Veterans Telehealth and Other Care Improvements Act of 2010
Latest action · Sep 2, 2010 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 557.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 6, 2010
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans Telehealth and Other Care Improvements Act of 2010 - Title I: Quality of Care and Access Matters - (Sec. 101) Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the imposition or collection of copayments for telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans. Terminates such authority five years after the enactment. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on the waiver of such copayments.
(Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary to establish a five-year program of outreach to veterans with respect to: (1) access and use of federal, state, and local programs providing compensation and other benefits for service in the Armed Forces; and (2) awareness of and eligibility for such programs. Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out the program, to enter into agreements with other federal and state agencies and specified authorities and commissions. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on program activities. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 103) Requires an annual report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans committees on low-volume procedures involving the use of radioactive isotopes carried out at each VA medical facility.
(Sec. 104) Directs the Secretary to ensure that all employees at a VA hospital who handle or perform procedures utilizing radioactive isotopes receive appropriate training on what constitutes a medical event and when and to whom a medical event should be reported. Prohibits such isotopes from being used at a VA hospital until such training is provided.
(Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary to ensure that the VA quality assessment program includes appropriate oversight of medical services provided pursuant to a contract entered into with a non-government entity. Requires such oversight to: (1) include periodic peer reviews and written evaluations; and (2) be taken into consideration when determining whether to extend or renew such a contract.
(Sec. 106) Revises the VA multifamily transitional housing loan program (program) to require the Secretary to issue up to five loans for the construction, rehabilitation, or acquisition of land for multifamily transitional housing projects. Authorizes the Secretary to delegate loan approval authority to a state or local government entity. Terminates, as of the date of enactment, the Secretary's authority under the program to guarantee loans for such purposes. Establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Program Revolving Fund to fund such loans. Prohibits any federal or state law from prohibiting a program project offering preferential treatment to veterans.
(Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site for the VA in the northern Rockies or the Dakotas. Requires the Fort Harrison Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, to be evaluated as a potential location for such a Center or Site.
(Sec. 108) Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain an interactive Internet website that provides information on the benefits, resources, services, and opportunities available for veterans and their families and caregivers, including veterans' benefits provided through the VA and the Department of Labor, tax benefits, social security benefits, state and local resources, and small business assistance. Requires the website to: (1) consolidate, expand on, and improve information and links from other existing websites relating to such benefits, resources, services, and opportunities; and (2) integrate dynamic Internet features and virtual interface tools to provide a personalized, interactive, and user-centered Internet experience. Requires the Secretary to consult with specified federal officials in providing information on benefits and services. Directs the Secretary to include, in a currently-required biennial plan on VA outreach activities, the VA's plans for improving and enhancing the website.
Title II: Construction and Naming Matters - (Sec. 201) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a major medical facility project (project) in FY2011 for the construction of a new VA medical facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(Sec. 202) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project in FY2011 to make seismic corrections to two buildings at the VA medical center in Long Beach, California.
(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified FY2011 major medical facility leases (leases) in California, Massachusetts, Montana, and Puerto Rico.
(Sec. 204) Authorizes appropriations for FY2011 for projects and leases authorized under this title, with a project funding limitation.
(Sec. 205) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the use of energy efficient technologies and best practices in VA medical facilities.
(Sec. 206) Designates the VA medical center in Big Spring, Texas, as the "George H. O'Brien, Jr., Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center."
(Sec. 207) Requires bid savings from VA major medical facility projects to be utilized only for other VA major medical facility construction projects.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 6, 2010 to May 18, 2010; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | May 6, 2010 |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | May 18, 2010 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred May 6, 2010Hearings May 19, 2010Markup Aug 5, 2010Reported Sep 2, 2010 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 2, 2010Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Akaka under authority of the order of the Senate of 08/05/2010 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. With written report No. 111-286. Supplemental views filed.
- Sep 2, 2010Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 557.
- Aug 5, 2010Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- May 19, 2010Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-623.
- May 6, 2010Introduced in Senate
- May 6, 2010Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3363)
- May 6, 2010Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3363 | Mark Begich D-AK | May 6, 2010 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Aug 6, 2010S. 3325, Veterans' Telehealth and Other Care Improvements Act of 2010<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on August 5, 2010</p>
- Aug 6, 2010S. 3325, Veterans' Telehealth and Other Care Improvements Act of 2010Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on August 5, 2010
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 111-623 | PENDING LEGISLATION HEARING118 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | May 19, 2010 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 5768 | To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the waiver of the collection of copayments for telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans, and for other purposes. | Identical bill | Jul 16, 2010 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the waiver of the collection of copayments for telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Veterans Telehealth and Other Care Improvements Act of 2010
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 2, 2010Reported to Senate
- May 6, 2010Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
