Skip to main content

Furnishing of certain health services to veterans in the Freely Associated States

Title III: Health Care

Plain-language summaryAI

The Department of Veterans Affairs must quickly work with the Freely Associated States to set up agreements that allow veterans there to receive certain medical care through telehealth and get prescription medicines by mail. The VA must start outreach within 30 days, finalize agreements within a year, and begin providing these services within a year. The VA will also assign traveling physicians to provide care to veterans in these states for up to one year, and regularly report to Congress on the progress and costs of these efforts.

AI-generated from this section’s text — a quick orientation, not a substitute for the full text below. Not legal advice.

Section Text · Sec. 309.
Source →PrevNext

(a) Requirement to furnish certain health services to veterans in the Freely Associated States

(1) Agreements required

Consistent with section 1724(f) of title 38, United States Code, and section 209(a)(4)(A) of the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2024 ( 48 U.S.C. 1988(a)(4)(A) ), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall work expeditiously with the governments of the Freely Associated States to enter into the agreements described in such sections.

(2) Inclusion of telehealth and mail order pharmacy services required

Consistent with such sections and with the agreements required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall furnish to veterans in the Freely Associated States services that include, at a minimum—

(A)

medical services authorized to be provided under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, which can be administered through telehealth; and

(B)

pharmaceutical products authorized to be provided under such chapter, delivered by mail.

(3) Implementation dates

In carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2), the Secretary shall—

(A)

initiate outreach to each such government not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act;

(B)

enter into each agreement required by paragraph (1) not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act; and

(C)

begin furnishing the services required by subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(4) Beneficiary travel

Section 111(h)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking the Secretary may make payments and inserting beginning not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act , the Secretary shall make payments .

(5) Reports

Not less frequently than quarterly, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the implementation of this section and the cost of such implementation. Until the Secretary has entered into the agreements required by paragraph (1) and begun furnishing the services required by subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2), the report shall also describe the technical and logistical factors that have prevented or impeded the Secretary from doing so.

(6) Definitions

In this subsection:

(A) Appropriate committees of Congress

The term appropriate committees of Congress means—

(i)

the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(ii)

the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(B) Freely Associated States

The term Freely Associated States has the meaning given such term in section 1724(f) of title 38, United States Code.

(b) Assignment of traveling physicians to serve veterans in Freely Associated States

(1) In general

Subchapter I of chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

7415. Traveling physicians for veterans in Freely Associated States

The Secretary may assign a physician appointed under section 7401 of this title to serve as a traveling physician for a period of not more than one year. A traveling physician shall provide health care to veterans residing in the Freely Associated States (as defined in section 1724(f) of this title).

(2) Clerical amendment

The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7414 the following new item: