Veterans Full-Service Care and Access Act of 2025
The Veterans Full-Service Care and Access Act of 2025 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that veterans in each of the 48 contiguous states may receive hospital care and medical services from at least one full-service Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospital located within that state. If a VA hospital within the state is not available, comparable services must be provided through contracts with other health care providers within the state. The bill creates a new section, 38 U.S.C. 1716A, to codify this requirement, allows for enhanced cross-state care if beneficial, makes related conforming amendments to the VA Community Care Program, and requires a report to Congress within one year detailing implementation and its impact on care quality. Alaska and Hawaii are not covered by the state-by-state requirement, though cross-state or contracted arrangements may still occur where appropriate.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a new 38 U.S.C. 1716A requiring that for each of the 48 contiguous states, eligible veterans can receive hospital care and medical services at at least one full-service VA hospital within that state, or via comparable contracted services in-state.
- 2Includes a rule of construction allowing VA to provide enhanced care to veterans in another state if it is beneficial, but does not limit the requirement to in-state VA hospital access.
- 3Makes a conforming amendment to the Veterans Community Care Program statute (38 U.S.C. 1703(d)(1)(B)) to reflect the act’s enactment date.
- 4Adds a clerical change to the Table of Sections to insert the new 1716A provision.
- 5Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress within one year a report on implementation, including how the requirement affects the quality and standards of care for veterans.