Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Veterans Patient Advocacy Act”.
Veterans Patient Advocacy Act
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the assignment of patient advocates at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Access for rural veterans to patient advocates at medical facilities of Department of Veterans Affairs
by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and
by inserting after subsection (d) the following new subsection (e):
“(e) Access to patient advocates for rural veterans—The Director shall ensure that rural veterans may access the services of patient advocates, including, to the extent practicable, with respect to assigning patient advocates to rural community-based outpatient clinics.”
Implementation date— The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that subsection (e) of such section, as amended by this section, is implemented not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
GAO Report— Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report evaluating the implementation under subsection (b).