# 119-hr-1970: Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act

119-hr-1970, Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1] (R-IA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-07).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1970
- As of: 2026-10-07
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1970
- Congress: 119
- Title: Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-03-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1] (R-IA)
- Cosponsors: 53
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-07

## Summary

**Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reimburse or directly supply high-cost medications to State veterans' nursing homes.** This bill would give eligible State homes a choice: accept reimbursement for an expensive drug or have the Department furnish the drug when the home provides it to a veteran during nursing home care. - State homes would gain an optional payment path. At their election the Secretary would either reimburse the home for a costly medication or furnish that medication to the home. - Veterans receiving nursing home care in covered State homes would see the cost or supply of very expensive drugs handled through VA reimbursement or direct furnishing. - The bill defines a “costly medication” as a drug whose average wholesale price for a one-month supply plus a 3% transaction fee exceeds 8.5% of the monthly payment the Secretary makes to the State home.

## Cosponsors (53)

- Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2] (R-NY), 2025-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2025-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] (D-MI), 2025-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rogers, Mike D. [R-AL-3] (R-AL), 2025-05-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2025-05-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5] (D-NY), 2025-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5] (D-OR), 2025-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2025-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3] (R-IA), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] (D-CO), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2] (D-ME), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4] (R-IA), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (D-OH), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (D-NY), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large] (D-PR), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11] (R-NY), 2025-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (R-MN), 2025-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Conaway, Herbert C. [D-NJ-3] (D-NJ), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. De La Cruz, Monica [R-TX-15] (R-TX), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hinson, Ashley [R-IA-2] (R-IA), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA), 2025-09-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (D-NV), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] (D-MD), 2025-11-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Mike [R-UT-3] (R-UT), 2025-12-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2025-12-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2025-12-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClain, Lisa C. [R-MI-9] (R-MI), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5] (R-LA), 2026-01-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] (R-MP), 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8] (R-PA), 2026-03-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Joyce, John [R-PA-13] (R-PA), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16] (R-PA), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McDowell, Addison P. [R-NC-6] (R-NC), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hoyer, Steny H. [D-MD-5] (D-MD), 2026-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Strong, Dale W. [R-AL-5] (R-AL), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- VA help for expensive drugs in state homes: benefit, medium. If enacted, state veterans homes could choose new VA help for very expensive medicines. The VA would either reimburse the home for the drug or furnish it directly. A drug would count as costly if one month’s average wholesale price plus a 3% fee is over 8.5% of the VA’s monthly payment for that vet…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-1970 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1970)

## Related
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2048)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1970 (as of 2026-10-07).