BEST for Vets Act of 2019

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1101 To ensure that only licensed health care providers furnish disability examina- tions under a certain Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program for use of contract physicians for disability examinations, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 10, 2019 Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Ms. SINEMA) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To ensure that only licensed health care providers furnish disability examinations under a certain Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program for use of contract physi- cians for disability examinations, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Better Examiner 4 Standards and Transparency for Veterans Act of 2019’’ 5 or the ‘‘BEST for Vets Act of 2019’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:33 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1101.IS S1101 amozie on DSK9F9SC42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1101 IS SEC. 2. ENSURING ONLY LICENSED HEALTH CARE PRO- 1 VIDERS FURNISH MEDICAL DISABILITY EX- 2 AMINATIONS UNDER CERTAIN DEPARTMENT 3 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM FOR 4 USE CONTRACT PHYSICIANS FOR DISABILITY 5 EXAMINATIONS. 6 (a) PROHIBITION ON USE OF CERTAIN HEALTH 7 CARE PROVIDERS.—Section 504(a) of the Veterans’ Ben- 8 efits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 9 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended— 10 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary of Veterans Af- 11 fairs’’ and inserting the following: 12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 13 Affairs’’; and 14 (2) by adding at the end the following new 15 paragraph: 16 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—No examination described 17 in paragraph (1) may be carried out under this sec- 18 tion by any health care provider other than one de- 19 scribed in subsection (c)(2).’’. 20 (b) REMEDIES.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 21 shall take such actions as the Secretary considers appro- 22 priate to ensure that only health care providers described 23 in subsection (c)(2) of section 504 of the Veterans’ Bene- 24 fits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:29 Apr 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1101.IS S1101 amozie on DSK9F9SC42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1101 IS U.S.C. 5101 note) are conducting examinations pursuant 1 to contracts entered into under such section. 2 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after 3 the date of the enactment of this Act and not less fre- 4 quently than once each year thereafter, the Secretary shall 5 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen- 6 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 7 of Representatives a report on— 8 (1) the conduct of the pilot program established 9 under section 504 of the Veterans’ Benefits Im- 10 provements Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–275; 38 11 U.S.C. 5101 note); and 12 (2) the actions of the Secretary under sub- 13 section (b). 14 (d) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 504 of the 15 Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 (Public 16 Law 104–275; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended— 17 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘PHYSI- 18 CIANS’’ and inserting ‘‘HEALTH CARE PRO- 19 VIDERS’’; and 20 (2) in subsection (c)— 21 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 22 ‘‘PHYSICIANS’’ and inserting ‘‘HEALTH CARE 23 PROVIDERS’’; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:29 Apr 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1101.IS S1101 amozie on DSK9F9SC42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1101 IS (B) in paragraph (2), in the paragraph 1 heading, by striking ‘‘PHYSICIAN’’ and inserting 2 ‘‘HEALTH CARE PROVIDER’’; 3 (C) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘physi- 4 cians’’ and inserting ‘‘health care providers’’; 5 and 6 (D) by striking ‘‘physician’’ each place it 7 appears and inserting ‘‘health care provider’’. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:29 Apr 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1101.IS S1101 amozie on DSK9F9SC42PROD with BILLS