S 682 117th Congress Senate Armed Forces and National Security Cardiovascular and respiratory health Disability and paralysis Emergency medical services and trauma care Hospital care Immunology and vaccination Infectious and parasitic diseases Veterans' medical care

SAVE LIVES Act

Introduced: March 10, 2021 See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Mar 10, 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mar 10, 2021

Introduced in Senate

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Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize all Veterans and Every Spouse Act or the SAVE LIVES Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish a COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine to covered individuals during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Under the bill, covered individuals are

veterans who are not eligible to enroll in the VA health care system;
specified veterans who are eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care abroad;
beneficiaries who are eligible for care due to a specified disability or death of a veteran;
family caregivers of veterans who are participating in the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers;
caregivers of veterans participating in the VA's Program of General Caregiver Support Services;
caregivers of veterans participating in the VA's Medical Foster Home Program, Bowel and Bladder Program, Home Based Primary Care Program, or Veteran Directed Care Program; and
the spouses of veterans.

The VA must prioritize the vaccination of (1) veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system, (2) veterans who fail to enroll but receive hospital care and medical services for specified disabilities in their first 12 months of separation from service, and (3) caregivers accompanying such prioritized veterans.

Under the bill, the VA is authorized to offer a vaccine to the spouse of a veteran near the same time the veteran receives the vaccine.

What's happening now March 10, 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Bill text 1 version