,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of    
,,representatives  ,january #c1         
#bjai,mr4 ,hudson introduced the        
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to eliminate the sunset date
 for the ,veterans ,choice ,program of  
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1  
to expand eligibility for such program1 
and to extend certain operating hours   
for pharmacies and medical facilities of
 the ,department1 and for other         
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,care ,veterans     
,deserve ,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,expansion 
of ,veterans ,choice ,program  7a7      
,elimination of sunset  7#a7 ,in general
 ,section #aja of the ,veterans ,access1
 ,choice1 and ,accountability ,act of   
#bjad 7,public ,law #aac-adf2 #ch       
,u4,s4,c4 #agja note7 is amended--  7,a7
 by striking subsection 7p72 and  7,b7  
by redesignating subsections 7q71 7r71  
7s71 and 7t7 as subsections 7p71 7q71   

7r71 and 7s71 respectively4  7#b7       
,conforming amendments ,such section is 
amended-- 7,a7 in subsection 7i77#b71 by
 striking during the period in which the
 ,secretary is authorized to carry out  
this section pursuant to subsection 7p72
 and  7,b7 in subsection 7p77#b71 as    
redesignated by paragraph 7#a77;,b71 by 
striking subparagraph 7,f74  7b7        
,expansion of eligibility for program   
7#a7 ,in general ,subsection 7b77#b7 of 
such section is amended--  7,a7 in      
subparagraph 7,c77ii71 by striking or2  
7,b7 in subparagraph 7,d77ii77,,ii71 by 
striking the period at the end and      
inserting 2 or2 and  7,c7 by adding at  
the end the following new subparagraph3 
7,e7 has a service-connected disability 
rated at #ej percent or more4  4  7#b7  
,conforming amendment ,subsection       
7g77#c7 of such section is amended by   
striking or 7,d7 and inserting 1 7,d71  
or 7,e74  #c4 ,access of veterans to    
walk-in clinics  7a7 ,in general        
,subchapter ,i of chapter #ag of title  

#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended  
by inserting after section #agjc the    
following new section3  #agjc;,a4       
,hospital care and medical services at  
walk-in clinics  7a7 ,in general ,the   
,secretary shall enter into a contract  
with a national chain of walk-in clinics
 to provide the hospital care and       
medical services offered in such clinics
 to veterans enrolled in the system of  
annual patient enrollment established   
and operated under section #agje of this
 title4  7b7 ,no authorization or       
copayment required ,in receiving        
hospital care or medical services at a  
walk-in clinic under subsection 7a71 a  
veteran is not required--  7#a7 to      
obtain authorization before receiving   
such care or services at the clinic2 or 
7#b7 to pay a copayment to the clinic or
 the ,department in connection with the 
receipt of such care or services4  7c7  
,locations ,the ,secretary may not      
require a national chain of walk-in     
clinics to expand their locations as a  

condition of a contract entered into    
under subsection 7a74  7d7 ,transmittal 
of information  7#a7 ,the national chain
 of walk-in clinics with which the      
,secretary has entered into a contract  
under subsection 7a7 shall establish an 
automated system that transmits to the  
,secretary on a weekly basis information
 regarding the hospital care or medical 
services provided to veterans under this
 section during such week4  7#b7 ,the   
automated system under paragraph 7#a7   
shall be established in a manner that   
allows the system to securely transmit  
information to the electronic health    
record of a veteran regarding the       
hospital care and medical services      
provided to the veteran under this      
section4  7#c7 ,transmittal of          
information under paragraph 7#a7 may not
 be required as a condition of payment  
for hospital care or medical services   
provided under this section4  4  7b7    
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of chapter #ag

 of such title is amended by inserting  
after the item relating to section #agjc
 the following new item3  #agjc;,a4     
,hospital care and medical services at  
walk-in clinics4  4  #d4 ,licensure of  
health care professionals of the        
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
providing treatment via telemedicine    
7a7 ,in general ,subchapter ,,iii of    
chapter #ag of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code1 is amended by inserting  
after section #agcj;,c the following new
 section3  #agcj;,d4 ,licensure of      
health care professionals providing     
treatment via telemedicine  7a7 ,in     
general ,notwithstanding any provision  
of law regarding the licensure of health
 care professionals1 a covered health   
care professional may practice the      
health care profession of the health    
care professional at any location in any
 ,state1 regardless of where such health
 care professional or the patient is    
located1 if the health care professional
 is using telemedicine to provide       

treatment to an individual under this   
chapter4  7b7 ,location of care         
,subsection 7a7 shall apply to a covered
 health care professional providing     
treatment to a patient regardless of    
whether such health care professional or
 patient is located in a facility owned 
by the ,federal ,government during such 
treatment4  7c7 ,rule of construction   
,nothing in this section may be         
construed to remove1 limit1 or otherwise
 affect any obligation of a covered     
health care professional under the      
,controlled ,substances ,act 7#ba       
,u4,s4,c4 #hja et seq474  7d7           
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the
 term covered health care professional  
means a health care professional who    
is--  7,a7 authorized by the ,secretary 
to provide health care under this       
chapter1 including a private health care
 professional who provides such care    
under a contract or agreement entered   
into with the ,secretary1 including a   
contract entered into under section     

#agjc of this title2 and  7,b7 licensed1
 registered1 or certified in a ,state to
 practice the health care profession of 
the health care professional4  7#b7 ,the
 term telemedicine means the use of     
telecommunication technology and        
information technology to provide health
 care or support the provision of health
 care in situations in which the patient
 and health care professional are       
separated by geographic distance4  4    
7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of   
sections at the beginning of chapter #ag
 of such title is amended by inserting  
after the item relating to section      
#agcj;,c the following new item3        
#agcj;,d4 ,licensure of health care     
professionals providing treatment via   
telemedicine4  4  7c7 ,report on        
telemedicine  7#a7 ,in general ,not     
later than one year after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
submit to the ,committee on ,veterans'  
,affairs of the ,senate and the         

,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the
 ,house of ,representatives a report on 
the effectiveness of the use of         
telemedicine by the ,department of      
,veterans ,affairs4  7#b7 ,elements ,the
 report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall
 include an assessment of the following3
 7,a7 ,the satisfaction of veterans with
 telemedicine furnished by the          
,department4  7,b7 ,the satisfaction of 
health care providers in providing      
telemedicine furnished by the           
,department4  7,c7 ,the effect of       
telemedicine furnished by the           
,department on the following3  7i7 ,the 
ability of veterans to access health    
care1 whether from the ,department or   
from non-,department health care        
providers4  7ii7 ,the frequency of use  
by veterans of telemedicine4  7iii7 ,the
 productivity of health care providers4 
7iv7 ,wait times for an appointment for 
the receipt of health care from the     
,department4  7v7 ,the reduction1 if    
any1 in the use by veterans of services 

at ,department facilities and           
non-,department facilities4  7,d7 ,the  
types of appointments for the receipt of
 telemedicine furnished by the          
,department that were provided during   
the one-year period preceding the       
submittal of the report4  7,e7 ,the     
number of appointments for the receipt  
of telemedicine furnished by the        
,department that were requested during  
such period1 disaggregated by ,veterans 
,integrated ,service ,network4  7,f7    
,savings by the ,department1 if any1    
including travel costs1 of furnishing   
health care through the use of          
telemedicine during such period4  7#c7  
,telemedicine defined ,in this          
subsection1 the term telemedicine has   
the meaning given that term in section  
#agcj;,d7d77#b7 of title #ch1 ,united   
,states ,code1 as added by subsection   
7a74  #e4 ,extension of operating hours 
for pharmacies and medical facilities of
 the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs  
7a7 ,extension of operating hours for   

pharmacies ,the ,secretary of ,veterans 
,affairs shall extend the operating     
hours for each pharmacy of the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs during
 which the pharmacy offers services     
comparable to retail pharmacies to      
include--  7#a7 operation on ,saturday1 
,sunday1 and ,federal holidays2 and     
7#b7 operation until #h3jj p4m4 on      
weekdays that are not ,federal holidays4
  7b7 ,contracts with providers during  
nights and weekends ,the ,secretary     
shall enter into contracts1 including   
through locum tenens arrangements1 with 
physicians and nurses that meet         
qualifications set forth by the         
,secretary for purposes of this section 
under which such physicians and nurses  
work at medical facilities of the       
,department during nights and weekends4 
7c7 ,support staff ,the ,secretary may  
obtain additional support staff as      
necessary to carry out this section1    
including by hiring employees or        
contracting for services4  #f4 ,conduct 

of best-practices peer review of each   
medical center of the ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,in general ,the
 ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs may   
provide for the conduct by a            
nongovernmental hospital organization of
 a best-practices peer review of each   
medical center of the ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs to evaluate the      
efficacy of health care delivered at    
each such medical center4  7b7 ,priority
 ,the ,secretary shall give priority for
 peer review conducted under subsection 
7a7 to the medical centers of the       
,department with the longest wait times 
for an appointment or the worst health  
outcomes1 as determined by the          
,secretary4