Veterans are dying from opioid overdoses at alarming rates, and the shift is increasingly toward heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl rather than prescription painkillers. This bill would require the VA to conduct a comprehensive review of all veteran opioid overdose deaths over the past five years — looking at demographics, what medications they were prescribed, their combat and trauma history, and how long it had been since their last prescription. The goal is to understand why veterans who haven't had a recent opioid prescription are still dying from overdoses, and to identify VA facilities with high prescription and drug abuse rates. The VA would have 18 months to complete the review and must make the report public and brief Congress on its findings.
Congressional Summary
Veterans Heroin Overdose Prevention Examination Act or the Veterans HOPE Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to complete a review of the deaths of all covered veterans who died from opioid overdoses during the five-year period preceding the enactment of this bill. Covered veterans are those who received VA hospital care or medical services during the five-year period preceding the death of the veteran. The VA shall report on the results of the review and make such report publicly available.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-11-04
- Date Added
- 2026-04-09