United States 118th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 21 R · 1 D cosponsors

HR 3554 — Protecting Veteran Community Care Act

Last action — Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 118th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access to the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include certain veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services, and for other purposes.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill expands the eligibility for the Veterans Community Care Program to include veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services and imposes new standards for access to these services.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703

    (F) in the case of residential mental health or substance-use services, the covered veteran-- (i) meets the criteria of the Department for priority admission to a Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program of the Department and the Department is unable to accommodate such priority admission; or (ii) has contacted the Department to request such services from a Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program of the Department and the Department is not able to furnish such services in a manner than complies with the access standards of the Department for specialty care provided under this section by a health care provider specified in subsection (c).

    This addition allows veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services access to community care if the Department is unable to provide timely services.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703

    (4) In the case of a covered veteran entitled to mental health or substance-use services under paragraph (1)(F), the Secretary shall ensure that referral of a veteran to an alternate Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program of the Department does not take precedence over timely access to such services under this section pursuant to such paragraph unless such referral is requested by the covered veteran.

    This ensures that timely access to mental health services is prioritized over referrals within the Department.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703

    Minimum Standards for Residential Mental Health or Substance-Use Services.--(1) Subject to paragraph (2), in furnishing residential mental health or substance-use services to covered veterans pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(F), the Secretary shall ensure that programs or facilities providing such services under this section meet the following standards: (A) A treatment program or facility must be licensed and accredited by a State for the provision of the services provided. (B) A treatment program must be accredited under either the Joint Commission Behavioral Health Standards or the Behavioral Health Standards manual (residential treatment) of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, or any successor standards or manual.

    This establishes minimum accreditation standards for facilities providing mental health or substance-use services to veterans.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703

    If a program or facility to which a covered veteran is to be referred pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(F) does not meet the standards specified under paragraph (1), the Secretary, acting through the director of the facility of the Department carrying out the referral-- (A) shall consider an alternate program or facility; and (B) may waive such standards on an individual basis if no other alternate program or facility is available or such waiver is in the best interest of the veteran.

    This allows flexibility in referrals to alternative facilities when standards are not met.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703

    In applying wait times or access standards under this section for purposes of determining eligibility of a covered veteran for care or services under this section, the Secretary may not determine that the veteran is ineligible for such care or services due solely to the fact that health care providers specified in subsection (c) are unable to provide such care or services in compliance with such wait times or access standards.

    This prevents denying veterans access to care based solely on provider wait times.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703

    If multiple options are available to a covered veteran for care or services under this section, the Secretary shall permit the veteran to elect the option that the veteran prefers.

    This gives veterans the choice of their preferred care option when multiple are available.

  • 38 U.S.C. § 1703(m)(1)

    (C) The review submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include, for the year covered by the review, the following: (i) The number of instances of care or services requested. (ii) The number of such requests that were approved. (iii) The number of such requests that were denied. (iv) The number of appeals under subsection (f) of such requests that were denied, including the final decision of such appeal. (v) The eligibility criteria under which each eligible veteran has qualified for care or services under this section. (vi) Data with respect to the following: (I) Requests for care or services relating to mental health. (II) Authorizations for emergency care, including whether transportation for such care was required or whether further care or a hospital stay was required.

    This requires detailed reporting on mental health service requests and approvals to improve oversight.

Action History

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Introduced in House

  4. Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 21 co-sponsors · 525 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (21)

Not signed on (525)

525 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

veterans healthcare
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 3554 do?
To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access to the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include certain veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services, and for other purposes.
Who sponsors HR 3554?
HR 3554 is sponsored by Zinke, Ryan K. (Republican), Davis, Donald G. (Democratic), Finstad, Brad (Republican), Rosendale, Matthew M. (Republican), Steel, Michelle (Republican), Bice, Stephanie I. (Republican), Crane, Elijah (Republican), Van Drew, Jefferson (Republican), Luttrell, Morgan (Republican), Webster, Daniel (Republican), Roy, Chip (Republican), Van Orden, Derrick (Republican), Crenshaw, Dan (Republican), Hern, Kevin (Republican), Hageman, Harriet M. (Republican), Mann, Tracey (Republican), Kiggans, Jennifer A. (Republican), Luna, Anna Paulina (Republican), Lawler, Michael (Republican), Fischbach, Michelle (Republican), Langworthy, Nicholas A. (Republican), and D'Esposito, Anthony (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 3554?
This bill died with 118th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 3554?
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