38 U.S.C. § 1703 - Veterans Community Care Program

Cite as38 U.S.C. § 1703

(a) IN GENERAL.-

(1) There is established a program to furnish hospital care, medical services, and extended care services to covered veterans through health care providers specified in subsection (c).

(2) The Secretary shall coordinate the furnishing of hospital care, medical services, and extended care services under this section to covered veterans, including coordination of, at a minimum, the following:

(A) Ensuring the scheduling of medical appointments in a timely manner and the establishment of a mechanism to receive medical records from non-Department providers.

(B) Ensuring continuity of care and services.

(C) Ensuring coordination among regional networks if the covered veteran accesses care and services in a different network than the regional network in which the covered veteran resides.

(D) Ensuring that covered veterans do not experience a lapse in care resulting from errors or delays by the Department or its contractors or an unusual or excessive burden in accessing hospital care, medical services, or extended care services.

(3) A covered veteran may only receive care or services under this section upon the authorization of such care or services by the Secretary.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the Secretary to suspend the program established under paragraph (1).

(b) COVERED VETERANS.-For purposes of this section, a covered veteran is any veteran who-

(1) is enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under section 1705 of this title; or

(2) is not enrolled in such system but is otherwise entitled to hospital care, medical services, or extended care services under subsection (c)(2) of such section.

(c) HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS SPECIFIED.-Health care providers specified in this subsection are the following:

(1) Any health care provider that is participating in the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), including any physician furnishing services under such a program.

(2) The Department of Defense.

(3) The Indian Health Service.

(4) Any Federally-qualified health center (as defined in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)(2)(B) )).

(5) Any health care provider not otherwise covered under any of paragraphs (1) through (4) that meets criteria established by the Secretary for purposes of this section.

(d) CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CARE IS REQUIRED TO BE FURNISHED THROUGH NON-DEPARTMENT PROVIDERS.-

(1) The Secretary shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, furnish hospital care, medical services, and extended care services to a covered veteran through health care providers specified in subsection (c) if-

(A) the Department does not offer the care or services the veteran requires;

(B) the Department does not operate a full-service medical facility in the State in which the covered veteran resides;

(C)

(i) the covered veteran was an eligible veteran under section 101(b)(2)(B) of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 ( Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) as of the day before the date of the enactment of the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2018;

(ii) continues to reside in a location that would qualify the veteran for eligibility under such section; and

(iii) either-

(I) resides in one of the five States with the lowest population density as determined by data from the 2010 decennial census; or

(II) resides in a State not described in subclause (I) and-

(aa) received care or services under this title in the year preceding the enactment of the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2018; and

(bb) is seeking care or services within 2 years of the date of the enactment of the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2018;

(D) the covered veteran has contacted the Department to request care or services and the Department is not able to furnish such care or services in a manner that complies with designated access standards developed by the Secretary under section 1703B of this title; or

(E) the covered veteran and the covered veteran's referring clinician agree that furnishing care and services through a non-Department entity or provider would be in the best medical interest of the covered veteran based upon criteria developed by the Secretary.

(2) The Secretary shall ensure that the criteria developed under paragraph (1)(E) include consideration of the following:

(A) The distance between the covered veteran and the facility that provides the hospital care, medical services, or extended care services the veteran needs.

(B) The nature of the hospital care, medical services, or extended care services required.

(C) The frequency that the hospital care, medical services, or extended care services needs to be furnished.

(D) The timeliness of available appointments for the hospital care, medical services, or extended care services the veteran needs.

(E) Whether the covered veteran faces an unusual or excessive burden to access hospital care, medical services, or extended care services from the Department medical facility where a covered veteran seeks hospital care, medical services, or extended care services, which shall include consideration of the following:

(i) Whether the covered veteran faces an excessive driving distance, geographical challenge, or environmental factor that impedes the access of the covered veteran.

(ii) Whether the hospital care, medical services, or extended care services sought by the veteran is provided by a medical facility of the Department that is reasonably accessible to a covered veteran.

(iii) Whether a medical condition of the covered veteran affects the ability of the covered veteran to travel.

(iv) Whether there is compelling reason, as determined by the Secretary, that the veteran needs to receive hospital care, medical services, or extended care services from a medical facility other than a medical facility of the Department.

(v) Such other considerations as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(3) If the Secretary has determined that the Department does not offer the care or services the covered veteran requires under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), that the Department does not operate a full-service medical facility in the State in which the covered veteran resides under subparagraph (B) of such paragraph, that the covered veteran is described under subparagraph (C) of such paragraph, or that the Department is not able to furnish care or services in a manner that complies with designated access standards developed by the Secretary under section 1703B of this title under subparagraph (D) of such paragraph, the decision to receive hospital care, medical services, or extended care services under such subparagraphs from a health care provider specified in subsection (c) shall be at the election of the veteran.

(4) In determining under paragraph (1)(D) whether the Department is able to furnish care or services in a manner that complies with designated access standards developed by the Secretary under section 1703B of this title, for purposes of calculating a wait time for a veteran to schedule an appointment at a medical facility of the Department, the Secretary shall measure from the date of request for the appointment, unless a later date has been agreed to by the veteran in consultation with a health care provider of the Department, to the first next available appointment date relevant to the requested medical service.

(e) CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CARE IS AUTHORIZED TO BE FURNISHED THROUGH NON-DEPARTMENT PROVIDERS.-

(1)

(A) The Secretary may furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care services through a health care provider specified in subsection (c) to a covered veteran served by a medical service line of the Department that the Secretary has determined is not providing care that complies with the standards for quality the Secretary shall establish under section 1703C.

(B) In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall-

(i) measure timeliness of the medical service line at a facility of the Department when compared with the same medical service line at different Department facilities; and

(ii) measure quality at a medical service line of a facility of the Department by comparing it with two or more distinct and appropriate quality measures at non-Department medical service lines.

(C)

(i) The Secretary may not concurrently furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care services under subparagraph (A) with respect to more than three medical service lines described in such subparagraph at any one health care facility of the Department.

(ii) The Secretary may not concurrently furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care services under subparagraph (A) with respect to more than 36 medical service lines nationally described in such subparagraph.

(2) The Secretary may limit the types of hospital care, medical services, or extended care services covered veterans may receive under paragraph (1) in terms of the length of time such care and services will be available, the location at which such care and services will be available, and the clinical care and services that will be available.

(3)

(A) Except as provided for in subparagraph (B), the hospital care, medical services, and extended care services authorized under paragraph (1) with respect to a medical service line shall cease when the remediation described in section 1706A with respect to such medical service line is complete.

(B) The Secretary shall ensure continuity and coordination of care for any veteran who elects to receive care or services under paragraph (1) from a health care provider specified in subsection (c) through the completion of an episode of care.

(4) The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register, and shall take all reasonable steps to provide direct notice to covered veterans affected under this subsection, at least once each year stating the time period during which such care and services will be available, the location or locations where such care and services will be available, and the clinical services available at each location under this subsection in accordance with regulations the Secretary shall prescribe.

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