H.R. 7747

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7747 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7747

To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to streamline 
the certification process for State Veterans Homes by allowing certain 
facilities certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be deemed 
in compliance with specified Medicare and Medicaid requirements, and 
for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 2, 2026

Mr. Bergman (for himself, Mr. Suozzi, and Mr. Owens) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Veterans' 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to streamline 
the certification process for State Veterans Homes by allowing certain 
facilities certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be deemed 
in compliance with specified Medicare and Medicaid requirements, 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 ``State Veterans Homes Inspection 
Simplification Act''.

SEC. 2. DEEMING OF STATE VETERANS HOMES CERTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 
VETERANS AFFAIRS AS MEETING MEDICARE CONDITIONS OF 
PARTICIPATION.

(a) Medicare Deeming Authority.--Section 1819 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
``(l) Special Rule for State Veterans Homes.--
``(1) Deemed compliance.--
``(A) In general.--A State home (as defined in 
section 101 of title 38, United States Code) that is 
inspected and certified by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs (in this subsection referred to as the `VA') in 
accordance with standards approved by the Secretary 
shall be deemed to meet the requirements of subsections 
(b) through (i) of this section if the Secretary 
determines that the following requirements are met:
``(i) The VA provides the Secretary with 
documentation of inspection and certification, 
which must include survey findings, statements 
of deficiencies, and related corrective 
actions.
``(ii) Not less than once every 2 years, 
the VA submits its State home survey standards 
and inspection procedures for joint review with 
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to 
confirm continued alignment with Medicare 
Conditions of Participation, including 
oversight methodologies.
``(B) Requirements for approval of standards.--In 
approving standards under subparagraph (A), the 
Secretary shall--
``(i) consult with the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs; and
``(ii) ensure that the inspection and 
certification process used by the VA, including 
both standards and enforcement practices--
``(I) includes, as a minimum, the 
survey protocols and enforcement 
expectations of the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services; and
``(II) upholds, at a minimum, the 
same standards of resident care, 
safety, transparency, and 
accountability required under this 
section.
``(2) Oversight and enforcement.--Nothing in paragraph (1) 
shall preclude the Secretary from doing any of the following:
``(A) Conducting complaint investigations or 
targeted surveys of any State home.
``(B) Imposing remedies under subsection (h), 
including civil monetary penalties or termination of 
participation under this title.
``(C) Revoking deemed status under paragraph (1) if 
the VA certification process is found to be 
inconsistent with Federal standards of transparency, 
data quality, or enforcement.
``(3) Public reporting.--Survey and certification data from 
VA inspections deemed valid under this subsection shall be 
reported publicly through the Nursing Home Care Compare website 
under subsection (i) or another publicly accessible platform in 
a format determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
``(4) Congressional notice.--Not later than 15 days after--
``(A) approving standards under paragraph (1);
``(B) revoking or suspending deemed status under 
paragraph (2); or
``(C) identifying material non-alignment between VA 
inspection practices and Medicare Conditions of 
Participation;
the Secretary shall submit written notice to the Committees on 
Veterans' Affairs and Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and 
Finance of the Senate.''.
(b) Medicaid Conforming Amendment.--Section 1919 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
``(l) Special Rule for State Veterans Homes.--The provisions of 
section 1819(l) shall apply with respect to a nursing facility that is 
a State home (as defined in section 101 of title 38, United States 
Code) and that is inspected and certified by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions 
apply under title XVIII.''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act.
(d) Definition of Enforcement Expectations.--The term ``Enforcement 
expectations'' means deficiency citations, corrective action plans, and 
remedies in response to individual deficiencies or repeat-deficiency 
rates that are as effective as or more effective than, and in lieu of, 
those resulting from surveys conducted directly by the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services.

SEC. 3. ALIGNMENT OF DATA FOR PUBLIC REPORTING.

(a) VA Survey Data on Nursing Home Care Compare.--The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall coordinate with the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to ensure that inspection findings, deficiency 
statements, and quality metrics from Department of Veterans Affairs-
certified State homes (as defined in section 101 of title 38, United 
States Code) are incorporated into the Nursing Home Care Compare 
website (or a successor website), to the extent feasible and consistent 
with section 1819(g)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-
3(g)(5)), and in a manner consistent with the risk-adjustment and case-
mix methodologies otherwise used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services for public reporting of nursing facility quality measures.
(b) Harmonization of Survey Processes.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, shall issue guidance to align certification and data reporting 
processes to ensure consistency and transparency in the public 
reporting of quality and compliance information for State homes (as so 
defined).

SEC. 4. GAO REVIEW OF DEEMING AUTHORITY.

Not later than 3 years after the effective date of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a report to the 
Congress evaluating--
(1) the impact of deeming authority on survey efficiency 
and costs;
(2) comparative enforcement outcomes between VA-conducted 
and CMS-conducted surveys;
(3) quality of care and safety outcomes for residents of 
State Veterans Homes; and
(4) any recommendations for legislative or administrative 
action.
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