HR-7091 : Still Just a Bill

The Counting Veterans' Cancer Act of 2024 (H.R. 7091) aims to improve cancer care for veterans by ensuring comprehensive data collection on cancer diagnoses. Here's a summary of the bill's key provisions:

• Data Sharing Mandate: Requires Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities to share cancer data with State cancer registries.
• Compliance with Standards: Mandates that the VA comply with existing standards for non-VA facilities when reporting data to State registries.
• No Data Use Agreements Needed: Prevents the need for data use agreements between the Department and each State cancer registry.
• Data Sharing Assistance: Directs the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assist state registries in data sharing with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the extent allowed by State laws.
• Qualifying Data: Defines "qualifying data" as all data required by State cancer registries according to their established authorities.
• Purpose: The main goals are to improve the ability to identify cancer-related disparities in the veteran community, improve understanding of the cancer-related needs of veterans, and increase opportunities for veterans with cancer to be included in more clinical trials and cancer-related research and analysis.

In short, this bill mandates better data sharing between the VA and State cancer registries to improve cancer tracking, research, and ultimately, healthcare outcomes for veterans.