,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bjb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #c1       
#bjba,mrs4 ,shaheen introduced the      
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
ensure that veterans receive timely and 
effective emergency treatment during the
 ,,covid-#ai emergency1 and for other   
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,emergency ,care for
 ,veterans ,during ,,covid ,act4  #b4   
,emergency treatment for veterans during
 ,,covid-#ai emergency period  7a7      
,emergency treatment ,notwithstanding   
section #agbe or #agbh of title #ch1    
,united ,states ,code1 or any other     
provision of law administered by the    
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs        
pertaining to furnishing emergency      
treatment to veterans at non-,department
 facilities1 during the period of a     
covered public health emergency1 the    
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  

furnish to an eligible veteran emergency
 treatment at a non-,department facility
 in accordance with this section4  7b7  
,authorization not required ,the        
,secretary may not require an eligible  
veteran to seek authorization by the    
,secretary for emergency treatment      
furnished to the veteran pursuant to    
subsection 7a74  7c7 ,payment rates     
7#a7 ,determination ,the rate paid for  
emergency treatment furnished to        
eligible veterans pursuant to subsection
 7a7 shall be equal to the rate paid by 
the ,united ,states to a provider of    
services 7as defined in section #ahfa7u7
 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db     
,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7u777 or a supplier 7as 
defined in section #ahfa7;d7 of such    
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7d777 under   
the ,medicare program under title ,,xi  
or title ,,xviii of the ,social         
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acja et  
seq471 including section #ahcd of such  
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem71 for the    
same treatment4  7#b7 ,finality ,a      

payment in the amount payable under     
paragraph 7#a7 for emergency treatment  
furnished to an eligible veteran        
pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall be     
considered payment in full and shall    
extinguish the liability of the veteran 
to the provider of such treatment1      
unless the provider rejects the payment 
and refunds to the ,united ,states such 
amount by not later than #cj days after 
receiving the payment4  7d7 ,claims     
processed by third-,party administrators
  7#a7 ,requirement ,not later than #cj 
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary shall seek to 
award a contract to one or more         
entities1 or to modify an existing      
contract1 to process claims for payment 
for emergency treatment furnished to    
eligible veterans pursuant to subsection
 7a74  7#b7 ,prompt payment standard    
,section #agjc;,d of title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 shall apply with respect 
to claims for payment for emergency     
treatment furnished to eligible veterans

 pursuant to subsection 7a74  7e7       
,primary payer  7#a7 ,in general ,the   
,secretary shall be the primary payer   
with respect to emergency treatment     
furnished to eligible veterans pursuant 
to subsection 7a7 and with respect to   
the transportation of a veteran by      
ambulance in connection with such       
emergency treatment4  7#b7 ,recovery of 
reasonable charges ,in any case in which
 an eligible veteran is furnished       
emergency treatment pursuant to         
subsection 7a7 for a                    
non-service-connected disability        
described in subsection 7a77#b7 of      
section #agbi of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 the ,secretary shall     
recover or collect reasonable charges   
for such treatment from a health-plan   
contract described in subsection 7i7 of 
such section in accordance with such    
section4  7f7 ,application ,this section
 shall apply to emergency treatment     
furnished to eligible veterans during   
the period of a covered public health   

emergency1 regardless of whether the    
treatment was furnished before the date 
of the enactment of this ,act4  7g7     
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the
 term covered public health emergency   
means the declaration-- 7,a7 of a public
 health emergency1 based on an outbreak 
of ,,covid-#ai1 by the ,secretary of    
,health and ,human ,services under      
section #cai of the ,public ,health     
,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;d72 or
  7,b7 of a domestic emergency1 based on
 an outbreak of ,,covid-#ai1 by the     
,president1 the ,secretary of ,homeland 
,security1 or a ,state or local         
authority4  7#b7 ,the term eligible     
veteran means a veteran enrolled in the 
system of patient enrollment of the     
,department of ,veterans ,affairs       
established under section #agje7;a7 of  
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4  7#c7 
,the term emergency treatment means     
medical care or services rendered in a  
medical emergency of such nature that a 
prudent layperson reasonably expects    

that delay in seeking immediate medical 
attention would be hazardous to life or 
health4  7#d7 ,the term non-,department 
facility has the meaning given that term
 in section #agja of title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code4