113 STAT. 1550 PUBLIC LAW 106-117—NOV. 30, 1999 38 USC 1710B note. Federal Register, publication. Deadline. 38 USC 1710A note. (2) in subsection (b)— (A) by striking "the term 'respite care' means hospital or nursing home care" and inserting "the term 'respite care services' means care and services"; (B) by striking "is" at the beginning of each of paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) and inserting "are"; and (C) by striking "in a Department facihty" in paragraph (2); and (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(c) In furnishing respite care services, the Secretary may enter into contract arrangements.". (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. —Section 1710(a) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ", and may furnish nursing home care,"; (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting "or, with respect to nursing home care during any period during which the provisions of section 1710A(a) of this title are in effect, a compensable service-connected disability rated less than 70 percent" after "50 percent"; (3) in paragraph (4), by inserting ", and the requirement in section 1710B of this title that the Secretary provide a program of extended care services," after "medical services"; and (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: "(5) During any period during which the provisions of section 1710A(a) of this title are not in effect, the Secretary may fiimish nursing home care which the Secretary determines is needed to any veteran described in paragraph (1), with the priority for such care on the same basis as if provided under that paragraph.". (g) STATE HOMES.— Section 1741(a)(2) is amended by striking "adult day health care in a State home" and inserting "extended care services described in any of paragraphs (4) through (6) of section 1710B(a) of this title under a program administered by a State home". (h) EFFECTIVE DATE.— (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. (2) Subsection (c) of section 1710B of title 38, United States Code (as added by subsection (b)), shall take effect on the effective date of regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subsections (c) and (d) of such section. The Secretary shall publish the effective date of such regulations in the Federal Register. (3) The provisions of section 1710(f) of title 38, United States Code, shall not apply to any day of nursing home care on or after the effective date of regulations under paragraph (2). (i) REPORT.— Not later than January 1, 2003, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the operation of this section (including the amendments made by this section). The Secretary shall include in the report— (1) the Secretary's assessment of the experience of the Department under the provisions of this section; (2) the costs incurred by the Department under the provisions of this section and a comparison of those costs with the Secretary's estimate of the costs that would have been
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