S. 1721 — Introduced in Senate

II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1721 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 8, 2015Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mr. McCain) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a joint uniform formulary with respect to systemic pain and psychotropic drugs that are critical for the transition of an individual from receiving health care services furnished by the Secretary of Defense to health care services furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Joint Formularies for Veterans Act of 2015. 2. Establishment of strategic uniform drug formulary for the provision of health care services to members of the Armed Forces undergoing separation from the Armed Forces (a) In general The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly establish a process to make available to individuals undergoing the transition from the receipt of health care services through the Department of Defense to the receipt of such services through the Department of Veterans Affairs systemic pain and psychotropic drugs that are critical to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs for the appropriate and effective provision of health care services to such individuals. (b) Strategic uniform formulary (1) In general In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly establish, and from time to time update, a strategic, evidence-based, uniform formulary for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs that includes all appropriate systemic pain and psychotropic drugs that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs jointly determine are critical to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs for the appropriate and effective provision of health care services to individuals described in such subsection. (2) Inapplicability of certain provisions of law Section 1074g of title 10, United States Code, shall not apply to the establishing and updating of the formulary required by paragraph (1). (c) Preservation of authority Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from each maintaining their own formularies. (d) Report (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the establishment of the formulary under subsection (b). (2) Appropriate committees of Congress defined In this subsection, the term appropriate committees of Congress means— (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.