S.Amdt. 2918

SA 2918. Mr. BENNET submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2910 proposed by Mr. Shelby to the bill H.R. 5895, making
appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes;
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of title II of division C, add the following:

SEC. 2__. CARE FOR SPOUSES OF VETERANS AT CERTAIN STATE HOMES
FOR WHICH PAYMENT IS MADE BY THE SECRETARY OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) In General.--If a State home for which payment is made
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subchapter V of
chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is below 90
percent occupancy, the State home may provide care to spouses
of veterans such that the percentage of individuals receiving
care at the State home who are veterans is not less than 60
percent.
(b) Application for Construction or Acquisition.--Section
8135(a)(4) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``Reasonable assurance'' and inserting
``(A) Reasonable assurance'';
(2) by inserting ``, except as provided in subparagraph
(B),'' after ``and that''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(B) Reasonable assurance that, for purposes of providing
care to spouses of veterans, during a period in which a
facility is operating with a bed occupancy rate of 90 percent
or less, not more than 40 percent of the bed occupancy at any
one time will consist of patients who are not receiving such
level of care as veterans.''.
(c) State Home Defined.--In this section, the term ``State
home'' has the meaning given that term in section 101 of
title 38, United States Code.
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