Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2016

Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2016

This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Veterans Choice Program permanent.

Program eligibility is expanded to include all veterans who are enrolled in the annual patient enrollment system under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital care and medical services program.

The VA shall provide information about the availability of Program care and services to veterans who are new to, or already enrolled, in the system.

The VA shall contract with a national chain of walk-in clinics to provide hospital care and medical services in such clinics to veterans who are in the annual patient enrollment system. A veteran shall not be required to: (1) obtain pre-authorization for such care, or (2) pay a copayment to the clinic or to the VA.

Such national chain shall establish an automated system to provide the VA with weekly information on veterans receiving hospital care or medical services.

A covered health care professional may practice his or her health care profession at any location in any state, regardless of where such health care professional or the patient is located, if the health care professional is using telemedicine to treat an individual. Such treatment is permitted regardless of whether the professional or patient is located in a federally-owned facility.

"Covered health care professional" means a health care professional who is: (1) authorized by the VA to provide health care, including a private health care professional who provides such care under a VA contract or agreement; and (2) licensed, registered, or certified in a state to practice his or her health care profession.

The VA shall:

• extend the operating hours for each VA pharmacy to include weekday evenings until 8:00 p.m., weekends, and federal holidays; and
• contract with qualifying physicians and nurses to work at VA medical facilities during nights and weekends.

The VA may: (1) hire support staff in connection with such extended operating hours, and (2) provide for a nongovernmental hospital organization best-practices peer review of each VA medical center.