This bill has advanced since we wrote our summary.
Current stage on Congress.gov: Referred in Senate.
Fisher Houses are temporary lodging facilities — usually donated to VA by the Fisher House Foundation — that let veterans' families stay near a VA hospital while a loved one is being treated. Today, eligibility is largely limited to veterans and certain immediate family. This bill would expand who can stay there on a space-available basis to include active-duty service members covered by TRICARE who have to travel a significant distance for care, plus their accompanying family members. It would also extend a separate cap on certain VA pension payments by six months, from January 31, 2033 to July 31, 2033, as a budgetary offset.
Congressional Summary
Fisher House Availability Act of 2026This bill expands eligibility for temporary lodging at a Fisher House to additional individuals receiving medical care or treatment at a Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) or non-VA facility or those accompanying individuals receiving such treatment. (Fisher Houses are where the VA furnishes no-cost lodging to veterans and other eligible individuals when receiving treatment or accompanying an individual receiving treatment.)Specifically, the bill authorizes the VA to provide lodging at a Fisher House on a space-available basis tomembers of the uniformed services performing active duty (i.e., covered beneficiaries) who must travel a significant distance to receive care or services;family members and others accompanying such covered beneficiaries to receive care or services;veterans, members of a veteran's family, and others who must travel a significant distance for a member of a veteran's family to receive care or services; andcovered beneficiaries, members of a covered beneficiary’s family, and others who must travel a significant distance for a member of a beneficiary’s family to receive care or services.Finally, the bill extends the limitation on pension amounts for certain hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through July 31, 2033.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2026-04-30
- Date Added
- 2026-05-16
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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