H.R. 961 — Veterans Access to Direct Primary Care Act

This section establishes a five-year pilot program under the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment (i.e., tests innovative VA payment and service delivery models to reduce expenditures while preserving or enhancing care quality), to begin one year after enactment, under which enrolled veterans may elect to receive primary care from non-VA providers via direct primary care service arrangements (i.e., fixed periodic fees for a defined set of services) funded by annual deposits into veteran health savings accounts. The accounts cover primary care services and associated costs (e.g., fees, screening/diagnostic/treatment services, prescription/non-prescription drugs); participating veterans are ineligible for such primary care from VA providers during the pilot; the Secretary must prevent fraud and determine deposit amounts actuarially; and funding derives from existing Veterans Health Administration appropriations. The section further requires quarterly implementation reports to the congressional Veterans' Affairs Committees for two years (including one on final program design), annual results reports thereafter, and termination of deposit authority five years after enactment.