Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
Sponsored By: Senator Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
In Committee
Summary
This bill would reshape VA law to expand veterans' benefits and modernize VA health care and operations. It bundles pay and benefits changes with big health, access, education, and acquisition reforms.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
42 provisions identified: 36 benefits, 1 costs, 5 mixed.
More pay for some retirees
If enacted, members retired under chapter 61 who have combat-related disabilities could receive both their chapter 61 retired pay and VA disability compensation without the usual statutory offsets. Career retirees with 20 or more years would get the higher retired pay plus disability. This would start on January 1, 2027.
VA-paid vehicle adaptations
If enacted, VA would treat medically necessary automobile adaptations as medical services and could provide items like ramps, lifts, raised roofs, and adapted seating when the VA says they are needed. The bill would also centralize and speed payment processing to sellers of adapted vehicles, publish processing times, and require GAO review of the centralization.
More VA construction and project rules
If enacted, VA would make permanent the authority to accept donated buildings and would allow donations to pay for minor construction and maintenance if the work matches VA capital plans and comes with required agreements and protections. VA would run pilots using commercial building codes in at least three projects each year in fiscal years 2027–2031 and report on them. VA must send more frequent capital asset reports, including cost overruns over 10% and delays over 180 days. The bill also authorizes $1.18 billion for a major Manchester, NH medical facility project, available until spent.
Changes to disability claims and ratings
If enacted, several changes would affect VA disability claims. The VA would set new sleep apnea ratings (0%, 10%, 50%, 100%) for claims filed after enactment and generally bar a separate compensable tinnitus rating except in narrow cases. VA could not deny a claim solely because a veteran missed a Secretary-provided medical exam. The VA could also expand temporary contract clinicians to conduct disability exams and allow them to add applicant evidence to a claims file.
Changes to VA home loan rules
If enacted, certain Reserve and National Guard members who completed at least 14 days of specified active duty and then finished entry level and skill training would become eligible for VA home loan benefits for service on or after September 11, 2001. Borrowers who get eligibility solely because of this rule would pay an extra loan fee equal to 1.00 percentage point added to the loan‑fee table. The bill would also raise some existing upfront VA loan fees in the fee table (for example one entry from 0.50% to 1.42% and another from 0.50% to 1.00%), increasing one‑time fees owed on VA‑guaranteed loans.
DIC rises with Social Security
If enacted, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) amounts would increase whenever Social Security benefits rise under the SSA COLA rule. The DIC increase would equal the SSA percentage increase plus one percentage point. The change would take effect December 1, 2026 and end after the third increase under this rule.
Boosted mental health and SUD services
If enacted, VA would set national rules for residential mental‑health and substance use disorder programs to ensure interim care, standardized care plans, and fast clinical appeal responses. VA must track wait times and program outcomes, study and report on program operations, and prioritize clinically urgent admissions. The bill also creates pilots and grants to expand community mental health providers and requires a one-year free overdose rescue medication pilot in high-risk areas.
Education pay for VA clinicians
If enacted, the VA would reimburse up to $1,000 per year for continuing professional education for many full-time VA clinicians and may authorize up to $1,000 for certain other staff. The program may reimburse no more than 50,000 people per year and the VA must prioritize staff who provide direct patient care.
Faster claims, exams, and sensitive MST rules
If enacted, VA would review samples of medical disability exams quarterly and provide new exams and priority processing when exams are inadequate. The bill would strengthen protections and specialized review for military sexual trauma (MST) compensation claims and require VA to substantially comply with Board remand decisions unless a Board member documents a waiver. VA must also review disability exam scheduling and require timely clinician death certifications in natural deaths.
Faster community care and standards
If enacted, the VA would be required to meet new scheduling and driving-time targets for community care and to offer eligible veterans a non-VA option when VA cannot admit them in time. The VA would publish a public fee schedule for non-VA residential treatment programs and recoup any amounts paid above that schedule. Community Care program providers would face a one-year timely-claim deadline and possible suspension rules, and the VA would post data on network sufficiency on a public website.
Help with travel, lodging, and caregiving
If enacted, the VA would expand transportation grants and raise grant caps to help veterans in highly rural areas, allow more types of grantees, and increase amounts for ADA vehicles. The VA would also let family members and some service members use Fisher House space when rooms are available. Designated caregivers could get up to $1,000 lifetime for job certification fees and receive employment and transition help for 180 days after program exit unless their designation was revoked for misconduct.
Higher DIC when ALS caused death
If enacted, survivors of veterans whom the Secretary determines died from ALS would be treated as eligible for the higher-rate DIC provision regardless of how long the veteran had ALS. This applies to veterans who died from ALS on or after October 1, 2022.
Modernize scheduling and community care
If enacted, VA would be required to build self-service scheduling and an electronic scheduling process for VA and community care, publish plans within a year, and fully implement systems within two years. VA must also improve provider screening, require timely submission of non-VA medical records, align provider training standards, and tell veterans in writing about wait times, drive times, eligibility, denials and telehealth options within short deadlines.
More telehealth and copay relief
If enacted, covered VA clinicians could use telemedicine to practice and prescribe across State lines and in Freely Associated States when treating veterans. The bill would also exempt opioid antidotes for high-overdose-risk veterans and certain limited-supply telemedicine prescriptions (up to 30 days) from VA copays.
National prosthetics formulary and ordering
If enacted, VA would create a national formulary for prosthetic and rehabilitative items and publish it with public input. VA must build an enterprise electronic ordering system across all medical centers within three years, keep adequate prosthetic staff, and allow clinician exceptions and prior authorization for non‑formulary items. VA must report on implementation and use to Congress.
Pilot to coordinate VA and Medicare care
If enacted, VA and HHS would run a three-year pilot in 3–5 regions to coordinate care for veterans enrolled in both VA and Medicare. Each participating veteran would get a case manager to coordinate care and benefits. VA must track metrics on access, cost, quality and give biannual briefings and annual reports.
Rural and frontier care pilots
If enacted, VA would start two limited pilots within one year to expand rural access. One five-year pilot would have VA centers partner with rural entities for co-location, telehealth, training, and care coordination. A separate five-year pilot would reimburse qualifying critical access hospitals and rural clinics in frontier States for outpatient care to eligible veterans under VA rules.
Service dog grant pilot for veterans
If enacted, VA would start a three-year pilot (to begin within 24 months) awarding grants to nonprofits to provide service dogs to eligible enrolled veterans. Grants to any nonprofit would generally be capped at $2 million per year. The pilot is authorized at $10 million per year for three years, and VA must provide veterinary insurance for each veteran who receives a service dog through the program.
Spinal cord injury care and supports
If enacted, VA would be required to make a plan and start pilots to improve access and residential mental-health care for veterans with spinal cord injury or disorder. Veterans with SCI/D could get an annual preventive evaluation and, when clinically needed, bowel and bladder home care paid by VA. Family or individually employed caregivers could receive medical training and a monthly stipend capped by a VA-related General Schedule nursing assistant pay step.
VA Center to test payment models
If enacted, the bill would create a permanent VA Center for Innovation to test new payment and care delivery models. The Center must begin pilots within one year and run scientifically valid evaluations, publish annual reports, and the old statutory innovation center would be repealed. Any broader expansion of successful pilots would have to be budget-neutral and paid from existing VA medical funds.
New VA workforce and hiring rules
If enacted, VA would have to publish a five‑year strategic human capital plan to Congress by September 30, 2027, and update it each year starting September 30, 2028. VA must give quarterly public staffing data and 60 days’ notice before planned layoffs. The Secretary would create a telework policy within 180 days, study staffing and productivity, and notify employees and Congress 90 days before changes. VA would be required, when practical, to post vacancies listing all clinician types who could fill a job. Psychologists would be treated as Title 38 employees and included in scarce specialist contracts. Reorganizations would require risk plans and follow-up reports.
Stronger transition help for servicemembers
If enacted, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) would give more and clearer preseparation help. Special operations members would be included. Members who accepted full‑time work or school would get at least three days of preseparation counseling; others would get at least five days. TAP would add a one‑hour standardized presentation about VA benefits reviewed with veterans service organizations, and VA would report each year on participation. Members designated Tier 3 would get VA and Labor contact info before separation and must be contacted within 60 days after separation.
Better appeals tracking and notices
If enacted, the VA would study whether the Board can make precedential decisions, use technology to track many types of claims, and report annually on remand and docket metrics. The VA would also hire a research center to review claimant forms and notices and implement lawful recommendations to make forms clearer and reduce paper use.
Major VA IT and claims updates
If enacted, the bill would give VA $500 million for IT projects in fiscal year 2026, available until September 30, 2031, split across logistics, cybersecurity, and resilient communications/digital records. VA would have to plan, brief, and report regularly to Congress, and the funds could not be used for broad EHR expansion. The VA must also submit a plan within one year to build automation tools that pull service and health records and help process claims. VA would require a single known phone number for outreach and place at least one Veterans Health Administration call center in each of six time zones within one year, with quarterly and annual reporting on performance.
New VHA review panel and suicide data
If enacted, a 17‑member VHA Policy Advisory Commission would be created to review VHA operations and report to Congress each year by March 15. The Commission would meet at least once a year, may hire staff, and would end on September 30, 2032. The bill would also require veteran suicide prevention reports to include military occupation data for veterans who attempt or die by suicide, and Defense must add occupational data and outcomes of suicide prevention interventions for Service members in its annual report.
Grants for TBI research and trials
If enacted, VA would run two time-limited TBI research grant programs and report on results. One program would fund independent mTBI research with specified annual award counts and limits. A separate TBI Innovation Grant Program would fund randomized trials and neurorehabilitation, with grants capped at $5 million per entity. The programs are authorized at $10 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2028 and require annual reporting until they end three years after enactment.
More VA medical research sharing
If enacted, the Precision Medicine Initiative would add repetitive low-level blast exposure and dementia to its research and require VA and DoD to share relevant DoD data on an open platform. The VA could use Federally Funded Research and Development Centers for independent assessments. The bill also authorizes $5 million per year for FY2027–FY2032 for the initiative.
Stronger suicide and mental health care
If enacted, the suicide prevention grant program would be reauthorized with $200 million for FY2027–FY2029, require specific screening tools, add performance-based awards, and require quick VA contact for referrals (72 hours, 24 hours for emergencies). The VA would also require no-cost, standards-aligned training for providers in residential mental health programs within one year of enactment.
VA acquisition and construction reforms
If enacted, the VA would adopt sweeping acquisition and oversight reforms for major medical facility leases and construction. The bill would set high-cost thresholds, create a Chief Acquisition Officer and program executive roles, require life-cycle cost estimates in budget materials, consolidate acquisition functions, and require congressional notification when bids exceed rent estimates. The VA would also centralize financial authority and create a small Budget and Appropriations Affairs Office.
Telehealth prescribing for controlled drugs
If enacted, covered VA clinicians would be allowed to prescribe controlled substances by telemedicine, including audio-only where needed, for eligible VA patients. Providers must check VA records and State prescription monitoring programs and document attempts. If monitoring data are unavailable, prescriptions would be limited to seven days at a time and total supplies under this authority would not exceed six months. Starting new Schedule II/III opioids by telemedicine would be banned except in narrow clinical situations. The authority would end on September 30, 2031.
More education help for veterans
If enacted, this would change many VA education rules. Short summer distance-learning students would get a monthly housing stipend based on the national average BAH for an E‑5 with dependents for programs starting August 1, 2027. The VA could expand VetSuccess on Campus to every State and let non‑VA counselors work there under VA oversight. GI Bill rules would allow some independent‑study and Title IV schools to be eligible starting with terms on or after August 1, 2027, and VA would do risk reviews every two years for six years. VA could pay for more licensing or certification tests using education benefits but must warn that a test payment may not lead to a license. Eligible Post‑9/11 beneficiaries who are not eligible for the monthly stipend could elect a lump‑sum payment starting August 1, 2027. First‑year full‑time apprenticeship payments would increase from 80% to 100% of the applicable rate. One rule would limit a service‑ordered student’s ability to sign an agreement to finish a course unless they have completed at least half that course.
Tighter VA–DoD sharing and transparency
If enacted, the law would extend VA–DoD health resource sharing authority to September 30, 2027. VA could enter noncompetitive contracts to get space or shared services from affiliated institutions when obligations are funded by appropriations or the institution, but multi‑year agreements must be funded one year at a time and say future years depend on Congress. If VA declines to enter a sharing agreement, VA and the Joint Executive Committee would have to give written justifications to Congressional veterans committees and provide requested records and underlying data in the form requested, including classified material to committee leaders with security measures.
More headstone eligibility for families
If enacted, VA would remove the rule that limited VA memorial headstones and markers to people who died on or after November 11, 1998. That means survivors could request a VA headstone or marker for veterans who died before that date as well.
Adaptive prosthetics and devices
If enacted, the VA would explicitly include adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and recreational use as prosthetic items when the VA finds them clinically appropriate. This would let eligible veterans get these devices through the VA prosthetic program.
Care access for Freely Associated States
If enacted, VA would work with governments of the Freely Associated States to provide telehealth and mail-order pharmacy services to veterans there. VA must start outreach within 30 days and begin services and mandatory beneficiary travel payments within one year. VA must send quarterly reports on progress and costs while agreements are pending.
Local community services coordination pilot
If enacted, VA would run a community integration pilot at at least five sites to link veterans to local services like housing, food, jobs, and caregiving. Participating veterans would give informed written consent before sharing social‑needs data. The pilot would protect privacy, track referrals and outcomes, and GAO would evaluate results within four years.
TRICARE for some remarried widows
If enacted, TRICARE would include as a dependent a remarried widow or widower whose later marriage ended by death, divorce, or annulment. That change would take effect on enactment and make those individuals newly eligible for TRICARE where other rules are met.
VA menopause and mid‑life study plan
If enacted, VA would review existing research and training on menopause and mid-life women's health and submit a report to Congress within 180 days with gaps, recommendations, and a strategic plan to address them while avoiding duplication with HHS efforts.
VA–DoD blast injury task force
If enacted, the bill would create a VA–DoD Blast Overpressure Task Force to coordinate research, diagnostics, and claims guidance for blast-related brain and neurological conditions. The Task Force would report annually to Congress and would end on September 30, 2029.
Mentors for VA medical leaders
If enacted, the VA could set up a peer mentorship program for new executive leaders at VA medical centers. The Secretary would report on participation and turnover within one year and then annually for three years. The authority to run the program would end on September 30, 2030.
Overseas fallen servicemember outreach
If enacted, the American Battle Monuments Commission would run a five-year program to identify deceased Jewish servicemembers buried overseas under incorrect markers and contact families. Each year the Commission could hire a nonprofit contractor with a $500,000 contract to do the work.
Limits on headstones and interment
If enacted, the VA generally would not provide a headstone, marker, or interment benefit for an individual for whom the VA furnishes an urn or commemorative plaque, with two narrow exceptions for shared markers or simultaneous interment. This rule applies to deaths on or after January 5, 2021.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
KS • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]
AR • R
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
ND • R
Sponsored 6/11/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov