(a)(1) During and immediately following a period of war, or a period of national emergency declared by the President or the Congress that involves the use of the Armed Forces in armed conflict, the Secretary may furnish hospital care, nursing home care, and medical services to members of the Armed Forces on active duty.

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(2)(A) During and immediately following a disaster or emergency referred to in subparagraph (B), the Secretary may furnish hospital care and medical services to members of the Armed Forces on active duty responding to or involved in that disaster or emergency.

(B) A disaster or emergency referred to in this subparagraph is any disaster or emergency as follows:

(i) A major disaster or emergency declared by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).

(ii) A disaster or emergency in which the National Disaster Medical System established pursuant to section 2812 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh) ¹ is activated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under that section or as otherwise authorized by law.

(3) The Secretary may give a higher priority to the furnishing of care and services under this section than to the furnishing of care and services to any other group of persons eligible for care and services in medical facilities of the Department with the exception of veterans with service-connected disabilities.

(4) For the purposes of this section, the terms “hospital care”, “nursing home care”, and “medical services” have the meanings given such terms by sections 1701(5), 101(28), and 1701(6) of this title, respectively, and the term “medical services” includes services under sections 1782 and 1783 of this title.

(b)(1) During a period in which the Secretary is authorized to furnish care and services to members of the Armed Forces under subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary, to the extent authorized by the President and subject to the availability of appropriations or reimbursements under subsection (c) of this section, may enter into contracts with private facilities for the provision during such period by such facilities of hospital care and medical services described in paragraph (2) of this subsection.

(2) Hospital care and medical services referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection are—

(A) hospital care and medical services authorized under this title for a veteran and necessary for the care or treatment of a condition for which the veteran is receiving medical services at a Department facility under subsection (a) of section 1710 of this title, in a case in which the delay involved in furnishing such care or services at such Department facility or at any other Department facility reasonably accessible to the veteran would, in the judgment of the Under Secretary for Health, be likely to result in a deterioration of such condition; and

(B) hospital care for a veteran who—

(i) is receiving hospital care under section 1710 of this title; or

(ii) is eligible for hospital care under such section and requires such care in a medical emergency that poses a serious threat to the life or health of the veteran;

if Department facilities are not capable of furnishing or continuing to furnish the care required because of the furnishing of care and services to members of the Armed Forces under subsection (a) of this section.

(c)(1) The cost of any care or services provided by the Department under subsection (a) of this section shall be reimbursed to the Department by the Department of Defense at such rates as may be agreed upon by the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense based on the cost of the care or services provided.

(2) Amounts received under this subsection shall be credited to funds allotted to the Department facility that provided the care or services.

(d)(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly review plans for the implementation of this section not less often than annually.

(2) Whenever a modification to such plans is agreed to, the Secretaries shall jointly submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on such modification. Any such report shall be submitted within 30 days after the modification is agreed to.

(e) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to govern any exercise of the authority of the Secretary under subsections (a) and (b) of this section and of the Under Secretary for Health under subsection (b)(2)(A) of this section.