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S 804 115th Congress Senate Armed Forces and National Security Congressional oversight Department of Veterans Affairs Employee performance Federal officials Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Health care quality Health facilities and institutions Health personnel Medical education Personnel records Right of privacy Sex and reproductive health State and local government operations Veterans' medical care Women's health

Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2017

Introduced: April 3, 2017 See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 17, 2017
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-299.
Apr 3, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Apr 3, 2017
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.

What's happening now May 17, 2017

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-299.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Democratic 4