Healthcare

IMPACT Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 or the IMPACT Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) require post-acute care (PAC) providers to report standardized patient assessment data, data on quality measures, and data on resource use and other measures; (2) require the data to be interoperable to allow for its exchange among PAC and other providers to give them access to longitudinal information so as to facilitate coordinated care and improve Medicare beneficiary outcomes; and (3) modify PAC assessment instruments applicable to PAC providers for the submission of standardized patient assessment data on such providers and enable assessment data comparison across all such providers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide confidential feedback reports to PAC providers on their performance with respect to required measures; and (2) arrange for public reporting of PAC provider performance on quality, resource use, and other measures. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to: (1) evaluate and recommend to Congress features of PAC payment systems that establish, or a unified PAC payment system that establishes, payment rates according to characteristics of individuals instead of according to the PAC setting where the Medicare beneficiary involved is treated; and (2) recommend to Congress a technical prototype for a PAC prospective payment system. Directs the Secretary to reduce by 2% the update to the market basket percentage for skilled nursing facilities which do not report assessment and quality data. Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the effect of individuals' socioeconomic status on quality, resource use, and other measures for individuals under the Medicare program; and (2) the impact on such measures of specified risk factors.

Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization to remove a service provider or a supplier from a plan network only for cause, subject to completion of a fair notice and appeals process. Lists as cause for removal: (1) medical negligence, (2) violation of any legal or contractual requirement for the provider or supplier acting within the lawful scope of practice, or (3) unfitness to furnish items and services in accordance with Medicare requirements. Requires an MA organization offering an MA plan to include information on the measures used to establish or modify the plan's provider network: (1) in the annual bid information submitted about the MA plan, and (2) on the plan's Internet Web. Subjects to certain sanctions MA organizations with contracts which fail to meet these information requirements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) seek input from patient advocacy groups and others in applying network access adequacy standards, and (2) take necessary measures to ensure that the Medicare Advantage Compare Tool takes into account the preferences and utilization needs of such individuals.

Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations permitting individuals to safely import into the United States, with exceptions, a prescription drug purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy that: is dispensed by a pharmacist licensed in Canada; is purchased for personal use in quantities not greater than a 90-day supply; is filled using a valid prescription issued by a physician licensed to practice in the United States; and has the same active ingredient or ingredients, route of administration, dosage form, and strength as a prescription drug approved under the FFDCA. Provides criteria for approval of a Canadian pharmacy. Requires HHS to publish a list of approved Canadian pharmacies, including their website address, from which individuals may purchase prescription drugs in accordance with this Act.

A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to revoke bonuses paid to employees involved in electronic wait list manipulations, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: (1) within 180 days after the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) submits a report to Congress in 2014 that identifies VA medical facilities at which scheduling practices did not comply with VA policies and procedures, to identify each VA employee who, during any of FY2011-FY2014, contributed to the purposeful omission of the names of veterans from an electronic wait list for health care at such a facility, who was a VA supervisor who knew or should have known that the employee contributed to such omission, and who received a bonus in part because of such omission; and (2) after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, to order such employee to repay the bonus.

Patriot Employer Tax Credit Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Patriot Employer Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a Patriot employer a business-related tax credit for up to 10% of the first $15,000 of wages paid to any employee in a taxable year. Sets forth criteria for designation as a Patriot employer, including requirements that such employer: (1) maintains its headquarters in the United States and does not expatriate to avoid payment of U.S. income taxes, (2) complies with the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage to its employees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (3) compensates at least 90% of its employees at a level that is 150% of the federal poverty level for a family of three and provides 90% of its employees with a basic level of retirement benefits, (4) provides for differential wage payments to its employees who are members of the Uniformed Services, and (5) increases the number of its employees performing substantially all of their services inside the United States to offset the number of employees who work outside the United States. Sets forth a rule for the deferral of the tax deduction for foreign-related interest expense.

Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out surveillance, education, and testing programs with respect to hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus infections. Requires the Secretary to establish a national system with respect to HBV and HCV to: (1) determine the prevalence of such infections; (2) carry out testing programs to increase the number of individuals who are aware of their infection; (3) disseminate public information and education programs for the detection and control of such infections; (4) improve the training of health professionals in the detection, control, and treatment of such infections; and (5) provide referrals for counseling and medical treatment and ensure the provision of follow-up services. Directs the Secretary to determine the populations that are considered at high risk. Directs the Secretary to establish and support public-private partnerships that facilitate such HBV and HCV surveillance, education, screening, testing, and linkage to care programs. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to convene the Preventive Services Task Force every three years to review its recommendation for HBV and HCV screening.

A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of "Growth Awareness Week".

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Designates the third week of September 2014 as Growth Awareness Week. Expresses support for the goals and ideals of such Week.

IMPACT Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 or the IMPACT Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) require post-acute care (PAC) providers to report standardized patient assessment data, data on quality measures, and data on resource use and other measures; (2) require the data to be interoperable to allow for its exchange among PAC and other providers to give them access to longitudinal information so as to facilitate coordinated care and improve Medicare beneficiary outcomes; and (3) modify PAC assessment instruments applicable to PAC providers for the submission of standardized patient assessment data on such providers and enable assessment data comparison across all such providers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide confidential feedback reports to PAC providers on their performance with respect to required measures; and (2) arrange for public reporting of PAC provider performance on quality, resource use, and other measures. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to: (1) evaluate and recommend to Congress features of PAC payment systems that establish, or a unified PAC payment system that establishes, payment rates according to characteristics of individuals instead of according to the PAC setting where the Medicare beneficiary involved is treated; and (2) recommend to Congress a technical prototype for a PAC prospective payment system. Directs the Secretary to reduce by 2% the update to the market basket percentage for skilled nursing facilities which do not report assessment and quality data. Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the effect of individuals' socioeconomic status on quality, resource use, and other measures for individuals under the Medicare program; and (2) the impact on such measures of specified risk factors.

Restoring Accountability in Veterans Access to Health Care Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Restoring Accountability in Veterans Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to annually determine, and publish in the Federal Register, the five occupations of health care providers for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, based upon such determination, to recruit and appoint highly qualified health care providers to positions in those occupations. Requires the Secretary to submit biennial reports assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility, including: (1) information on wait times and workload levels, (2) a plan to fill staffing shortages, and (3) an analysis of succession planning. Directs the Secretary to implement a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities, including training on how to: (1) manage the schedules of health care providers, (2) optimize the use of technology, (3) use data to meet the demand for health care, (4) use the VA appointment scheduling system, and (5) use physical plant space at VA facilities to ensure efficient flow and privacy for patients and staff.

COVER Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Creating Options for Veterans Expedited Recovery Act or the COVER Act - Establishes the Veterans Expedited Recovery Commission to: examine the efficacy of the evidence-based therapy model used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for treating mental health illnesses of veterans and identify areas to improve wellness-based outcomes; conduct a patient-centered survey within each of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks to examine the experience of veterans with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when seeking medical assistance for mental health issues through the VA health care system, their experience with non-VA facilities and health professionals for such issues, their preferences regarding available treatments for such issues and which methods they believe to be most effective, their experience with complementary alternative treatment therapies, the prevalence of prescribing prescription medication among veterans seeking treatment through the VA health care system to address mental health issues, and the Secretary's outreach efforts regarding the availability of benefits and treatments for such issues; examine available research on complementary alternative treatment therapies for mental health issues (including music, yoga, and meditation therapy) and identify what benefits could be made with the inclusion of such treatments for veterans; and study the potential increase in the approval by the Secretary of claims for compensation relating to mental health issues for veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. Directs the Secretary, upon a report by the Commission, to submit: (1) an action plan for implementing recommendations and a time frame for implementing complementary alternative treatments, or (2) a justification for not doing so and an alternative solution to improve the efficacy of the therapy model.

SMOKE Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Stop Selling and Marketing to Our Kids E-Cigarettes Act or the SMOKE Act - Amends the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define "electronic nicotine delivery system" (e-cigarette) and "e-liquid" (solution used in an e-cigarette). Gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate e-cigarettes and e-liquids as tobacco products. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to include e-cigarettes and e-liquids in the definition of cigarettes, thereby: (1) requiring warning labels to appear on packaging and advertising, and (2) prohibiting advertising in electronic media regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Requires the FDA to study the effects of flavorings added to e-cigarettes and e-liquids, including whether flavorings appeal to children or help adults quit smoking. Requires, upon completion of the study, the FDA to consider restricting the use of flavorings. Directs the FDA to require child-proof packaging for e-cigarettes and e-liquids. Directs the FDA to set nicotine dosage and concentration limits for e-cigarettes and e-liquids, respectively, and allows for exceptions. Prohibits advertisement, promotion, or marketing of e-cigarettes and e-liquids in a manner that increases their use by minors. Sets forth authority for: (1) the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce violations as an unfair or deceptive act or practice, and (2) states to bring civil actions on behalf of residents threatened or adversely affected by such a violation. Allows the FTC to intervene and appeal in state actions.

Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization to remove a service provider or a supplier from a plan network only for cause, subject to completion of a fair notice and appeals process. Lists as cause for removal: (1) medical negligence, (2) violation of any legal or contractual requirement for the provider or supplier acting within the lawful scope of practice, or (3) unfitness to furnish items and services in accordance with Medicare requirements. Requires an MA organization offering an MA plan to include information on the measures used to establish or modify the plan's provider network: (1) in the annual bid information submitted about the MA plan, and (2) on the plan's Internet Web. Subjects to certain sanctions MA organizations with contracts which fail to meet these information requirements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) seek input from patient advocacy groups and others in applying network access adequacy standards, and (2) take necessary measures to ensure that the Medicare Advantage Compare Tool takes into account the preferences and utilization needs of such individuals.

Justina's Law

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Justina's Law - Prohibits the use of federal funds to conduct or support treatment or research involving a ward of the state in which the individual's health is subjected to greater than minimal risk with no or minimal prospect of direct benefit.

Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014

Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize FY2015-FY2016 appropriations for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for grants to domestic treatment centers for the costs of services provided in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs; and (2) the President for grants to foreign treatment centers and programs for activities designed to treat victims for the physical and psychological effects of torture. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress annually regarding: (1) Foreign Service officer training about torture victims, and (2) the percentage and number of torture victims who are approved for refugee entry into the United States. Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide support for indigenous foreign treatment centers and programs for torture victims in order to increase such centers' capacities to train other local health care providers.

Better Options for Kids Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014

Better Options for Kids Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in awarding priority mental health needs grants to programs for youth involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in, the criminal justice system, to give preference to states that: (1) demonstrate greater educational continuity, lower rates of juvenile court involvement, and reduced recidivism through implementation of certain evidence-based policies; (2) demonstrate partnerships through which the state will establish a coordinated process for service delivery and develop the ability to share information and which involve interagency agreements or strategic plans; and (3) have certified a commitment to such partnerships and to the state's responsibility for the desired results. Terminates such grant preference five years after enactment of this Act. Requires a state, to receive such preference, to demonstrate that it has implemented, or will use grant funds to implement, evidence-based policies under which the state: provides or funds training for local educational agencies (LEAs) in the use of discipline and positive school climate strategies that minimize the use of suspensions, expulsions, and other actions that remove students from instruction and that show evidence of effectiveness for improving the learning environment; requires or provides incentives to LEAs to execute with any law enforcement agency that assigns officers to schools a collaborative agreement that prohibits the involvement of such officers in regular student disciplinary matters and describes their roles and responsibilities; prohibits or limits court referrals for juvenile school-based status offenses; has shifted, or has a plan to shift, significant funding formerly dedicated to secure detention of minors into community-based alternatives to incarceration; and has adopted, or will adopt, a reentry policy to ensure that youth in correctional facilities can continue their education immediately and without delay upon release by providing for prompt re-enrollment.

National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014

National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005 to include as a purpose of such Act to foster the establishment of state-administered controlled substance monitoring systems in order to ensure that appropriate law enforcement, regulatory, and state professional licensing authorities have access to prescription history information for the purposes of investigating drug diversion and prescribing and dispensing practices of errant prescribers or pharmacists. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and update the controlled substance monitoring program, including to: allow grants to be used to maintain and operate existing state controlled substance monitoring programs, require submission by a state of a plan to apply the latest advances in health information technology to incorporate prescription drug monitoring program data directly into the workflow of prescribers and dispensers, require timelines and descriptions for implementation of interoperability for purposes of information sharing with a bordering state that already operates a monitoring program, require health information interoperability standards to be consistent with at least one health information technology system, require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to redistribute any funds that are returned among the remaining grantees, require a state to provide the Secretary with aggregate data and other information to enable the Secretary to evaluate the success of the state's program and to submit a progress report to Congress, and expand the program to include any commonwealth or territory of the United States. Authorizes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or a state Medicaid program or health department receiving nonidentifiable information from a controlled substance monitoring database to make such information available to other entities for research purposes. Requires a state receiving a grant to: (1) facilitate prescriber and dispenser use of the state's controlled substance monitoring system, and (2) educate prescribers and dispensers on the benefits of the system both to them and society. Removes the preferences for grants related to drug abuse for states with approved applications to implement controlled substances monitoring programs. Revises requirements for studies on progress to include assessment of the effects upon linkages to substance abuse disorder services and interoperability with health information technology systems.

Community Integration Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014

Community Integration Act of 2014 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to give an individual with disabilities needing the level of care provided in an institutional setting the choice and opportunity to receive such care in a home and community-based setting, including rehabilitative services, assistance and support in accomplishing activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and health-related tasks, and assistance in acquiring, maintaining, or enhancing skills necessary to accomplish such activities, tasks, or services. Prescribes requirements for providing in home and community-based settings those services such an individual would otherwise receive in an institutional setting, such as a nursing facility, intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, institution for mental disease, or other similarly restrictive or institutional setting.

Doctors Helping Heroes Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014

Doctors Helping Heroes Act of 2014 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to make permanent the J-1 visa waiver program (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas). Excludes from numerical immigration limitations alien physicians who have completed national interest waiver requirements by working in a health care shortage area (including alien physicians who completed such service before enactment of this Act and any of their spouses or children). Sets forth specified employment protections and contract requirements for alien physicians working in underserved areas. Increases the number of alien physicians that a state may be allocated from 30 to 35 per fiscal year in specified circumstances. Provides for additional increases or decreases based upon demand. Provides up to three visa waivers per fiscal year per state for physicians in academic medical centers. Permits dual intent for an alien coming to the United States to receive graduate medical education or training, or to take examinations required for graduate medical education or training. Exempts from specified entry limitations H-1B nonimmigrant aliens seeking to enter the United States to pursue graduate medical education or training. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize waiver of the two-year foreign residency requirement for an alien who has received graduate medical eduction or training in the United States and seeks to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent resident status if: the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines that VA facilities are not capable of furnishing covered health services to eligible veterans because they lack the required personnel or cannot provide timely and reasonable access; and the head of the appropriate state agency determines that the alien will practice medicine in a Veterans Health Administration facility, the alien physician's work is in the public interest, and such waiver would not cause the number of waivers allotted for that state for that fiscal year to exceed five.

Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014

Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress on the epidemiology of, impact of, and appropriate funding required to address neglected diseases of poverty, including neglected parasitic diseases such as Chagas disease, cysticercosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, the soil-transmitted helminths, and other related diseases. Requires the report to provide the information necessary to guide future health policy to: (1) accurately evaluate the current state of knowledge concerning such diseases and define gaps in such knowledge, and (2) address the threat of such diseases.

Underserved Veterans Access to Health Care Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014

Underserved Veterans Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish medical residency programs, or ensure a sufficient number of residency positions in medical residency programs, at VA medical facilities that the Secretary determines: (1) are experiencing a shortage of physicians, and (2) are located in communities that are designated as a health professional shortage area. Requires the Secretary to determine the specialty of health care professionals that a location is experiencing a shortage of and allocate residency positions based on such determination. Directs the Secretary, during the five-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act, to establish not fewer than 2,000 graduate medical education residency positions, giving priority to VA medical facilities that: (1) do not have medical residency programs, and (2) are located in communities that have a high concentration of veterans.

ACE Kids Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014

Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2014 or the ACE Kids Act of 2014 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to extend medical assistance to payment for items and services furnished under a Medicaid Children's Care Coordination (MCCC) Program which the state may elect to provide to eligible children with complex medical conditions. Requires an MCCC program, among other things, to coordinate, integrate, and provide for the furnishing of the full range of MCCC program services to enrolled children, as well as designate pediatric care management services and pediatric focused care coordination and health promotion. Requires eligible children to be enrolled prospectively in an MCCC program through initial assignment to a nationally designated children's hospital network.

Expressing the sense of the House with respect to accountability for mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: actions by officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) represent a clear violation of the public's trust in the VA to provide veterans with access to quality health care and warrant criminal investigation, the inability of the Administration to objectively investigate its own wrongdoing warrants the appointment of a Special Counsel to determine whether VA mismanagement and misconduct were criminal, and the appointment of a Special Counsel would be in the public interest.

Expressing support for designation of June 21 as National ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day to promote children's health and gun safety.

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014

Expresses support for the designation of National ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day to encourage parents to begin asking the question, "Is there an unlocked gun in your house?" before their child visits other homes and for the goals and ideals of such day.

Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force. Reauthorizes the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program through FY2019. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on the effectiveness of the program in reducing prescription drug abuse and any corresponding increase or decrease in the use of heroin. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program through FY2019. Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to: revise the 2011 Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan to reassess the approach to addressing prescription drug abuse in light of an increase in heroin use and to outline actions or programs to reduce and prevent such abuse, and ensure that ONDCP takes into account a specified GAO report concerning program coordination and identifies opportunities to enhance interagency coordination as part of the Plan. Requires the Secretary to advance the education and awareness of providers, patients, and stakeholders regarding the risk of abuse of prescription opioid drugs if such products are not taken as prescribed. Directs ONDCP to establish a national drug awareness campaign that: takes into account the association between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use, and emphasizes the similarities between heroin and prescription opioids and the effects of these on the human body.

Hospital Readmissions Program Accuracy and Accountability Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Hospital Readmissions Program Accuracy and Accountability Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in determining a hospital's excess readmission ratio for purposes of making payments for discharges starting in FY2016, to risk adjust readmissions to account for patient socioeconomic status.

Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Improvement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require state licensure and a bid and surety bond of at least $50,000 for each area for bidding entities under the Medicare durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) competitive acquisition program.

Speeding Access to Already Approved Pharmaceuticals Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Speeding Access to Already Approved Pharmaceuticals Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under procedures for expedited approval of products to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs or devices approved for marketing in the European Union.

Helping Veterans Save for Health Care Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Helping Veterans Save for Health Care Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a veteran receiving hospital care or medical services for a service-connected disabililty is not disqualified from participating in or contributing to a tax-preferred health savings account (HSA).

Supporting the goals and ideals of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month.

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month.

Medicare Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Medicare Protection Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the eligibility age under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act should not be increased, and (2) the Medicare program should not be privatized or turned into a voucher system. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, with respect to extraneous matter in reconciliation legislation, to require a provision to be considered extraneous if it eliminates or reduces guaranteed benefits for individuals entitled to, or enrolled for, benefits under Medicare or restricts the eligibility for such program. (Thus subjects such a provision to a point of order and stricken from the bill.)

Charity Care Expansion Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Charity Care Expansion Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a physician a tax deduction equal to the amount such physician would have otherwise charged for charity medical care provided on a volunteer or pro bono basis through a pre-existing agreement between the physician and a health care clinic or other organization providing health care to underserved or low-income individuals. Imposes an overal limitation on such deduction equal to 10% of the physician's gross income derived from physicians' services (as defined by the Social Security Act) or $10,000 for physicians who do not have income derived from physicians' services. Repeals the block grant program for preventive health and health services under the Public Health Service Act.

CRIB Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Coordinated Recovery Initiative for Babies Act of 2014 or the CRIB Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study the treatment and surveillance of, and available information concerning, neonatal abstinence syndrome (a group of problems occurring in a newborn who was exposed to addictive drugs while in the mother's womb). Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory panel to identify and compile best practices and to disseminate the practices, including through the public HHS website. Requires a review of the best practices at least every two years.

Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2014 - Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, such compensation paid to injured or ill veterans. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.

Expanding Care for Veterans Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Expanding Care for Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a plan to expand the scope of the VA's research and education on, and delivery and integration of, complementary and alternative medicine services. Requires the Secretary to carry out, through the VA's Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, a three-year program to: (1) assess the feasibility and advisability of integrating the delivery of complementary and alternative medicine services selected by the Secretary with other VA health care services for veterans, and (2) identify and resolve barriers to providing such services and integrating them with other VA health services. Requires such program to be conducted, at not fewer than 15 VA medical centers, by integrating the provision of complementary and alternative medicine services with other VA health care services provided to veterans who have a mental health condition, experience chronic pain, or have a chronic condition. Requires veterans' participation to be voluntary. Directs the Secretary to contract with a qualified independent entity for comprehensive studies of the barriers encountered by veterans in receiving, and by administrators and clinicians in providing, complementary and alternative medicine services through the VA. Provides for the conduct of such studies through surveys of veterans and VA administrators and clinicians. Requires the Secretary to carry out a three-year program awarding grants to public or private nonprofit entities to assess the feasibility and advisability of using wellness programs to complement the provision of mental health care to veterans and family members who are eligible for readjustment counseling from the VA.

Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit, beginning January 1, 2018, the distribution of a cosmetic that contains synthetic plastic microbeads.

Equalizing Transparency for Veterans Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014

Equalizing Transparency for Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to biennially publish information on the VA's provision of health care on a VA Internet database that is publicly available. Includes among that information for each VA medical facility: quality measures regarding inpatient and outpatient care that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is required to make publicly available under the Medicare program; the average length of stay, opioid prescription rate, and suicide rate for patients discharged from the facility; and the average number of days a patient waited for an appointment or procedure at such facility. Includes in such information for each VA nursing home any quality measures the Secretary of HHS makes publicly available regarding Medicare nursing homes. Directs the Secretary to establish a process to validate the published information. Requires the Secretary to annually submit a plan to Congress to improve each VA medical facility that ranks within the bottom quartile on each quality measure used by the Secretary to rank such facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for individuals to use to notify the Secretary of low-quality care being provided at a VA medical facility.

Research for All Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014

Research for All Act of 2014 - Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review and develop policies to ensure that the design and size of clinical trials for products granted expedited approval to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition are sufficient to determine the safety and effectiveness of the products for men and women using subgroup analysis. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require FDA, at the request of the sponsor of a new drug, to facilitate the development and expedite its review if the drug is: intended to avoid serious adverse events or to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, intended for safer or more effective treatment for either men or women than a currently available product approved to treat the general population or the other sex, and supported by results of clinical trials that include and separately examine outcomes for men and women. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to determine when it is appropriate for projects of basic research involving cells, tissues, or animals to include both male and female cells, tissues, or animals. Requires, in such cases, disaggregation of results according to sex. Provides guidelines for ensuring that sex differences are examined and analyzed. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the continued operation and expansion of Special Centers of Research on Sex Differences. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to provide to Congress updated versions of the reports entitled “Women's Health: NIH Has Increased Its Efforts To Include Women in Research” and “Women's Health: Women Sufficiently Represented in New Drug Testing, But FDA Oversight Needs Improvement,” including in the reports examination of: the inclusion of women, female animals, and female-derived cells and tissues in federally funded research over the past decade; federal reporting and analysis of subgroup information and the translation of differences to the medical community and patients; the effect of inclusion rates in research on the quality of women’s health care; and current efforts within government agencies to encourage the sharing of research data on sex differences and mechanisms to improve such sharing.

THE PRESIDENT'S HEALTH CARE LAW DOES NOT EQUAL HEALTH CARE ACCESS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 12 June 2014

Veterans Emergency Health Care Safety Net Expansion Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Veterans Emergency Health Care Safety Net Expansion Act of 2014 - Eliminates the requirement limiting reimbursement for emergency treatment in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility to veterans who are active participants in the VA's health care system. Requires the veteran to be an enrollee in the VA's patient enrollment system. Treats the VA as a participating provider for purposes of allowing the VA to recover the costs it incurs in providing care to a veteran for a non-service connected disability that is covered under the veteran's health plan contract.

Continuing Care for Veterans Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Continuing Care for Veterans Act of 2014 - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from altering the health care available to a veteran who is enrolled in the VA health care system or the amount of time that veteran has to wait for an appointment for such care based solely on the length of time since he or she last received health care from the VA.

A resolution celebrating the 20th Anniversary of National Men's Health Week.

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Celebrates the 20th anniversary of National Men's Health Week and expresses support for the annual National Men's Health Week.

Our Vets Deserve Better Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Our Vets Deserve Better Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), within 30 days after this Act's enactment, to meet with specified advisory committees to receive administrative and policy recommendations to improve the VA health care system. Lists those advisory committees as: the Advisory Committee on Prosthetics and Special-Disabilities Programs, the Genomic Medicine Program Advisory Committee, the Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee, the Health Services Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, the Special Medical Advisory Group, the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation, and the Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee.

Commission for Our Veterans' Care Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Commission for Our Veterans' Care Act - Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to undertake a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of access to health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Includes among the matters to be evaluated and assessed by the Commission: the appropriateness of the VA's current standards concerning access to health care, the measurement of such standards, the appropriateness of performance standards and incentives in relation to the VA's current standards for access to health care, staffing levels throughout the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and whether they are sufficient to meet current demand. Directs the President to require the VA Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action.

Ensuring Equal Access to Treatments Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Ensuring Equal Access to Treatments Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create certain additional groups of covered OPD services that classify separately, from those that do not utilize such a drug, procedures that utilize a drug (other than contrast agents and diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals) that both has a cost above the drug packaging threshold and functions as a supply when used in a diagnostic test or procedure.

Better Efficiency and Administrative Simplification Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Better Efficiency and Administrative Simplification Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow individuals the option to receive the Medicare Summary Notice (explanation of benefits) electronically. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) apply a similar option to other Medicare statements and notifications, and (2) provide such Medicare Summary Notice and any other such statements and notifications on a more frequent basis than is otherwise required under Medicare. Extends from at least once every 5 years to at least once every 10 years the application of competitive procedures when the contract of a Medicare administrative contractor comes up for renewal.

Family Coverage Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Family Coverage Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury have the administrative authority, within their respective jurisdictions, to apply the affordability provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act so as to expand access to affordable health insurance coverage for working families without further legislation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the affordability requirement for the tax credit for health care premium assistance to provide that an employee is eligible for premium assistance if his or her required contribution to an employer-sponsored health care plan does not exceed 9.5% of family household income.

Safeguarding Classrooms Hurt by ObamaCare's Obligatory Levies

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014

Safeguarding Classrooms Hurt by ObamaCare's Obligatory Levies - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude any elementary or secondary school, state or local educational agency, and institution of higher education from the definition of "applicable large employer" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide health care coverage for employees.

CHIP Extension Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014

CHIP Extension Act of 2014 - Revises and extends through FY2019 at generally increased levels the program under title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA), and adjusts CHIP allotment requirements accordingly, including the rebasing and growth factor update rules for computing state allotments. Sets forth new requirements for the enrollment and retention of children for fiscal years after FY2014. Establishes in the Treasury the CHIP Shortfall Fund, which shall be available without further appropriations for payments to shortfall states whose projected CHIP expenditures for the fiscal year will exceed a specified amount. Gives states the option to increase up to 26 the upper age limit for CHIP-eligible children with special health care needs. Requires a state to establish procedures to eliminate gaps in coverage and to assist a child's and pregnant woman's transition: (1)  from coverage under the state plan under SSA title XIX (Medicaid) or the state CHIP plan to coverage under a qualified health plan offered through an Exchange, and (2) from coverage under a qualified health plan to coverage under a state Medicaid or CHIP plan. Directs the Secretary to develop comparability standards with respect to affordability, benefits, and network adequacy which qualified health plans offered by a state-established Exchange must meet to be certified for such transitions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential coverage for a targeted pregnant low-income woman under CHIP, to exclude from such coverage, at a woman's option, pregnancy-related assistance. Provides automatic enrollment under CHIP for newborns. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to give states the option to extend express lane eligibility to pregnant women. Makes permanent the express lane option and the CHIP outreach and enrollment grant program. Requires a national campaign to increase enrollment in CHIP or Medicaid of children from families that speak a language other than English. Limits to 5% of family income the total annual aggregate amount of any premium, enrollment fee, deduction or other cost sharing imposed under a Medicaid plan with respect to individuals and their families.. Amends SSA title XXI to prohibit cost-sharing for pregnancy-related assistance. Imposes under CHIP a certain limit on cost-sharing for dental-only supplemental coverage. Amends SSA titles XIX and XXI to cover preventive services for children or pregnant women without cost-sharing. Amends SSA title XIX to cover newly approved vaccines within 30 days after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approves them. Treats CHIP-eligible children as federally vaccine-eligible children. Makes permanent the program for the distribution of pediatric vaccines. Amends SSA title XI to extend the pediatric quality measures program. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to continue and enhance pediatric quality measures program centers of excellence. Revises requirements for initial core measures. Directs the Secretary to convene a panel of health experts to establish priorities and goals for child health as recommended in a specified report by the Institute of Medicine. Modifies and extends the Demonstration Projects for Improving the Quality of Children's Health Care and the Use of Health Information Technology. Extends funding for Childhood Obesity Demonstration Projects and maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting programs. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study each state in which individuals eligible for Medicaid or CHIP are provided such assistance through enrollment in a qualified health plan or employer-sponsored insurance.

Native CARE Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014

Native Contract and Rate Expenditure Act of 2014 or the Native CARE Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to remove the restriction to hospitals furnishing inpatient Medicare services and allow all service providers to participate under: (1) the Purchased/Referred Care program (formerly called the contract health services program) funded and operated by the Indian Health Service (IHS), and (2) any program funded by IHS and operated by an urban Indian organization. Prohibits Medicare payment for an item or service furnished by a supplier unless the supplier agrees to participate under both such programs. Prohibits any reduction, offset, or limitation to any appropriations made to IHS under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the Snyder Act, or any other provision of law as a result of this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of IHS, to study the impact of this Act on access to care under the IHS Purchased/Referred Care program.

Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014

Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 - Title I: Improvement of Scheduling System for Health Care Appointments - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract for an independent assessment of: the process at each VA medical facility for scheduling appointments for veterans; the staffing level and productivity of each VA medical facility; the organization, processes, and tools used by the VA to support clinical documentation and the subsequent coding of inpatient services; the VA's purchasing, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and medical devices; and the VA's performance in paying amounts owed to third parties and collecting amounts it is owed. Directs the Secretary: (1) through a technology task force, to review the VA's needs regarding its system and software for scheduling veterans' medical appointments; and (2) to implement task force recommendations the Secretary considers feasible, advisable, and cost-effective. Title II: Training and Hiring of Health Care Staff - Requires the Inspector General of the VA to annually determine the five health care occupations for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary, upon a determination by the Inspector General that there is such a staffing shortage regarding a particular health care occupation, to recruit and directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to serve in that particular occupation for the VA. Directs the Secretary, under the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance program, to give scholarship priority to applicants pursuing education or training towards a career in a health care occupation that represents one of the five largest staffing shortages in the VA. Requires the Secretary to submit a biennial report to Congress, until 2024, assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility. Directs the Secretary to establish a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities. Terminates the program after two years. Requires the Secretary, thereafter, to provide health care management training materials to specified VA employees upon the commencement of their employment. Makes specified appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that remain unobligated at the end of FY2014 and FY2015 available to the Secretary to hire additional health care providers for the VHA, particularly in VA medical facilities and areas experiencing the greatest shortages. Title III: Improvement of Access to Care from Non-Department of Veterans Affairs Providers - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with specified non-VA facilities if the veterans: have been unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within the VHA's wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services and such veterans opt for non-VA care or services; reside more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility; or reside in a state without a VA medical facility that provides hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care and such veterans reside more than 20 miles from such a facility. Provides for such care through contracts with any health care provider participating in the Medicare program, any federally-qualified health center, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Directs the Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services at non-VA facilities: (1) when they enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) when they attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within the VHA's wait time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with non-VA facilities two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Requires the Secretary to transfer the authority to pay for health care through non-VA facilities from the VA's Veterans Integrated Service Networks and medical centers to the VHA's Chief Business Office. Directs the Secretary to conduct outreach to each Indian medical facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization through a contract or compact with the IHS to raise awareness of the ability of such facilities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to enter into agreements with the VA for reimbursement for providing veterans with health care at such facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish performance metrics for assessing the performance of the VA and IHS under a memorandum of understanding to increase access to, and the quality and coordination of, health care services. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the reimbursement of direct care services provided to veterans with Native Hawaiian health care systems that are in receipt of funds from grants awarded, or contracts entered into, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Title IV: Health Care Administrative Matters - Directs the Secretary to improve veterans' access to telemedicine and other health care through the use of VA mobile vet centers by establishing standardized requirements for the operation of such centers. Includes among those requirements: (1) the number of days each center is expected to travel each year, (2) the number of locations each center is expected to visit each year, (3) the number of appointments each center is expected to conduct each year, and (4) the method and timing of notification given by each center to individuals in the area to which such center is traveling. Requires each mobile vet center to have the capability to provide telemedicine services. Establishes an Independent Commission on Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Projects to review the VA's current construction and maintenance projects and medical facility leasing program to identify any problems the VA experienced in carrying out such projects and program. Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to examine veterans' access to VA health care and strategically examine how best to organize the VHA, locate health care resources, and deliver health care to veterans over the next 10 to 20 years. Directs the President to require the Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of the VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdictions. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the performance goals of any VISN or VA medical center employee any goal that might disincentivize the payment of VA amounts to provide health care through a non-VA provider. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, the VA's wait time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through the HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, (2) the VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative, and (3) the VA's verification of the credentials and licenses of health care providers furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans in non-VA facilities. Requires the Secretary to implement a plan to address the Comptroller General's findings and recommendations. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with non-VA facilities; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures to another VA employee. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any appropriate grade for which the individual is qualified. Gives an individual seven days to appeal such a removal or transfer to the Merit Systems Protection Board (Board). Requires the Board to conduct an expedited review process that results in a final decision on such an appeal within 21 days after it was submitted. Title V: Health Care Related to Sexual Trauma - Expands eligibility for counseling and treatment for sexual trauma to veterans who were on inactive duty training when they experienced sexual assault or harassment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such counseling and treatment to active-duty members of the Armed Forces who experienced sexual assault or harassment while serving on active duty or active or inactive duty training. (Under current law, such services are provided only to veterans.) Prohibits such a member from being required to obtain a referral before receiving such services. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the treatment and services available from the VA for male veterans who experience military sexual trauma compared to such treatment and services available to female veterans who experience such trauma. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to submit reports to Congress on the transition of military sexual abuse treatment from the DOD to the VA. Title VI: Major Medical Facility Leases - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain major medical facility leases at specified locations for up to specified amounts. Directs the Secretary, in exercising the authority to enter into such leases, to record as the full cost of the contractual obligation at the time a contract is executed either: (1) the amount of total payments under the full lease term, or (2) the first-year payments plus the specified cancellation costs if the lease is terminated before its full term. Requires the funding prospectus of a proposed lease to include a detailed analysis of how the lease is expected to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 and the Anti-Deficiency Act, including an analysis of: (1) the classification of the lease as a lease-purchase, capital lease, or operating lease; (2) the obligation of budgetary resources associated with the lease; and (3) the methodology used in determining the asset cost, fair market value, and cancellation costs of the lease. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before entering into a lease, to submit to Congress: (1) notice of the intention to enter into, and a detailed summary of, such lease; (2) a description and analysis of any differences between the lease prospectus submitted and the proposed lease; and (3) a scoring analysis demonstrating that the proposed lease fully complies with OMB Circular A-11. Requires the Secretary, no more than 30 days after entering into a lease, to report any material differences between the proposed lease and the lease entered. Title VII: Veterans Benefits Matters - Expands the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include surviving spouses (currently, children) of service members who die in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires a surviving spouse entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage. Directs the Secretary to disapprove, for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs, courses of education provided by a public educational institution of higher education (IHE) that charges veterans living in the state higher tuition and fees than it charges in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence. Makes this provision applicable to: (1) veterans who were discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service less than three years before their date of enrollment in the applicable course, (2) family members eligible for such assistance due to their relationship to such veterans, and (3) courses that commence on or after July 1, 2015. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a public IHE's course on the grounds that the IHE conditions a veteran's receipt of in-state tuition rates on such veteran: (1) demonstrating an intent, by means other than physical presence, to establish residency in the state; or (2) satisfying other requirements not related to the establishment of residency. Title VIII: Appropriation and Emergency Designations - Authorizes and appropriates such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for FY2014-FY2016. Treats such funding as emergency funding that is not subject to pay-as-you-go spending constraints.