This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to work with the governments of the Freely Associated States to make agreements that let the VA provide certain health services to veterans who live there. The services must include telehealth visits and delivery of prescription medicines by mail. The bill sets deadlines: the VA must start outreach within 30 days of enactment, complete agreements within one year, and begin the telehealth and mail-order services within one year. The bill also changes a provision about beneficiary travel payments so that, if the VA uses the travel-payment authority in a fiscal year, it must make those payments. That change applies to travel occurring one year after enactment. The VA must send quarterly reports to congressional veterans and appropriations committees on implementation and costs and, until services begin, explain any technical or logistical barriers.
If you are a veteran living in a Freely Associated State (as defined in federal law), this bill aims to make telehealth care and mailed prescriptions available to you through the VA once the VA finishes agreements with the local governments. The VA must also report on costs and on any problems that slow implementation. Changes to beneficiary travel rules may lead to travel payments when the VA uses that authority, for travel on or after one year after enactment.
The bill requires the VA to report quarterly to Congress on the cost of implementing these services. The bill text and metadata do not include any government cost estimates or total price for implementation. No publicly available information on projected costs is provided in the bill text.
No publicly available information on proponents' views is included in the bill text or metadata.
No publicly available information on opponents' views is included in the bill text or metadata.