Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Clarity on Care Options Act.
(a) Annual query
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require each entity that administers a network of health care providers under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, to, on an annual basis—
(1) query each provider in such network to determine whether the provider accepts assignments under the CHAMPVA program; and
(2) submit the results of such queries to the Secretary.
(b) Directory
Utilizing the information submitted under subsection (a) and any other information available to the Secretary, the Secretary shall establish and maintain a publicly available directory of providers in such networks that accept assignments under the CHAMPVA program.
(1) Annual queries
The first queries required by subsection (a) shall be completed, and the results submitted to the Secretary, not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) List of providers
The first directory of providers required by subsection (b) shall be made publicly available not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Annual report
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for four additional years, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the extent to which the providers in such networks accept assignments under the CHAMPVA program. The report shall include the following information, broken down by State (as defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code) and by Veterans Integrated Service Network:
(1) The number of providers in such networks that accept assignments under the CHAMPVA program.
(2) The percentage of providers in such networks that accept assignments under the CHAMPVA program and the percentage of providers in such networks that do not accept such assignments.
(3) The specific geographical areas that contain CHAMPVA program beneficiaries but do not contain providers that accept assignments under the CHAMPVA program.
(e) Definitions
In this section:
(1) The term accept assignment, with respect to the CHAMPVA program, means to accept responsibility for the care of a CHAMPVA program beneficiary and thereby agree to accept the amount determined allowable under the CHAMPVA program as full payment for services and supplies rendered to the beneficiary.
(2) The term CHAMPVA program means the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs under section 1781 of title 38, United States Code, and Part 17 of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations.