# 119-hr-4077: GUARD Veterans’ Health Care Act

119-hr-4077, GUARD Veterans’ Health Care Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] (D-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4077
- 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-4077
- Congress: 119
- Title: GUARD Veterans’ Health Care Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-06-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] (D-TX)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Gives the Department of Veterans Affairs new power to recover payments from Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans for care the VA provides.** It would also strengthen VA’s ability to bill third-party insurers and tortfeasors and set firm timelines, interest, and penalties to enforce collections. - Veterans and families: VA-provided care that falls under an enrollee’s MA or Part D coverage would trigger reimbursement to the VA. This change would apply to plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026. - Medicare Advantage and Part D plans: MA organizations and Part D sponsors would have to reimburse the VA for covered items and drugs even if the plan normally requires extra documentation or utilization management. - Third-party insurers and tortfeasors: Third parties must pay a clean VA claim within 45 days or face Treasury-rate interest and a 45-day cure period. Civil penalties for willful nonpayment can reach $50,000 per claim, adjustable for inflation, and third parties must promptly share beneficiary information with the VA.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3] (R-NC), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1] (R-AZ), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Joyce, John [R-PA-13] (R-PA), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Downing, Troy [R-MT-2] (R-MT), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster VA reimbursements and fines for late payers: benefit, medium. The bill would set firm timelines for insurers and other payers to answer VA claims. They would have 45 days to pay a clean claim or give a written refusal; if VA sends more info within 45 days, the payer would have 15 more days to pay. Interest would apply to late amounts at the Treasury rate, and…
- Broader VA recovery from insurers and torts: mixed, medium. The bill would let VA recover costs from more sources when it treats a non‑service‑connected condition. VA could seek payment from people who caused the injury and from insurance that pays medical bills outside a health plan, like medical payments or underinsured motorist coverage. A clean claim wo…
- Medicare plans would repay VA for your care: mixed, low. If enacted, when VA gives a Medicare‑covered item or service to someone in Medicare Advantage or a Medicare drug plan, the plan would have to reimburse VA for the covered part, regardless of extra plan paperwork or approvals. This would cover hospital and clinic care, prescriptions, devices, lab te…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1329: Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-4077 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4077)

## Related
- [119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1502)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1329: Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1329)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4077 (as of 2026-09-21).