Sec. 201. Access to walk-in care
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Chapter 17 is amended by inserting after section 1725 the following new section: The Secretary shall develop procedures to ensure that covered veterans are able to access walk-in care from qualifying non-Department entities or providers. For purposes of this section, a covered veteran is any veteran described in section 1703(b) of this title. For purposes of this section, a qualifying non-Department entity or provider is a non-Department entity or provider that— has entered into a contract or other agreement with the Secretary to furnish services under this section; or entered into an agreement with the Secretary that was in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the Veterans Community Care and Access Act of 2017 to furnish walk-in care.
Whenever practicable, the Secretary may use a Federally-qualified health center (as defined in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)(2)(B) )) to carry out this section. The Secretary shall ensure continuity of care for each covered veteran who receives a walk-in care service under this section through the care coordination team provided such covered veteran under section 1703(e)(1) of this title. The Secretary shall inform and educate covered veterans on procedures to utilize and access walk-in care under this section.
The Secretary shall develop a mechanism to coordinate with qualifying non-Department entities or providers through the care coordination teams provided under section 1703(e)(1) of this title that includes the use of medical records from walk-in care providers to accurately represent access to care, health needs of the covered veterans, and to monitor conditions of covered veterans. The Secretary shall require each covered veteran to pay the United States a copayment for each episode of walk-in care provided under this section, except if the episode of walk-in care for the covered veteran is related to a service-connected disability of the covered veteran.
The Secretary may adjust the copayment required of a covered veteran under this subsection based upon the priority group of enrollment of the veteran, the number of episodes of care furnished to a covered veteran during a year, and other factors the Secretary considers appropriate under this section. The amount or amounts of the copayments required under this subsection shall be prescribed by the Secretary by rule. Copayments required by this subsection shall apply notwithstanding any other provision of law that would allow the Secretary to offset a covered veteran’s copayment obligation with amounts recovered from a third party under section 1729 of this title.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Community Care and Access Act of 2017 , the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to carry out this section. In this section, the term walk-in care means non-urgent, non-emergent, convenience care provided by a qualifying non-Department entity or provider that furnishes episodic care and not longitudinal management of conditions and certain services as defined through contracts or agreements described in subsection
(c)or regulations the Secretary shall prescribe for purposes of this section. . Section 1725A of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection
(a)shall take effect on the date upon which final regulations implementing such section take effect. The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item related to section 1725 the following new item: §1725A. Access to walk-in care. .
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Sec. 201
Access to walk-in care
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