# 119-hr-3863: VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act

119-hr-3863, VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3863
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3863
- Congress: 119
- Title: VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-06-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Annual mental health consultations and outreach for veterans with service‑connected mental health diagnoses.** The bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer yearly mental health consultations, set specific contact methods and fallbacks, require congressional reports and a Government Accountability Office review, and move a VA housing loan‑fee expiration date. - Veterans: Veterans receiving compensation for a service‑connected mental health diagnosis would be offered an initial and at least annual mental health consultation and outreach about VA mental health services. The bill would also shift a VA housing loan‑fee expiration to May 12, 2035. - Outreach and clinical process: Outreach must begin with a successful telephone call or text, include at least two additional phone/text attempts if needed, and fall back to email or traditional mail when phone or email are unavailable. The consultation and outreach pathway could include reevaluating entitlement to compensation as part of the process. - Oversight and review: The Secretary would report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees annually for four years with metrics on contact success, unsuccessful attempts, alternative methods used, engagement outcomes, and opt‑outs. The Government Accountability Office would review program reach and barriers within two years.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] (R-NC), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-06-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2026-04-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Annual VA mental health outreach: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would require the VA to offer a mental health consultation at least once each year to veterans receiving compensation for a service-connected mental health disability. The VA would have to conduct outreach each year unless a veteran elects not to receive outreach. Outreach must…
- VA home loan fee date: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would change the date entries in the VA loan fee table by replacing each instance of "June 9, 2034" with "May 12, 2035". The text would move the statutory date from June 9, 2034 to May 12, 2035. The bill does not specify new fee amounts or how fees would change. The change woul…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-3863 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3863)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3863 (as of 2026-09-21).