Bill > HR3554

This bill, the Protecting Veteran Community Care Act, seeks to expand access to the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include certain veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services. The bill aims to ensure that veterans have timely access to these services, even if the VA is unable to provide them directly. It establishes minimum standards for residential mental health or substance-use service providers under the VCCP and prohibits the VA from limiting veterans' access to care solely due to the providers' inability to meet certain wait times or access standards. The bill also requires the VA to develop or amend access standards for mental health care under the VCCP and to provide detailed metrics on the utilization and approval of community care requests, including for mental health services and emergency care. Additionally, the bill places limitations on the VA's ability to modify the conditions under which care is required to be provided under the VCCP without congressional approval.