VA Billing Accountability Act
Latest action · Mar 14, 2019 Referred to the House 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.
- IntroducedMar 14, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
VA Billing Accountability Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the requirement that a veteran make co-payments for medications, hospital care, nursing home care, and medical services in certain situations. Specifically, a veteran may have such co-payments waived if (1) an error committed by the VA or a non-VA facility delayed co-payment notification to the veteran, and (2) the veteran received such notification later than 180 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services.
In requiring a veteran to make a co-payment for care or services provided at a VA or a non-VA medical facility, the VA shall notify the veteran not later than 180 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. If the VA does not provide notification by such date, it may not collect the payment, including through a third-party entity, unless the veteran is provided with (1) information about applying for a waiver and establishing a payment plan with the VA, and (2) an opportunity to make a waiver or establish a payment plan.
Finally, the bill requires the VA to review and improve its co-payment billing internal controls and notification procedures.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 14, 2019 to Feb 10, 2020; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Collin C. Peterson | Original | Mar 14, 2019 |
| R-MN | Tom Emmer | Original | Mar 14, 2019 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-AR | Bruce Westerman | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-NY | Elise M. Stefanik | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-AR | Eric A. "Rick" Crawford | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-MI | Fred Upton | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-IN | Jackie Walorski | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-OH | Michael R. Turner | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-PA | Mike Kelly | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-IL | Rodney Davis | Apr 3, 2019 | |
| R-OH | Bob Gibbs | Apr 8, 2019 | |
| R-LA | Clay Higgins | Apr 8, 2019 | |
| R-WI | Mike Gallagher | Apr 8, 2019 | |
| R-IA | Steve King | Apr 8, 2019 |
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 Mar 14, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 14, 2019Introduced in House
- Mar 14, 2019Referred 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. 165, no. 46, March 14, 2019, page H2747.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 116-30 | COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS MEMBER DAY112 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Sep 10, 2019 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 845 | VA Billing Accountability Act | Reintroduced Bill | Mar 22, 2021 |
| HR 1972 | VA Billing Accountability Act | Reintroduction of | May 22, 2018 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to waive the requirement of certain veterans to make copayments for hospital care and medical services in the case of an error by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- VA Billing Accountability 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.
- Mar 14, 2019Introduced 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.
