To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to Congress a report evaluating the implementation by the Department of Veterans Affairs of section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014.

SA 2775. Mr. McCONNELL (for Ms. Murkowski) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2763 proposed by Mr. Kirk (for
himself, Mr. Tester, and Ms. Mikulski) to the bill H.R. 2029, making
appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans
Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2016, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. ___. (a) Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the congressional veterans committees
a report evaluating the implementation by the Department of
Veterans Affairs of section 101 of the Veterans Access,
Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146;
38 U.S.C. 1701 note).
(b) The report required by subsection (a) shall include,
with respect to the implementation of such section 101, an
evaluation of the following:
(1) The effect of such implementation on the reduction in
the use of purchased care by the Department, including delays
or denials of care and interruptions in courses and
continuity of care.
(2) The ability of health care providers to meet the demand
for primary, specialty, and behavioral health care under such
section 101 that cannot reasonably be provided in medical
facilities of the Department.
(3) The efforts of the Department to recruit health care
providers to provide health care under such section 101.
(4) The accuracy of the information provided to veterans
through call centers regarding the receipt of health care
under such section 101.
(5) The timeliness of referrals of veterans by the
Department to health care providers under such section 101.

[[Page S7864]]

(6) Unique issues and difficulties in the implementation of
section 101 with respect to veterans residing in rural areas,
the States of Alaska and Hawaii and states lacking a full
service VA Hospital.
(7) With respect to rural areas: (A) an identification of
the average wait times for veterans in rural areas to receive
health care under such section 101, measured from when the
veteran first calls the Department or contracted call center
to request an appointment; (B) an assessment of utilization
rates for health care provided under such section 101 in
rural areas (C) an assessment of the accessibility of
veterans in rural areas to primary and specialty care at
medical centers of the Department and from non-Department
health care providers under such section 101; (D) an
assessment of the status of any pilot programs created by the
Department to provide care under such section 101; (E) an
identification of the number of health care providers
providing health care under such section 101 to veterans in
rural areas, broken out by primary care providers, specialty
and subspecialty providers, and behavioral health providers
in each Veterans Integrated Service Network.
(8) Recommendations for such improvements to the provision
of health care under such section 101 as the Comptroller
General considers appropriate.
(c) In this section, the term ``congressional veterans
committees'' means the Veterans Affairs Committees of the
United States Senate and the House of Representatives and the
Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and
Related Agencies of the Committees on Appropriations of the
United States Senate and the House of Representatives.
______