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Extension of sharing of Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Health Care Resources; resource sharing oversight and implementation plan

Title III: Health Care

Plain-language summaryAI

The law extends the sharing of health care resources between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense through September 30, 2027. It requires detailed oversight, including written justifications if the VA Secretary chooses not to enter into sharing agreements, and mandates that requested information be provided fully and promptly to congressional committees. Additionally, it directs the VA and DoD to submit a joint plan for resource sharing and requires a government report evaluating the effectiveness and challenges of these agreements within two years.

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

Section Text · Sec. 312.
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(a) Extension

Section 8111(d)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking September 30, 2026 and inserting September 30, 2027 .

(b) Oversight

(1) Justification

Such section is further amended in subsection (a)—

(A)

by inserting (1) before To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary ; and

(B)

by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

(2)

If the Secretary of Veterans Affairs elects not to enter into such an agreement or contract, notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary and the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a written justification for such election.

(2) Form of information

If the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Senate requests information from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding section 8111 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary shall provide such information in the form requested by such committee, including underlying records, datasets, methodologies, contracts, and communications, and may not be limited to summaries or briefing materials in lieu of original source documents unless authorized by the requesting committee.

(3) Interference with transmission of information

In response to such a request, no official or employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall—

(A)

withhold, screen, or alter responsive information;

(B)

delay or condition production on initial clearance or political review;

(C)

require a nondisclosure agreement unless required by law;

(D)

substitute summaries for requested 2 records; or

(E)

otherwise impede or interfere with direct transmission of information to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

(4) Classified information

If the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs determines that any information regarding such section requested by the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Senate is classified, the Secretary shall make arrangements to present such information to the Chair and Ranking Member of the such committee using appropriate security measures.

(c) Implementation plan and report

(1) Joint resource sharing implementation plan

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a Joint Resource Sharing Implementation Plan. Such plan shall include—

(A)

a comprehensive inventory of all agreements under section 8111 of title 38, United States Code;

(B)

a standardized reimbursement methodology;

(C)

capacity assessments of Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense facilities; and

(D)

identification of priority regions for expansion.

(2) Report

Not later than 2 years after date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to Congress on the implementation of section 8111 of title 38, United States Code. Such report shall include—

(A)

a description of use and effectiveness of agreements under such section;

(B)

a description of the role and output of the Joint Executive Committee under such section;

(C)

an evaluation of the effectiveness of coordination of care and sharing of resources by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense under such section; and

(D)

a description of any statutory, operational, or cultural barriers to the implementation of such section.