Veterans' Beneficiary Travel, Medical Quality Assurance, and Readjustment Counseling Improvements Act of 1987

Veterans' Beneficiary Travel, Medical Quality Assurance, and Readjustment Counseling Improvements Act of 1987 - Title I: Beneficiary Travel - Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions to authorize the Administrator of Veterans Affairs to pay a specified amount of travel expenses (for travel to and from a Veterans Administration (VA) facility) to the following veterans: (1) veterans receiving service-connected disability benefits; (2) veterans receiving veterans' pensions; (3) a veteran whose annual income is below a specified amount; (4) a veteran whose travel to a VA facility is incident to a scheduled compensation and pension examination; and (5) a veteran whose travel to a VA facility is required to be performed by a special mode of travel and such travel is previously authorized or is necessary due to a medical emergency. Authorizes the Administrator to deduct from the amount otherwise payable a specified sum for each trip to or from a VA facility, with a specified limit on the amount to be so deducted from the payments to veterans who are required to make six or more trips to such facilities during a one-month period. Requires the amounts deducted to be adjusted whenever the travel rates are adjusted by the Administrator. Directs the Administrator, prior to October 1 of the year involved, to make an allocation to each VA medical facility to enable the facility head to make payments for the travel expenses of veterans traveling to such facility. Outlines administrative provisions to be implemented whenever the head of such a facility demonstrates to the Chief Medical Director of the VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery that such facility was making travel expense payments at a level less than that authorized to be made at such facility. Allows funds given to a facility for such purpose but unexpended to be available for support of other authorized health care purposes.

Directs the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and appropriate representatives of veterans' service organizations, to facilitate the establishment of a program under which those organizations or individuals volunteering their services to the VA would take responsibility for the transportation, without reimbursement, to VA facilities of veterans who seek services or benefits from the VA. Directs the Administrator, no later than six months after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the implementation of the above provision.

Title II: Medical Quality Assurance - Establishes in the Office of the Chief Medical Director an Office of the Medical Inspector General. Sets forth staffing requirements, including requiring not less than five assistant Medical Inspectors General. Requires the Medical Inspector General to: (1) monitor, review, and investigate any adverse incident experienced by a patient during the course of a patient's care at a VA facility; (2) conduct such reviews and investigations as considered necessary in relation to problems in the provision of health care to veterans, proposing to the Chief such corrective measures as are considered appropriate; and (3) have sole discretion in determining whether to investigate any incident involving patient care or the provision of health care to veterans.

Directs the Medical Inspector General, no later than February 1 annually, to report to the Chief Medical Director and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees on the activities of the Office of the Medical Inspector General during the preceding fiscal year, outlining certain information to be included in each such report. Requires the Medical Inspector General to be a member of all policymaking bodies within the Department of Medicine and Surgery that are concerned with the quality of health care provided in VA facilities. Directs the Administrator to transfer to the Office of the Medical Inspector General such funds as are necessary to support five full-time medical doctors and five full-time support personnel in the Office of the Medical Inspector General.

Requires one of the eight Assistant Chief Medical Directors currently established under Federal law to specialize in health care quality assurance and to be responsible to the Chief Medical Director for quality assurance within the VA.

Directs the Chief to ensure that all personnel of the VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery: (1) are periodically given an explanation of their areas of responsibility in the area of quality assurance; and (2) are advised that any failure to comply with such responsibilities will result in appropriate disciplinary action.

Establishes in the VA's Office of the Inspector General the position of Assistant Inspector General for Health Care Quality Assurance Review (the Assistant Inspector), who shall be a qualified doctor of medicine appointed by the Inspector General. Outlines staffing requirements for the Assistant Inspector. Directs the Assistant Inspector to: (1) monitor the establishment and implementation of the health care quality assurance and risk management programs of the Department of Medicine and Surgery (the Department); (2) monitor the activities of the Medical Inspector General of the Department; (3) recommend that the Medical Inspector General conduct such investigations as the Assistant Inspector considers appropriate; (4) coordinate his or her activities with that of the Medical Inspector General; (5) review any investigation conducted by the Medical Inspector General concerning adverse incidents in the provision of health care to veterans and make recommendations for any additional action as considered appropriate; (6) monitor and analyze all information within the Department relating to quality assurance and risk management in order to identify data which still needs to be collected, and monitor the Department's analysis in the trends of health care provision; (7) make recommendations to the the Inspector General for corrective action on health care matters; and (8) monitor the implementation of recommendations for corrective action made to the Administrator by the Inspector General on health care matters.

Directs the Inspector General of the VA, no later than February 1 annually, to submit to the Administrator and the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees a report containing a discussion of the activities undertaken by the Assistant Inspector during the preceding fiscal year in the areas of monitoring, review, investigations, and recommendations on the implementation of quality assurance and risk management in the area of veterans' health care.

Title III: Readjustment Counseling - Postpones for one year the period for transition from the provision of veterans' readjustment counseling in facilities located primarily separate from VA health care facilities to the provision of such services primarily through VA facilities.

Directs the Administrator, for administrative workload management purposes, to obtain from each veteran receiving readjustment counseling services such veteran's social security number.