Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 87.djvu/215

 87 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 93-82-AUG. 2, 1973

183

of the United States to any public or private institution not under the jurisdiction of the Administrator which furnishes nursing home care. Such admission may be authorized upon determination of need therefor by a physician employed by the Veterans' Administration or, in areas where no such physician is available, carrying out such function under contract or fee arrangement based on an examination by such physician. The amount which may be paid for such care and the length of care available under this subsection shall be the same as authorized under subsection (a) of this section.". SEC. 105. (a) Section 626 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking out "fire" and inserting in lieu thereof "fire, earthquake, or other natural disaster". (b) The catchline at the beginning of section 626 of such title is amended to read as follows: "§626. Reimbursement for loss of personal effects by natural disaster". SEC. 106. (a) Subchapter III of chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new .•

'2 Stat. 114 4.

72 Stat. 1143. 38lJSC621..

section: "§ 628. Reimbursement of certain medical expenses " (a) The Administrator may, under such regulations as he shall prescribe, reimburse veterans entitled to hospital care or medical services under this chapter for the reasonable value of such care or services (including necessary travel), for which such veterans have made payment, from sources other than the Veterans' Administration, where— " (1) such care or services were rendered in a medical emergency of such nature that they would have been hazardous to life or health; "(2) such care or services were rendered to a veteran in need thereof (A) for an adjudicated service-connected disability, (B) for a non-service-connected disability associated with and held to be aggravating a service-connected disability, (C) for any disability of a veteran who has a total disability permanent in nature from a service-connected disability, or (D) for any illness, "' " « ' injury, or dental condition in the case of a veteran who is found to be (i) in need of vocational rehabilitation under chapter 31 of this title and for whom an objective had been selected or (ii) „P ^'^*- ^^^'^ •

a

'

...

•.

^,'

pursuing a course of vocational rehabilitation training and is medically determined to have been in need of care or treatment to make possible his entrance into a course of training, or prevent interruption of a course of training, or hasten the return to a course of training which was interrupted because of such illness, injury, or dental condition; and "(3) Veterans'Administration or other Federal facilities were not feasibly available, and an attempt to use them beforehand would not have been reasonable, sound, wise, or practical. "(b) In any case where reimbursement would be in order under subsection (a) of this section, the Administrator may, in lieu of reimbursing such veteran, make payment of the reasonable value of care or services directly— " (1) to the hospital or other health facility furnishing the care or services; or

79 Stat

577

33 USC is'oi.

• '•"^^

�