VET Act
Latest action · Sep 27, 2016 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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.
- IntroducedJul 27, 2015
- Passed HouseSep 26, 2016
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Veterans Emergency Treatment Act or the VET Act
(Sec. 1) This bill declares that, if a veteran who is enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care program requests a medical examination or treatment at an emergency department of a VA medical facility, the veteran shall be provided with:
- a medical screening examination to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists; and
- if an emergency condition exists, stabilizing medical treatment or transfer to another VA or non-VA medical facility.
The VA is deemed to have met such requirements if it offers to transfer the veteran to another medical facility, informs the veteran of the transfer's risks and benefits, and the veteran refuses to consent to the transfer.
If a non-stabilized emergency medical condition exists the VA hospital may not transfer the veteran unless:
- the veteran (or individual), after being made aware of the risks, makes a written transfer request;
- a physician certifies that the medical benefits of a transfer outweigh the risks to the veteran and, in the case of a woman in labor, to the unborn child;
- if a physician is not present in the emergency department at the time of transfer, a qualified medical person has made such certification after a physician has determined that a transfer's benefit outweighs the risk and a physician subsequently countersigns the qualified medical person's certification; and
- the transfer is to a medical facility with the necessary treatment capacities.
A VA or non-VA medical facility that has specialized capabilities or facilities (such as burn units, shock-trauma units, neonatal intensive care units, or, with respect to rural areas, regional referral centers) shall not refuse to accept a transfer if the facility has the capacity to treat the veteran.
A VA or non-VA medical facility may not delay a medical screening examination or further medical examination and treatment in order to inquire about a veteran's payment method or insurance status.
The VA may not take adverse action against a VA employee because the employee refuses to authorize the transfer of an enrolled veteran with a non-stabilized emergency medical condition or because the employee reports a violation of this bill.
Cosponsors 13
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 27, 2015 to Sep 8, 2016; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | Charles W. Boustany, Jr. | Original | Jul 27, 2015 |
| D-GU | Madeleine Z. Bordallo | Original | Jul 27, 2015 |
| R-OH | Robert E. Latta | Original | Jul 27, 2015 |
| R-VA | Bob Goodlatte | Jul 29, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Jeb Hensarling | Sep 10, 2015 | |
| R-AS | Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen | Oct 23, 2015 | |
| R-WA | Cathy McMorris Rodgers | Oct 23, 2015 | |
| R-NM | Stevan Pearce | Oct 23, 2015 | |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | Oct 23, 2015 | |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Oct 28, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Pete Olson | Oct 28, 2015 | |
| R-TX | Michael C. Burgess | Dec 17, 2015 | |
| R-CA | Tom McClintock | Sep 8, 2016 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Jul 27, 2015Markup Sep 21, 2016 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Aug 6, 2015 | |
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Sep 27, 2016 |
Actions 12
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 27, 2016Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Sep 26, 2016Mr. Miller (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 26, 2016Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5891-5892)
- Sep 26, 2016DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3216.
- Sep 26, 2016Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5891-5892)
- Sep 26, 2016Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 21, 2016Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Sep 21, 2016Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- Aug 6, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jul 27, 2015Introduced in House
- Jul 27, 2015Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1131)
- Jul 27, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H5891, H5892Text printed H5891 | Dan Newhouse R-WA, Jeff Miller R-FL, Mark Takano D-CA | Sep 26, 2016 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1131 | Dan Newhouse R-WA | Jul 27, 2015 |
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.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Sep 22, 2016H.R. 3216, Veterans Emergency Treatment ActAs ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on September 21, 2016
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 119, July 27, 2015, page H5524.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 114-75 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON: H.R. 3216, H.R. 4150, H.R. 4764, H.R. 5047, H.R. 5083, H.R. 5162, H.R. 5166, H.R. 5392, H.R. 5407, H.R. 5416, H.R. 5420, AND H.R. 5428114 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Jun 23, 2016 |
| — | SECOND MEMBER DAY HEARING ON FUNDAMENTAL TAX REFORM PROPOSALS79 pages | Ways and Means Committee | Apr 13, 2016 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 476 | VET Act | Reintroduced Bill | Feb 3, 2017 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the emergency hospital care furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to certain veterans.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- VET Act
- Veterans Emergency Treatment Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- VET Act
- Veterans Emergency Treatment Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 27, 2016Referred in Senate
- Sep 26, 2016Engrossed in House
- Jul 27, 2015Introduced in House
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.
