Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Programs Enhancement Act of 2001

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 - Title I: Enhancement of Nurse Recruitment and Retention Authorities - Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2001 - Subtitle A: Recruitment Authorities - Revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) employee incentive scholarship program to: (1) repeal a provision requiring commencement of program participation prior to December 31, 2001; (2) reduce from two years to one the required period of continuous Department employment for program participation; (3) revise scholarship amounts; and (4) increase from three to six years the number of school years for which a scholarship may be paid while limiting the total payment to the cost of three years of full-time coursework.

(Sec. 112) Repeals a provision terminating on December 31, 2001, the education debt reduction program. Increases the maximum debt reduction amount under such program and allows the annual adjustment of such amount. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, until December 31, 2001, to expand the number of individuals eligible under such program.

(Sec. 113) Requires the Secretary to report to the congressional veterans' committees on the use of the authority to request waivers of pay reduction for reemployed annuitants in order to meet requirements for appointments to nurse positions.

Subtitle B: Retention Authorities - Authorizes additional pay for Saturday duty for health care professionals in the Department's Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

(Sec. 122) Allows unused sick leave to be included in the annuity computation for VHA registered nurses.

(Sec. 123) Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the efficacy of the Department's nurse managed health care clinics; (2) establish a nationwide policy on the staffing of Department medical facilities; (3) report on the use of authorities for retaining experienced nurses; and (4) report on mandatory overtime required of licensed nurses and nurse assistants providing direct patient care.

Subtitle C: Other Authorities - Requires the Department's Director of Nursing Service to report directly to the Under Secretary for Health.

(Sec. 132) Makes Federal annuity computation provisions inapplicable to the part-time service before April 7, 1986, of a Department registered nurse, physician assistant, or expanded-function dental auxiliary, instead requiring such service to be credited as full-time service.

Title II: Other Matters - Authorizes the Secretary to provide a service dog to any veteran who is entitled to disability compensation and: (1) hearing-impaired; (2) suffering from a spinal cord injury or dysfunction; or (3) experiencing any other chronic physical or mental impairment that substantially limits mobility, hearing, or activities of daily living.

(Sec. 202) Adds as an additional basis for determining a veteran's inability to defray expenses of necessary medical care whether the veteran is eligible for treatment as a low-income family under the United States Housing Act.

(Sec. 203) Requires amounts for activities of the field offices of the Department's Office of Research Compliance and Assurance to be derived from amounts appropriated for the VHA for Medical Care, rather than from amounts appropriated for the VHA for Medical and Prosthetic Research.

Summary by Congressional Research Service.