S 3303
Linc VA act
Linc VA Act
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Bill overview
The Linc VA Act aims to improve support for veterans by establishing a pilot program for a community integration platform. This platform will coordinate various services like healthcare, housing, and job training with local organizations. The program will also collect data on veterans’ social determinants of health to better understand and address their needs. Finally, the act requires a government evaluation of the platform’s impact on veteran health outcomes.
Key provisions
- Establishes a pilot program for a community integration platform to coordinate veteran services.
- Requires the collection of data on veterans’ social determinants of health.
- Mandates the participation of at least five VA medical facilities in the pilot program.
- Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidance to State Medicaid programs for integration with veteran services.
- Tracks referrals of veterans to community networks and the response time of providers.
- Requires a report to Congress assessing the social service needs of veterans and the platform’s effectiveness.
- Calls for a Comptroller General evaluation of the platform’s impact on veteran health.
- Defines ‘community integration platform’ and ‘covered entity’ for clarity.
Who is affected
- Veterans
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Community-based organizations
- Healthcare providers
- State and local government agencies
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
S. 3303
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to establish or enhance a community integration platform for services for veterans, to require the collection from veterans of information related to social determinants of health, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities for Veterans Act LINC VA Act
or the
.
Beginning not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting through the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary shall establish a new, or enhance an existing, interoperable community integration platform to coordinate local support services for veterans through other governmental and nongovernmental organizations (in this section referred to as the pilot program
).
The community integration platform established or enhanced pursuant to the pilot program shall be accessible to veterans, employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others participating in the pilot program as determined appropriate by the Secretary and shall—
prioritize connectivity with appropriate existing technology networks developed by public or private organizations that comply with, as applicable, standards adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 3004 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj–14), for the purposes described in paragraph (1);
ensure that—
reasonable measures are taken to promote connectivity and interoperable exchange among covered entities; and
appropriate privacy and security protections are in place, in accordance with applicable Federal and State privacy laws;
connect covered entities for purposes of communication, service coordination and consumer assistance, referral and capacity management, outcome tracking and reporting, and related services;
provide technical assistance and support covered entities in connecting and participating in the community integration platform;
collect information from veterans served under the pilot program regarding social determinants of health using a standardized risk assessment or screening tool, which shall include standardized definitions for identifying social determinants of health needs identified in the ICD–10 diagnostic codes Z55 through Z63 and Z75 (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act) that incorporate measures for quantifying the relative severity of any such social determinant of health need identified in a veteran;
incorporate screenings used to collect information under paragraph (6) into routine care provided to veterans under the laws administered by the Secretary; and
be accessible via a web-based platform for all veterans and via a non-web-based alternative platform or process for veterans who are unable to easily and reliably access the web-based platform.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out the pilot program at not fewer than five medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In selecting facilities under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure the selection of a variety of different types of facilities, including—
frontier facilities;
under-resourced facilities; and
facilities at which there are existing efforts to coordinate with community resources.
In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall coordinate with existing community networks.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall issue guidance to States that includes options for State Medicaid programs to coordinate and integrate medical assistance provided under a State plan or waiver under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) with services for veterans provided under the pilot program, as well as a template for States to use to request or modify Medicaid waiver authority under section 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1315) for such purpose.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall track—
the accuracy of referrals of veterans to community networks under the pilot program;
the response time of providers to which such veterans are referred; and
the outcome of the initial meeting by a veteran and the provider to which the veteran is referred.
The Secretary may track the information required under paragraph (1) in any medium determined appropriate by the Secretary.
Not later than three years after amounts are first appropriated to carry out the pilot program, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report indicating the social service needs of veterans reflected by the use of services under the community integration platform established or enhanced under the pilot program, including an assessment of—
changes in individual and population health outcomes among veterans;
changes in access to health care or social services among veterans; and
such other factors as the Comptroller General considers appropriate.
Not later than four years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall—
submit to Congress a report on the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1);
based on such evaluation, make recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on how to improve and sustain the community integration platform established or enhanced under the pilot program.
The report under subparagraph (A)(i) shall include data on—
what resources under the pilot program are being utilized the most;
what requests for services under the pilot program cannot be met; and
the impact of the provision of services under the pilot program on health outcomes of veterans.
In this section:
The term community integration platform means an interoperable platform used to enable the coordination, alignment, and connection of covered entities at the local level for purposes of communication, service coordination, and referral management of services, with respect to services specified in subsection (b)(1).
The term covered entity means any—
community-based organization that—
public or private health care provider organization;
public or private funded payor of health care services, including home- or community-based services;
State, local, territorial, or Tribal health and social services agency;
State public housing authority or housing finance agency;
public health information exchange or public health information network, as defined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
other similar entity, as determined by the Secretary.
The term State means a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall collect from veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment of the Department of Veterans Affairs established and operated under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code, as part of routine screenings of such veterans under the laws administered by the Secretary, information related to social determinants that may factor into the health of such veterans.