Veterans who use VA health care can be hit with surprise copayment bills months or years after receiving treatment if the Department of Veterans Affairs is slow to send required notices. This bill would stop the VA from collecting a copayment more than two years after a veteran received care if the agency failed to notify the veteran of the charge on time, or failed to tell the veteran once their unpaid balance passed $2,000, an amount that would rise each year with inflation. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs would also gain clear authority to waive a veteran's copayment entirely whenever appropriate, even if the veteran never asked for a waiver. Separately, the bill extends by three months, from November 30, 2031, to February 29, 2032, an existing limit on certain veteran pension payments.
Average Household Impact
- Veteran copayment protection — Copays barred after 2 years if VA missed required notice deadlines
Congressional Summary
Stop Troubling Retroactive Invoices for Veteran Expenses Act of 2025 or the STRIVE Act of 2025This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), under certain conditions, from collecting copayments from a veteran for hospital care or medical services more than two years after the veteran receives the care or service.Specifically, the VA is prohibited from collecting any copayment from a veteran for hospital care or medical services after the end of the two-year period beginning on the date the veteran received the care or service if the VA did not provide the veteran with timely notice of the copay or provide notice that the aggregate copay amount exceeds $2,000, annually adjusted for inflation.The VA may waive the requirement for a veteran to make any copayment for hospital care or medical services whenever it determines the waiver is appropriate, regardless of whether a veteran submits a request for a waiver.Finally, the bill extends the limitation on pension amounts for certain hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through February 29, 2032. Currently, the limitation expires on November 30, 2031.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2025-11-07
- Date Added
- 2026-07-01
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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