,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eccb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ca1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,crowley introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition 
to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1  
for a period to be subsequently         
determined by the ,speaker1 in each case
 for consideration of such provisions as
 fall within the jurisdiction of the    
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
promote identification of veterans and  
their health needs in furnishing of     
items and services under the ,medicare1 
,medicaid1 and other programs1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title2      
findings  7a7 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,serving ,america's 
,veterans ,effectively ,act of #bjad or 
the ,,save ,act of #bjad4  7b7 ,findings
 ,congress makes the following findings3
  7#a7 ,veterans often have unique      
health needs that may be related to     
their service to the ,american people   

and may be more at risk for certain     
conditions1 including cancer1 infectious
 diseases1 musculoskeletal problems1    
post-traumatic stress disorder1         
traumatic brain injury1 dermatological  
problems1 reproductive health issues1   
and other conditions4  7#b7 ,as part of 
a detailed patient history1 knowing     
whether or not a patient is a veteran   
helps a physician to make accurate      
treatment recommendations or carry out  
needed screenings4  7#c7 ,if a physician
 is not aware that a patient is a       
veteran1 the physician may not think to 
perform recommended screenings or be    
able to diagnose symptoms that at first 
seemed unconnected4 ,as a result1 the   
patient and the patient's family may    
suffer as medical problems go           
undiagnosed or misdiagnosed4  7#d7      
,physicians routinely ask about similar 
types of patient history that can affect
 current health status1 such as whether 
a patient has a family history of       
certain conditions or was exposed to    

certain environmental factors4          
,questions about veteran status give    
patients the opportunity to voluntarily 
answer with information that can help   
their physicians better establish a     
course of treatment4  7#e7 ,making the  
question of whether a patient served in 
the ,armed ,forces part of consistently 
used frameworks1 such as the 8,welcome  
to ,medicare0 physical examination and  
,medicare ,electronic ,health ,record   
program1 ensures that it will become    
part of clinicians' routine for new     
patients4  7#f7 ,while many physicians1 
such as those working at ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs facilities1 may      
already be aware of their patients'     
experiences in the ,armed ,forces1 there
 are indications that as much as #gj    
percent of veterans seek care from other
 facilities4  7#g7 ,many organizations  
serving both veterans and health care   
professionals currently work to educate 
health providers on the health needs of 
veterans and appropriate medical care   

that should be provided4 ,additional    
,federal support is needed to ensure    
that all physicians are properly        
prepared to diagnose and treat patients 
upon learning that they have served in  
the ,armed ,forces4  #b4 ,activities to 
promote identification and awareness of 
veterans health needs in furnishing     
items and services under ,medicare1     
,medicaid1 and other programs  7a7      
,inclusion of veteran status in patient 
information for meaningful use of       
electronic health records under         
,medicare and ,medicaid ,in establishing
 regulations regarding what constitutes 
meaningful use with respect electronic  
health records in applying sections     
#ahdh7o71 #ahec7m71                     
#ahhf7;b77#c77;,b77ix71 and #ahhf7n77#c7
 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db     
,u4,s4,c4 #aciew-#d7o71 #aciew-#bc7m71  
#acieww7b77#c77;,b77ix71 #acieww7n77#c77
 and related provisions of title ,,xix  
of such ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health 
and ,human ,services shall include in   

the patient information required for    
meaningful use whether or not the       
patient served in the ,armed ,forces4   
7b7 ,identification of veterans as part 
of individual history in ,welcome to    
,medicare visit ,in carrying out section
 #ahfa7ww7 of the ,social ,security ,act
 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7ww771 the        
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services shall include1 as a component 
of reviewing an individual's medical and
 social history under an initial        
preventive physical examination under   
section #daj4af of title #db1 ,code of  
,federal ,regulations1 an inquiry as to 
whether the individual served in the    
,armed ,forces and any relevant         
circumstances relating to that          
individual's service that may bear on   
the medical or social condition of that 
individual4  7c7 ,additional activities 
,to improve awareness of veterans'      
health care needs ,the ,secretary of    
,health and ,human ,services shall take 
such additional actions1 otherwise      

authorized under law1 as may be         
appropriate to promote awareness1 among 
non-governmental physicians in their    
furnishing services1 of the special     
circumstances and health care needs of  
veterans4  #c4 ,grants for provider     
education on health treatment for       
veterans  7a7 ,in general ,the          
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services may make grants to            
organizations for the purpose of        
educating health care providers on      
appropriate health care treatment for   
patients who have served in the ,armed  
,forces4 ,such grants shall be awarded  
under such terms and conditions as the  
,secretary shall specify4  7b7          
,authorization of appropriations ,there 
are authorized to be appropriated       
#aj1jjj1jjj to carry out this section1  
which shall remain available until      
expended4