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108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 967
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to replace with a more
equitable formula the current formula, known as the Veterans Equitable
Resource Allocation (VERA), for the allocation of funds appropriated to
the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical care to different
geographic regions of the Nation, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 1, 2003
Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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A BILL
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to replace with a more
equitable formula the current formula, known as the Veterans Equitable
Resource Allocation (VERA), for the allocation of funds appropriated to
the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical care to different
geographic regions of the Nation, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Equal Treatment Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA)
formula, established by the Department of Veterans Affairs
pursuant to section 429 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs
and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies
Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104-204; 110 Stat. 2929),
has proved to be an ineffective means of allocating veterans
medical care dollars fairly across the 22 national service
regions, known as Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs),
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) The VERA formula has resulted in a system of
inequitable care at veterans hospitals in different regions of
the country.
(3) The VERA formula has resulted in a system in which
veterans in some regions of the country are forced to compete
with veterans in other regions for critical medical care
funding, when the system should be providing funding for
medical care for all veterans, regardless of where they live,
to ensure that all veterans have access to the level and
quality of medical care that they have all earned and deserve.
(4) The VERA formula should be replaced with a new funding
formula that puts the funds provided to the Department of
Veterans Affairs for medical care into the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers that are treating patients.
SEC. 3. REVISION TO MEDICAL CARE FUNDING ALLOCATION FORMULA FOR
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Termination of Vera Formula.--The funding allocation formula
for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical care system known as the
Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation system, established pursuant to
section 429 of the Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to section
429 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban
Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public
Law 104-204; 110 Stat. 2929), shall be discontinued by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs effective at the end of the fiscal year during which
this Act is enacted.
(b) Development of Replacement Formula.--The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall develop a new formula for the allocation of funds
appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for Medical Care to
the national service regions, known as Veterans Integrated Service
Networks (VISNs), of the Department. In developing such formula, the
Secretary shall take the following requirements into account:
(1) For any fiscal year for which the amount appropriated
for Medical Care is an increase from the preceding year, the
funding level provided under the new formula to any VISN may
not be less than the amount provided for the preceding year.
(2) The new formula shall take into account additional
costs incurred by a VISN due to any of the following factors at
that VISN being in excess of the median for all VISNs:
(A) The number of veterans moving into the
geographic area of that VISN.
(B) The median age of veterans in that VISN.
(C) The number of veterans in that VISN requiring
complex care or nursing home care.
(D) The age of Department health care facilities in
that VISN.
(c) Transition Formula.--If as of the date specified in subsection
(a) for the termination of the funding allocation formula referred to
in that subsection the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has not
implemented a replacement funding allocation formula in accordance with
subsection (b), then effective as of that date and until such
replacement funding allocation formula is implemented, the funding
allocation formula to be applied to amounts appropriated for veterans
medical care shall be the formula in effect before the formula referred
to in subsection (a).
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations for Replacement Allocation
Formula.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2004, $10,000,000 for development and
implementation of a replacement funding allocation formula in
accordance with section 3(b).
(b) Additional Authorization of Appropriations for Medical Care.--
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Veterans
Affairs for fiscal year 2004, $100,000,000 for ``Medical Care'' for the
Department of Veterans Affairs. Such amount is in addition to any other
amount authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Veterans
Affairs for fiscal year 2004 and shall be allocated by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to the national service regions, known as Veterans
Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), of the Department of Veterans
Affairs on the basis of need, as follows:
(1) First, to the VISN that has experienced the greatest
reduction in funding from the funding levels for fiscal year
1997.
(2) Second, to any other VISN that has experienced an
overall funding decrease during the six-fiscal-year period
beginning with fiscal year 1997.
(3) Third, if any amount appropriated pursuant to such
authorization remains after allocations pursuant to paragraphs
(1) and (2), such amount shall be allocated equally among the
remaining 22 VISNs before implementation of the new formula.
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