H.R. 9237

Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

Sponsor: Mike Bost

30 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Take Care of America's Veterans Act

This bill addresses veterans’ benefits, health care, counseling, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel, VA infrastructure, and the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP).

The bill modifies various compensation programs for veterans, including by (1) allowing concurrent receipt of disability compensation and military retired pay for certain retirees with a combat-related disability, (2) extending entitlement for various benefits and services to remarried surviving spouses, (3) increasing the rate of dependency and indemnity compensation, and (4) establishing a supplemental monthly allowance for certain disabled veterans.

The bill also addresses VA education and training benefits, including by (1) modifying which independent study programs are covered under veterans’ educational assistance benefits, (2) requiring Transition Assistance Program counseling to include a presentation about VA benefits, and (3) increasing the housing allowance rate for individuals pursuing apprenticeships.

The bill revises health care provisions, including by (1) expanding support and assistance provided to family caregivers, (2) extending the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, and (3) expanding the scope of VA mental health research.

Among other elements, the bill

  • revises VA disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus;
  • expands eligibility for a memorial headstone or marker for the spouse, surviving spouse, child, or dependent of a veteran or member of the Armed Forces;
  • addresses the administration of the VCCP and codifies the eligibility standards;
  • establishes a standardized screening process for priority or routine admission to certain mental health care programs; and
  • addresses VA personnel, hiring, and infrastructure matters.

Text of the bill

Expand all

I Compensation

II Education and Economic Opportunity

III Health Care

IV Organization

V Memorial Affairs

VI Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers

A Improvement of Veterans Community Care Program

Sec. 611. Requirements relating to quality of community care providers

(a) Monthly checks against list of excluded individuals or entities. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that third party administrators under the Veterans Community Care Program perform automated monthly checks for all community care providers against the list of excluded individuals or entities set forth by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services using national provider identifier records or other unique identifiers.

(b) Revision of provider exclusion standard operating procedures. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that the Office of Integrated Veteran Care or successor office revises its provider exclusion standard operating procedures to require automated matching of community care providers in the provider profile management system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to the system for award management exclusions of the General Services Administration using both taxpayer identification number and national provider identifier as identifiers.

(c) Process to identify department providers terminated or resigning from employment. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs develops a process to identify health care providers that are terminated, retire, or resign from employment with the Department for quality of care concerns or while under investigation for quality of care concerns so those health care providers can be prevented from participating in the Veterans Community Care Program.

(d) Update of information on providers. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, through the Office of Integrated Veteran Care or successor office, shall develop a process to ensure that third party administrators regularly, not less frequently than quarterly—

(1) update their lists of community care providers to reflect accurate provider contact information;

(2) annotate providers that are not currently accepting patients under the Veterans Community Care Program; and

(3) remove providers from the provider profile management system that—

(A) are on the list of excluded individuals or entities set forth by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services;

(B) are in the system for award management exclusions of the General Services Administration; or

(C) have been terminated from employment with the Department of Veterans Affairs due to quality of care concerns or left such employment voluntarily, through resignation, or through retirement, while under investigation for quality of care concerns.

(e) Definitions. In this section:

(1) Community care provider. The term community care provider means a health care provider specified under section 1703(c) of title 38, United States Code.

(2) Veterans Community Care Program. The term Veterans Community Care Program means the Veterans Community Care Program under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code.

B Mental Health Treatment Programs

C Staffing Matters

D Optimization of Workforce

E Veterans Infrastructure and Transformation

F Other Health Care Matters