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2019

This bill expands and makes permanent the Veterans Choice Program. The program allows eligible veterans to receive health care in their communities rather than at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility when certain hardships exist (e.g., when a veteran resides more than 40 miles from a VA facility).

The bill expands program eligibility to include veterans with a service-connected disability rated at 50% or more.

Additionally, the bill requires the VA to contract with a national chain of walk-in clinics to provide hospital care and medical services in such clinics to veterans who are in the annual patient enrollment system. The clinics may not require a preauthorization or a co-payment for treatment.

Under the bill, an authorized health care professional may provide treatment via telemedicine at any location in any state, regardless of where such health care professional or the patient is located.

The bill requires the VA to extend the operating hours for VA pharmacies and medical facilities.

Finally, the VA may provide for a nongovernmental hospital organization best-practices peer review of each VA medical center.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2019

Latest action (Jan 16, 2019): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security · Origin: House · Introduced: Jan 3, 2019

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.