VET Act
Latest action · Feb 3, 2017 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.
- IntroducedJan 12, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans Emergency Treatment Act or the VET Act
This bill requires that a veteran enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care program who requests a medical examination or treatment at an emergency department of a VA medical facility be provided with a medical screening examination to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists and, if so, stabilizing medical treatment or a transfer to another VA or non-VA medical facility.
If a non-stabilized emergency medical condition exists, the VA hospital may not transfer the veteran unless: (1) the veteran, after being made aware of the risks, makes a written transfer request; or (2) a physician (or a qualified medical person if a physician is not present) certifies that the medical benefits of a transfer outweigh the risks.
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 a requirement of this bill.
A VA or non-VA medical facility may not delay provision of an appropriate medical screening examination or further medical examination and treatment required in order to inquire about the payment method or insurance status of an enrolled veteran.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 12, 2017 to Mar 10, 2017; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AS | Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-IA | David Young | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-TX | Jeb Hensarling | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-TX | Louie Gohmert | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-TX | Pete Olson | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-KS | Roger Marshall | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | Original | Jan 12, 2017 |
| R-VA | Bob Goodlatte | Jan 24, 2017 | |
| R-AL | Bradley Byrne | Jan 24, 2017 | |
| R-NC | David Rouzer | Jan 24, 2017 | |
| R-IN | Jim Banks | Jan 24, 2017 | |
| R-WI | F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. | Feb 6, 2017 | |
| D-NM | Michelle Lujan Grisham | Feb 6, 2017 | |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Feb 15, 2017 | |
| D-NY | Kathleen M. Rice | Feb 15, 2017 | |
| D-CA | Pete Aguilar | Feb 15, 2017 | |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Feb 15, 2017 | |
| D-FL | Stephanie N. Murphy | Mar 10, 2017 | |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | Mar 10, 2017 |
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 Jan 12, 2017 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Feb 3, 2017 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 3, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jan 12, 2017Introduced in House
- Jan 12, 2017Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E58)
- Jan 12, 2017Referred to the House 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E58 | Dan Newhouse R-WA | Jan 12, 2017 |
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. 163, no. 8, January 12, 2017, page H472.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3216 | VET Act | Reintroduction of | Sep 27, 2016 |
Titles 3
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
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 12, 2017Introduced 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.
