This bill would overhaul how the Department of Veterans Affairs delivers care, hires staff, and maintains its facilities. For veterans using community care (private doctors paid by VA), it sets new appointment-scheduling timelines, extends the window providers have to submit claims, adds quality and training requirements for community providers, and gives the VA Inspector General authority to audit those providers — including unannounced visits without a subpoena. For VA staff, it raises pay caps for pharmacist and nurse executives, classifies VA police as federal law enforcement officers for retirement purposes, creates the new Start and Stay at VA scholarship and retention program, and reimburses continuing-education and licensure costs. For facilities, it authorizes roughly $96 billion over twelve years (FY2026–FY2037) across VA major and minor construction and grants for state extended-care homes, requires written justification when the President's budget asks for less, and adds new GAO and Comptroller General reports on waste, fraud, infrastructure resilience, women-veterans retrofits, and long-term care needs.
Average Household Impact
- VA healthcare access standards — Appointment-scheduling timelines and provider-quality rules tightened for community care
- VA construction funding — Up to roughly $96B authorized across major, minor, and extended-care accounts FY2026-FY2037
- State extended-care facility grants — Up to $600M/year authorized for veteran nursing-home and long-term-care construction
Transparency & Accountability
- Inspector General audit authority — Extended to community care providers, including unannounced visits and document access without subpoena
- Provider data-reporting requirements — Community care providers required to submit specified performance and patient data
- Capital-asset performance metrics — VA must develop and publish metrics for facility planning and project execution
- Waste, fraud, and abuse controls — Strengthened detection and reporting requirements for capital asset projects
- Budget-justification requirements — Secretary must explain in writing any below-authorized funding request and identify unfunded projects
- VA personnel transparency reports — New disclosures on staffing, vacancies, and educational-assistance programs
- Comptroller General reviews — New GAO reports required on long-term care, women-veterans retrofits, super-construction management, and capital-asset law
Congressional Summary
Honor Our Promise to Veterans Act of 2025This bill addresses the provision of care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including regarding scheduling, non-VA provider requirements, staffing, and infrastructure.Regarding scheduling, the VA must (1) ensure appointments for urgent and nonurgent care for veterans are scheduled within certain time frames, and (2) provide information about driving and wait times for care at VA facilities, Veteran Community Care Program (VCCP) facilities, and via telehealth.The bill also addresses requirements for non-VA providers under the VCCP, including by (1) extending the time limit for providers to submit claims to the VA for payment, (2) requiring certain training relevant to veterans, and (3) authorizing the Office of Inspector General of the VA to audit entities providing care under the VA’s authority.The bill provides compensation for veterans who are disabled or die due to as a result of VCCP hospital care, medical services, or extended care services.The bill addresses VA staffing matters, including by (1) removing the cap on pay limitation waivers for critical health care personnel, (2) offering certain retirement benefits to VA police officers, (3) requiring the VA to establish a telework policy, and (4) establishing scholarship programs for certain individuals in medical or infrastructure programs who commit to a period of obligated service at the VA.The VA must also address infrastructure matters, including by (1) authorizing funding for certain land acquisitions for medical facilities, and (2) requiring the VA to develop performance metrics for capital asset management programs.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-12-11
- Date Added
- 2026-04-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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