Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2018
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (24 May 2018): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
What this bill does
H.R. 5966, the Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2018, would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish standards for its medical facilities to ensure they can adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of women veterans. This includes ensuring privacy, safety, and dignity. The bill also mandates that health outcomes for women veterans be used in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors.
The bill would affect women veterans by aiming to improve the quality and accessibility of their healthcare. It would also require every VA medical center to have a full-time obstetrician-gynecologist within 18 months of enactment, and it calls for a pilot program to increase residency positions for these specialists. Additionally, the VA would need to develop procedures to share veteran information with state veterans agencies to help facilitate assistance and benefits, though veterans could opt out of this data sharing.
This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in May 2018 and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Its current status is "Introduced," meaning it has not yet been voted on or advanced further in the legislative process.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish standards to ensure that all VA medical facilities have the structural characteristics necessary to adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of veterans at such facilities, including privacy, safety, and dignity; (2) integrate such standards into its prioritization methodology with respect to requests for funding major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases; and (3) report on such standards, including regarding the facilities that fail to meet such standards and the costs of projects and leases required to meet them.
The VA shall: (1) establish policies for environment of care inspections at VA medical centers, which shall include an alignment of inspection requirements with the women's health handbook of the Veterans Health Administration; and (2) certify that such policies have been finalized and disseminated to such centers.
The VA shall: (1) use health outcomes for women veterans furnished health care by the the VA in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors, (2) publish on its website information on such performance and on health outcomes for women veterans for each VA medical facility, (3) ensure that every VA medical center has a full-time obstetrician-gynecologist, and (4) carry out a pilot program to increase the number of residency program positions and graduate medical education positions for obstetrician-gynecologists at VA medical facilities in at least three Veterans Integrated Service Networks.
The VA must develop procedures to share information that includes military service and separation data, personal email addresses and telephone numbers, and mailing addresses of veterans with state veterans agencies in electronic format as a means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and benefits to such veterans. A veteran may elect to prevent his or her information from being shared.
The bill requires the VA to carry out an examination of whether VA medical centers are able to meet the health care needs of women veterans.
Timeline
24 May 2018
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 5966 do?
- H.R. 5966, the Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2018, would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish standards for its medical facilities to ensure they can adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of women veterans. This includes ensuring privacy, safety, and dignity. The bill also mandates that health outcomes for women veterans be used in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors. The bill would affect women veterans by aiming to improve the quality and accessibility of their healthcare. It would also require every VA medical center to have a full-time obstetrician-gynecologist within 18 months of enactment, and it calls for a pilot program to increase residency positions for these specialists. Additionally, the VA would need to develop procedures to share veteran information with state veterans agencies to help facilitate assistance and benefits, though veterans could opt out of this data sharing. This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in May 2018 and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Its current status is "Introduced," meaning it has not yet been voted on or advanced further in the legislative process.
- Has H.R. 5966 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for H.R. 5966. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored H.R. 5966?
- H.R. 5966 was sponsored by Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), with 3 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 5966?
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. (24 May 2018).
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