Veterans Administration and Department of Defense Health Resources Sharing and Emergency Operations Act
Public Law 97-174 · S. 266 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on May 4, 1982 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Charles Percy (R-IL)
Cosponsors (5): Sen. William Cohen, Sen. David Durenberger,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(Senate agreed to House amendments with an amendment)
Veterans' Administration and Department of Defense Health Resources Sharing and Emergency Operations Act - Requires the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to direct the Chief Medical Director of the Veterans Administration and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to form an interagency committee to oversee opportunities for sharing the medical resources of the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense. Directs the Administrator and the Secretary to jointly establish guidelines for the sharing of medical resources by health care facilities of the Administration and the Department. Requires such guidelines to include provisions for cooperative sharing agreements with such health care facilities explicitly defining the care to be provided on a reimbursable basis.
Directs the Administration and the Secretary to submit an annual joint report to Congress setting forth the guidelines prescribed, the opportunities for interagency sharing agreements, and the progress of interagency activities to share medical resources.
Permits the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to give a higher priority to the furnishing of medical care and services to members of the armed forces on active duty during a period of war or national emergency than to all veterans but those with service-connected disabilities. Permits the Administrator, upon presidential authorization, to contract with private facilities for the provision of priority care. Requires the Department of Defense to reimburse the Veterans Administration for the provision of such care.
Directs the Administrator to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Defense to pursue planning activities and establish procedures and guidelines for the sharing of Veterans Administration and armed forces facilities. Requires the completion of such plans and their submission to the appropriate committees of Congress within a year. Requires the Secretary and Administrator to review such plans at least annually and to report to the appropriate congressional committees within 30 days of any modifications.
Directs the Administrator to submit to the appropriate congressional committees within 30 days of a declaration of war or national emergency a report on the allocation of facilities to provide priority care and medical services. Requires reports any year the authority to contract with private facilities is used.
Continues an eligible veterans' entitlement to correspondence training at the established level unless such benefit is expressly limited.
Designates the Veterans Administration medical center in Indianapolis, Indiana, as the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans' Medical Center.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Veterans' Affairs Committee · Senate · hearings by (full committee), markup by, referred to, reported by
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- May 4, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-174.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Apr 22, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Apr 20, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 1, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate concurred in House amendments with amendments. By Voice Vote.
- Nov 4, 1981FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 27, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Sep 29, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Sep 21, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Jul 30, 1981FloorFloor · Senate agreed by unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans have until Sep 23, 81 to file report.
- Jun 17, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Jun 15, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
- May 21, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Jan 27, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.