Bill > S2906

This bill establishes a permanent community care program for veterans, revises other VA health care programs and facilities provisions, and makes appropriations for veterans care. The key provisions are: - It establishes the Veterans Community Care Program to furnish hospital care, medical services, and extended care services through certain non-VA providers to veterans enrolled in the VA health care system or otherwise entitled to VA care. The VA may enter agreements with non-VA providers to furnish veterans with care that is not feasibly available from the VA. - It requires the VA to establish access standards and quality standards for VA and non-VA care. It also allows veterans to access walk-in care from non-VA providers for up to two episodes per year. - It requires the VA to prompt pay providers and improve the authority to recover costs for non-service-connected care. It also allows the VA to enter into contracts with third parties to process claims. - It establishes the VA Center for Innovation for Care and Payment to test new payment and service delivery models. - It expands the VA family caregiver program and requires the VA to implement an IT system to assess and improve the caregiver program. - It creates new scholarship, loan repayment, and recruitment programs to improve the VA's ability to recruit and retain health care professionals. - It establishes criteria to designate "underserved" VA facilities and requires the VA to develop plans to address staffing and access issues at those facilities. The bill aims to consolidate and strengthen the VA's community care programs, recruit more health care providers, and improve care access and quality for veterans.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2906/all-info