[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1970 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1970

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to reimburse State homes for the cost of, or to 
furnish to State homes, certain costly medications provided to veterans 
   who receive nursing home care in such State homes, and for other 
                               purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2025

Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to reimburse State homes for the cost of, or to 
furnish to State homes, certain costly medications provided to veterans 
   who receive nursing home care in such State homes, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Providing Veterans Essential 
Medications Act''.

SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT OF A STATE HOME FOR HIGH COST MEDICATIONS.

    Section 1745(a)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Payment'' and inserting ``(A) Subject to 
        subparagraph (B), payment''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
    ``(B) In addition to payment described in subparagraph (A), the 
Secretary shall, at the election of a covered State home--
            ``(i) reimburse the covered State home for a costly 
        medication; or
            ``(ii) furnish such costly medication to the covered State 
        home.
    ``(C) In this paragraph:
            ``(i) The term `costly medication' means a drug or medicine 
        for which the average wholesale price for one month's supply, 
        plus a 3 percent transaction fee, exceeds 8.5 percent of the 
        payment under subparagraph (A) by the Secretary to a covered 
        State home for care provided to the veteran who receives such 
        costly medication during such month.
            ``(ii) The term `covered State home' means a State home 
        that, in the course of nursing home care provided pursuant to a 
        contract (or agreement) under paragraph (1), provides to a 
        veteran a costly medication.''.
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