,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dhfa  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #ab1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,heck of ,washington 7for himself1 ,ms4
 ,del,bene1 and ,mr4 ,kilmer7 introduced
 the following bill2 which was referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to establish the          
,commission on ,access to ,care to      
undertake a comprehensive evaluation and
 assessment of access to health care at 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,commission for ,our ,veterans' 
,care ,act4  #b4 ,commission on ,access 
to ,care  7a7 ,establishment of         
commission  7#a7 ,in general ,there is  
established the ,commission on ,access  
to ,care 7in this section referred to as
 the ,commission74  7#b7 ,membership    
7,a7 ,voting members ,the ,commission   
shall be composed of voting members who 
are appointed by the ,president as      
follows3  7i7 ,at least two members who 
represent an organization recognized by 

the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs for
 the representation of veterans under   
section #eijb of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code4  7ii7 ,at least one      
member from among persons who are       
experts concerning a public or private  
hospital system4  7iii7 ,at least one   
member from among persons who are       
leading experts in the private insurance
 industry4  7iv7 ,at least two members  
from among persons who are familiar with
 the ,veterans ,health ,administration  
of the ,department of ,veterans         
,affairs4  7,b7 ,nonvoting members ,in  
addition to members appointed under     
subparagraph 7,a71 the ,commission shall
 be composed of nonvoting members who   
are appointed by the ,president as      
follows3  7i7 ,at least two members who 
represent an organization recognized by 
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs for
 the representation of veterans under   
section #eijb of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code4  7ii7 ,at least one      
member from among persons who are       

experts in a public or private hospital 
system4  7iii7 ,at least one member from
 among persons who are leading experts  
in the private insurance industry4  7iv7
 ,at least two members from among       
persons who are familiar with the       
,veterans ,health ,administration4  7,c7
 ,date ,the appointments of members of  
the ,commission shall be made not later 
than #fj days after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act4  7#c7 ,period of
 appointment2 vacancies ,members shall  
be appointed for the life of the        
,commission4 ,any vacancy in the        
,commission shall not affect its powers1
 but shall be filled in the same manner 
as the original appointment4  7#d7      
,initial meeting ,not later than #ae    
days after the date on which seven      
voting members of the ,commission have  
been appointed1 the ,commission shall   
hold its first meeting4  7#e7 ,meetings 
,the ,commission shall meet at the call 
of the ,chairperson4  7#f7 ,quorum ,a   
majority of the members of the          

,commission shall constitute a quorum1  
but a lesser number of members may hold 
hearings4  7#g7 ,chairperson and ,vice  
,chairperson ,the ,commission shall     
select a ,chairperson and ,vice         
,chairperson from among its members4    
7b7 ,duties of commission  7#a7         
,evaluation and assessment ,the         
,commission shall undertake a           
comprehensive evaluation and assessment 
of access to health care at the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs4  7#b7
 ,matters evaluated and assessed ,the   
matters evaluated and assessed by the   
,commission shall include the following3
  7,a7 ,the appropriateness of current  
standards of the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs concerning access to 
health care4  7,b7 ,the measurement of  
such standards4  7,c7 ,the              
appropriateness of performance standards
 and incentives in relation to standards
 described in subparagraph 7,a74  7,d7  
,staffing levels throughout the         
,veterans ,health ,administration and   

whether they are sufficient to meet     
current demand for health care from the 
,administration4  7#c7 ,reports ,the    
,commission shall submit to the         
,president1 through the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs1 reports as follows3 
7,a7 ,not later than #ij days after the 
date of the initial meeting of the      
,commission1 an interim report on--  7i7
 the findings of the ,commission with   
respect to the evaluation and assessment
 required by this subsection2 and  7ii7 
such recommendations as the ,commission 
may have for legislative or             
administrative action to improve access 
to health care through the ,veterans    
,health ,administration4  7,b7 ,not     
later than #ahj days after the date of  
the initial meeting of the ,commission1 
a final report on--  7i7 the findings of
 the ,commission with respect to the    
evaluation and assessment required by   
this subsection2 and  7ii7 such         
recommendations as the ,commission may  
have for legislative or administrative  

action to improve access to health care 
through the ,veterans ,health           
,administration4  7c7 ,powers of the    
commission  7#a7 ,hearings ,the         
,commission may hold such hearings1 sit 
and act at such times and places1 take  
such testimony1 and receive such        
evidence as the ,commission considers   
advisable to carry out this section4    
7#b7 ,information from ,federal agencies
 ,the ,commission may secure directly   
from any ,federal department or agency  
such information as the ,commission     
considers necessary to carry out this   
section4 ,upon request of the           
,chairperson of the ,commission1 the    
head of such department or agency shall 
furnish such information to the         
,commission4  7d7 ,commission personnel 
matters  7#a7 ,compensation of members  
,each member of the ,commission who is  
not an officer or employee of the       
,federal ,government shall be           
compensated at a rate equal to the daily
 equivalent of the annual rate of basic 

pay prescribed for level ,,iv of the    
,executive ,schedule under section #ecae
 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 for
 each day 7including travel time7 during
 which such member is engaged in the    
performance of the duties of the        
,commission4 ,all members of the        
,commission who are officers or         
employees of the ,united ,states shall  
serve without compensation in addition  
to that received for their services as  
officers or employees of the ,united    
,states4  7#b7 ,travel expenses ,the    
members of the ,commission shall be     
allowed travel expenses1 including per  
diem in lieu of subsistence1 at rates   
authorized for employees of agencies    
under subchapter ,i of chapter #eg of   
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 while  
away from their homes or regular places 
of business in the performance of       
services for the ,commission4  7#c7     
,staff  7,a7 ,in general ,the           
,chairperson of the ,commission may1    
without regard to the civil service laws

 and regulations1 appoint and terminate 
an executive director and such other    
additional personnel as may be necessary
 to enable the ,commission to perform   
its duties4 ,the employment of an       
executive director shall be subject to  
confirmation by the ,commission4  7,b7  
,compensation ,the ,chairperson of the  
,commission may fix the compensation of 
the executive director and other        
personnel without regard to chapter #ea 
and subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ec of  
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1        
relating to classification of positions 
and ,general ,schedule pay rates1 except
 that the rate of pay for the executive 
director and other personnel may not    
exceed the rate payable for level ,v of 
the ,executive ,schedule under section  
#ecaf of such title4  7#d7 ,detail of   
government employees ,any ,federal      
,government employee may be detailed to 
the ,commission without reimbursement1  
and such detail shall be without        
interruption or loss of civil service   

status or privilege4  7#e7 ,procurement 
of temporary and intermittent services  
,the ,chairperson of the ,commission may
 procure temporary and intermittent     
services under section #caji7;b7 of     
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 at     
rates for individuals which do not      
exceed the daily equivalent of the      
annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
level ,v of the ,executive ,schedule    
under section #ecaf of such title4  7e7 
,termination of the commission ,the     
,commission shall terminate #cj days    
after the date on which the ,commission 
submits its report under subsection     
7b77#c77;,b74  7f7 ,funding ,the        
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
make available to the ,commission from  
amounts appropriated or otherwise made  
available to the ,secretary such amounts
 as the ,secretary and the ,chairperson 
of the ,commission jointly consider     
appropriate for the ,commission to      
perform its duties under this section4  
7g7 ,executive action  7#a7 ,action on  

recommendations ,the ,president shall   
require the ,secretary of ,veterans     
,affairs and such other heads of        
relevant ,federal departments and       
agencies to implement each              
recommendation set forth in a report    
submitted under subsection 7b77#c7 that 
the ,president--  7,a7 considers        
feasible and advisable2 and  7,b7       
determines can be implemented without   
further legislative action4  7#b7       
,reports ,not later than #fj days after 
the date on which the ,president        
receives a report under subsection      
7b77#c71 the ,president shall submit to 
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of
 the ,senate and the ,committee on      
,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of    
,representatives and such other         
committees of ,congress as the          
,president considers appropriate a      
report setting forth the following3     
7,a7 ,an assessment of the feasibility  
and advisability of each recommendation 
contained in the report received by the 

,president4  7,b7 ,for each             
recommendation assessed as feasible and 
advisable under subparagraph 7,a7 the   
following3  7i7 ,whether such           
recommendation requires legislative     
action4  7ii7 ,if such recommendation   
requires legislative action1 a          
recommendation concerning such          
legislative action4  7iii7 ,a           
description of any administrative action
 already taken to carry out such        
recommendation4  7iv7 ,a description of 
any administrative action the ,president
 intends to be taken to carry out such  
recommendation and by whom4