Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act
Latest action · Dec 3, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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.
- IntroducedNov 5, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act
This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program permanent. (The program allows the furnishing of hospital care and medical services to eligible veterans through agreements with non-VA entities.)
Program eligibility requirements are revised.
The VA shall ensure that veterans enrolled in the health care system, particularly those with service-connected disabilities rated 50% or greater, are able to receive:
- health care at VA medical facilities within certain wait-time goals; and
- the highest degree of care possible, with an emphasis on maintaining the highest degree of quality in treating ailments unique to or prevalent among the veteran population, including mental health services.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Nov 5, 2015 to Dec 17, 2015; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NJ | Thomas MacArthur | Original | Nov 5, 2015 |
| R-ND | Kevin Cramer | Nov 16, 2015 | |
| D-GU | Madeleine Z. Bordallo | Dec 17, 2015 |
Committees 1
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 Nov 5, 2015 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Dec 3, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 3, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Nov 5, 2015Introduced in House
- Nov 5, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 165, November 5, 2015, page H8154.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1991 | Permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Choice Card Act of 2015 | Related bill | Aug 5, 2015 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To eliminate the sunset date for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to expand eligibility for such program, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Veterans Freedom of Healthcare Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 5, 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.
