S.Amdt. 3840

SA 3840. Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Hirono, and Mr.
Sullivan) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the
bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:

SEC. 1067. AVAILABILITY OF FULL-SERVICE HOSPITAL OF THE
VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION IN EACH STATE
AND CONTINUED ACCESS TO COMMUNITY CARE.

(a) Access by Veterans to Full-service Hospitals.--
(1) In general.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by inserting after section 1716 the
following new section:

``Sec. 1716A. Access to full-service hospitals in each State

``(a) Requirement.--With respect to each of the 50 States,
the Secretary shall ensure that veterans in the State
eligible for hospital care and medical services under section
1710 of this title may receive such care and services at not
fewer than one full-service hospital of the Veterans Health
Administration located within the geographic boundaries of
the State.
``(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a)
shall be construed to restrict the ability of the Secretary
to provide enhanced care to a veteran who resides in one
State in a hospital of the Veterans Health Administration in
another State.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 1716 the following new item:

``1716A. Access to full-service hospitals in each State.''.
(b) Continued Access to Care Under Veterans Community Care
Program.--Section 1703(d)(1) of such title is amended in
subparagraph (B) by inserting ``as of the date of the
enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2026'' before the semicolon at the end.
(c) Report on Implementation.--Not later than one year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report describing
the extent to which the Secretary has complied with the
requirement imposed by section 1716A of title 38, United
States Code, as added by subsection (a), including the effect
of such requirement on improving the quality and standards of
care provided to veterans.
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