[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2357 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
1st Session
H. R. 2357
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 22 (legislative day, July 21), 2003
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the appointment
of chiropractors in the Veterans Health Administration of the
Department of Veterans Affairs and to provide eligibility for
Department of Veterans Affairs health care for certain Filipino World
War II veterans residing in the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Health Care Improvement Act
of 2003''.
SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT OF CHIROPRACTORS IN THE VETERANS HEALTH
ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Appointments.--Section 7401 of title 38, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) by inserting ``and chiropractic care'' in the matter
preceding paragraph (1) after ``medical care''; and
(2) by inserting ``chiropractors,'' in paragraph (1) after
``podiatrists,''.
(b) Qualifications of Appointees.--Section 7402(b) of such title is
amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (11); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following new
paragraph (10):
``(10) Chiropractor.--To be eligible to be appointed to a
chiropractor position, a person must--
``(A) hold the degree of doctor of chiropractic, or its
equivalent, from a college of chiropractic approved by the
Secretary; and
``(B) be licensed to practice chiropractic in a State.''.
(c) Period of Appointments and Promotions.--Section 7403(a)(2) of
such title is amended by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(H) Chiropractors.''.
(d) Grades and Pay Scales.--Section 7404(b)(1) of such title is
amended by striking the third center heading in the table and inserting
the following:
``CLINICAL PODIATRIST, CHIROPRACTOR, AND OPTOMETRIST SCHEDULE''.
(e) Temporary and Part-Time Appointments.--Section 7405(a) of such
title is amended--
(1) by adding at the end of paragraph (1) the following new
subparagraph:
``(E) Chiropractors.''; and
(2) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the following new
subparagraph:
``(D) Chiropractors.''.
(f) Residencies and Internships.--Section 7406(c) of such title is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) by inserting ``and chiropractic'' after
``medical'' the first place it appears; and
(B) by inserting ``or chiropractic'' after
``medical'' the second place it appears;
(2) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``or chiropractic''
after ``medical'' the first place it appears; and
(3) in paragraph (3)(A), by inserting ``or chiropractic''
after ``medical''.
(g) Malpractice and Negligence Protection.--Section 7316(a) of such
title is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or chiropractic''
after ``medical'' each place it appears; and
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by inserting ``or chiropractic'' after
``medical'' the first place it appears; and
(B) by inserting ``chiropractor,'' after
``podiatrist,''.
(h) Treatment as Scarce Medical Specialists for Contracting
Purposes.--Section 7409(a) of such title is amended by inserting
``chiropractors,'' in the second sentence after ``optometrists,''.
(i) Reimbursement of Continuing Professional Education Expenses.--
Section 7411 of such title is amended by striking ``or dentist'' and
inserting ``, dentist, or chiropractic''.
(j) Collective Bargaining Exemption.--Section 7421(b) of such title
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(8) Chiropractors.''.
(k) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take
effect at the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the
enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE OF
CERTAIN FILIPINO WORLD WAR II VETERANS RESIDING IN THE
UNITED STATES.
(a) Eligibility.--The text of section 1734 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(a) The Secretary shall furnish hospital and nursing home care
and medical services to any individual described in subsection (b) in
the same manner, and subject to the same terms and conditions, as apply
to the furnishing of such care and services to individuals who are
veterans as defined in section 101(2) of this title. Any disability of
an individual described in subsection (b) that is a service-connected
disability for purposes of this subchapter (as provided for under
section 1735(2) of this title) shall be considered to be a service-
connected disability for purposes of furnishing care and services under
the preceding sentence.
``(b) Subsection (a) applies to any individual who is a
Commonwealth Army veteran or new Philippine Scout and who--
``(1) is residing in the United States; and
``(2) is a citizen of the United States or an alien
lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent
residence.''.
(b) Limitation.--(1) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
take effect on the date on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
submits to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House
of Representatives and publishes in the Federal Register a
certification described in paragraph (2).
(2) A certification referred to in paragraph (1) is a certification
that sufficient resources are available for the fiscal year during
which the certification is submitted to carry out section 1734 of title
38, United States Code, as amended by such amendment, during that
fiscal year at each significantly affected health care facility of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(3) For purposes of paragraph (2), the term ``significantly
affected health care facility'' means a health care facility at which,
as determined by the Secretary, it is reasonably foreseeable that the
implementation of the provisions of section 1734 of title 38, United
States Code, as amended by subsection (a), will result in a significant
increase in the use of health care resources due to the number of
veterans described in subsection (b) of that section who are considered
to be likely to seek hospital or nursing home care or medical services,
as authorized by subsection (a) of that section, at that facility.
Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2003.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.