Timely Agreements Act

This Act may be cited as the “Timely Agreements Act”.

(a) Timely decisions on certain proposals.—

(1) In general.— Chapter 81 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 8153 the following new section:

“8153a. Sharing of health-care resources with State homes; timely decisions on certain proposals.—

(a) In a case in which a State home submits to the Secretary a proposal for an agreement under section 8153 involving the purchase by the State home of pharmaceuticals or durable medical equipment, or both, the Secretary shall either approve or reject the proposal by the date (in this section referred to as the “decision date”) that is 60 calendar days after the date on which the proposal was received.

(b) If such a proposal is not approved or rejected by the decision date, the proposal shall be deemed approved and given effect.

(c) The rejection of such a proposal shall not preclude the State home from submitting, or the Secretary from negotiating or approving, subsequent proposals.

(d) The Secretary shall enable State homes to submit such proposals by hand delivery, mail, facsimile, electronic mail, and any other mechanism the Secretary considers appropriate.

(e) The Secretary shall establish and make available a standard template for such proposals.”.

(2) Clerical amendment.— The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 8153 the following new item:

(3) Implementation date.— The standard template required by section 8153a of title 38, United States Code, as added by this section, shall be established and made available not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(b) Provision of care without an agreement not a deficiency.— Section 162 of the Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2022 (division U of Public Law 117–328; 136 Stat. 5430; 38 U.S.C. 1741 note) is amended—

(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and

(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new subsection:

“(d) Provision of care without an agreement not a deficiency.— Notwithstanding section 1742 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary shall ensure that, if a State home provides care to an eligible veteran when there is no applicable agreement in place with the Department under section 8153 of such title, the fact that no applicable agreement is in place shall not, in and of itself, be treated as an inspection violation or deficiency.”.