Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7158) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the payment of care in non-Department of Veterans Affairs medical foster homes for certain veterans who are unable to live independently, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7158
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 ``Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act''. SEC. 2. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR PAYMENT OF CARE FOR VETERANS IN NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FOSTER HOMES.
(a) Authority.--
(1) In general.--Section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(h)(1) During the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act, and subject to paragraph (3)--
``(A) at the request of a veteran for whom the Secretary is required to provide nursing home care under section 1710A of this title, the Secretary may place the veteran in a medical foster home that meets Department standards, at the expense of the United States, pursuant to a contract, agreement, or other arrangement entered into between the Secretary and the medical foster home for such purpose; and
``(B) the Secretary may pay for care of a veteran placed in a medical foster home before such date of enactment, if the home meets Department standards, pursuant to a contract, agreement, or other arrangement entered into between the Secretary and the medical foster home for such purpose.
``(2) A veteran on whose behalf the Secretary pays for care in a medical foster home under paragraph (1) shall agree, as a condition of such payment, to accept home health services furnished by the Secretary under section 1717 of this title.
``(3) In any year, not more than a daily average of 900 veterans receiving care in a medical foster home, whether placed before, on, or after the date of the enactment of the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act, may have their care covered at the expense of the United States under paragraph (1).
``(4) The prohibition under section 1730(b)(3) of this title shall not apply to a veteran whose care is covered at the expense of the United States under paragraph (1).
``(5) In this subsection, the term `medical foster home' means a home designed to provide non-institutional, long- term, supportive care for veterans who are unable to live independently and prefer a family setting.''.
(2) Effective date.--Subsection (h) of section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Ongoing Monitoring of Medical Foster Home Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall create a system to monitor and assess the workload for the Department of Veterans Affairs in carrying out the authority under section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), including by tracking--
(A) requests by veterans to be placed in a medical foster home under such section;
(B) denials of such requests, including the reasons for such denials;
(C) the total number of medical foster homes applying to participate under such section, disaggregated by those approved and those denied approval by the Department to participate;
(D) veterans receiving care at a medical foster home at the expense of the United States; and
(E) veterans receiving care at a medical foster home at their own expense.
(2) Report.--Based on the monitoring and assessments conducted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall identify and submit to Congress a report on such modifications to implementing section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), as the Secretary considers necessary to ensure the authority under such section is functioning as intended and care is provided to veterans under such section as intended.
(3) Medical foster home defined.--In this subsection, the term ``medical foster home'' has the meaning given that term in section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1).
(c) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than each of three years and six years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report--
(1) assessing the implementation of this section and the amendments made by this section;
(2) assessing the impact of the monitoring and modifications under subsection (b) on care provided under section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1); and
(3) setting forth recommendations for improvements to the implementation of such section, as the Comptroller General considers appropriate.
(d) Modification of Certain Housing Loan Fee.--The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``January 14, 2031'' each place it appears and inserting ``February 15, 2031''. SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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Mr. TAKANO. 7158, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7158, as amended, the Long- Term Care Veterans Choice Act.
This bill, authored and long championed by Congressman Higgins and Chairwoman Brownley, would enable VA to better provide long-term services and support for our aging and disabled veterans.
The VA's medical foster homes are one of its most creative and effective initiatives. Veterans who have access to these care settings thrive and are able to remain a part of their community, even if their conditions do not allow them to remain independently in their homes.
Veterans who are not yet ready for institutional care but need the help and assistance of professional caregivers are able to live in a home setting among other veterans in their communities. Satisfaction with the program is very high, but veterans have to pay for the care themselves, which is a barrier for many veterans. Yet, VA is currently prohibited from paying a veteran's room and board. This legislation would change that.
Community-based programs like these are what veterans want and deserve. They also prevent veterans from being forced into much more expensive institutional care settings.
Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill, and I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the ranking member's desire to engage in talks regarding the toxic exposure fund. It is an important issue, which is the long-term implications of the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund, otherwise known as TEV, and it was created by the Honoring our PACT Act.
This fund is absolutely crucial to ensuring VA has the resources necessary to fully support our veterans and to deliver the new benefits available to them without having to sacrifice existing programs.
As I have said repeatedly, any potential change to this fund and how it operates must be considered very carefully and requires the input of other committees that have a stake in this issue, to include appropriations and budget in the House and Senate.
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for his hard work. I feel his sincere words. I take them to heart, and I sincerely hope that we get this through the Senate so that we can see this signed into law before the end of this year.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.
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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, as I have said before on the floor of this House, serving our veterans is not about red or blue. It is about red, white, and blue. I know that the ranking member stands with me in service of our veterans, and he stands with me right now in the optimism that Team USA is going to prevail today at the World Cup. They are ahead 1-0. I know the ranking member and I, and the gentleman from Louisiana, are all standing united with the hope of an American victory there.
Mr. Speaker, again, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 7158, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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