Bill > S2424

This bill, titled the "Veterans Choice Act of 2014," aims to give veterans more control over their healthcare by allowing them to choose medical providers outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system under certain conditions, and to increase transparency and accountability within the VA's healthcare operations. Specifically, eligible veterans, including those enrolled in the VA system who face long wait times or live far from a VA facility, can elect to receive care from private healthcare providers who participate in Medicare. The VA will contract with these providers and reimburse them at Medicare rates, with veterans only paying copayments if they would have paid them at a VA facility. The bill also mandates the publication of VA wait-time goals and actual wait times, the creation of a public database of patient safety and quality of care measures, and the sharing of VA facility data with the Department of Health and Human Services for public comparison websites. Furthermore, it requires the VA to provide veterans with information about surgeon credentials, prohibits the use of scheduling and wait-time metrics in performance awards for VA employees, and allows for the removal of senior VA executives for poor performance.