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Business Meeting to Consider Pending Legislation

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee

July 30, 2025 (recording here)

BILLS CONSIDERED

• S. 275, Veterans’ ACCESS Act (Committee Print)

• S. 506, Coordinating Care for Senior Veterans and Wounded Warriors Act (Committee Print)

• S. 607, Improving Veteran Access to Care Act (Committee Print)

• S. 610, Ensuring VetSuccess on Campus Act of 2025

• S. 635, Veterans Homecare Choice Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 654, External Provider Scheduling Program (Committee Print)

• S. 702, Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act

• S. 778, Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act (Committee Print)

• S. 787, VetPAC Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 800, Precision Brain Health Research Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 827, Supporting Rural Veterans Access to Healthcare Services Act

• (Committee Print)

• S. 831, Representing VA with Accuracy (REP VA) Act (Committee Print)

• S. 879, Veteran Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act (Committee Print)

• S. 972, Fairness in Veterans Education Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 1139, HOPE for Heroes Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 1245, Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 1318, Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act

• S. 1320, Servicewomen and Veterans Menopause Research Act (Committee Print)

• S. 1383, Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 1441, Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act of 2025 (Committee Print)

• S. 1533, to make permanent and codify the pilot program for use of contract physicians for disability examinations (Committee Print)

• S. 1591, Acquisition Reform and Cost Assessment Act (ARCA) (Committee Print)

• S. 2392, Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025

• S. 2393, Fiscal Year 2026 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act

OTHER MARKUP INFORMATION

At the conclusion of the session, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee officially reported 24 bills to the full Senate.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON S. 275

• Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal offered provisional support for the bill contingent on continued improvements and emphasized that community care must bolster, not undermine, the VA system.

• Chairman Jerry Moran committed to working with the Ranking Member to ensure that both VA-provided and community care met high standards. He shared personal experience representing a large rural district and reiterated support for giving veterans a choice in their care while preserving the VA’s central role.

• The Chairman also stated that the Veterans’ ACCESS Act included an eight-year authorization for VA MISSION Act access standards rather than permanent codification, a compromise he credited the Ranking Member for supporting. He then noted strong veterans service organization (VSO) backing for the bill.

• Sen. Marsha Blackburn supported the bill and called for making access standards permanent. She raised concerns about union opposition to community care expansion and cited telework policies during COVID-19 as contributing to VA backlogs. She discussed the need for care options for rural veterans and called for broader pilots beyond mental health. The Chairman agreed with the need to expand mental health care through every available channel, including community providers.

• Sen. Mazie Hirono opposed the bill, citing concerns about privatizing VA care. She argued that the VA system should be strengthened, not outsourced, and called for more recruitment and investment in VA medical staff. Ranking Member Blumenthal reiterated opposition to cuts and hiring freezes at the VA, particularly mental health staff and the Veterans Crisis Line. He then defended the role of unions and said recent policy failures had highlighted their importance.

• Sen. Angus King supported the bill but warned against community care replacing the VA. He stressed that community care should be a supplement, especially in rural areas. He also cautioned that community providers must meet the same standards as the VA and raised concerns about potential delays in private-sector care. Following up on earlier comments, Sen. King defended the legitimacy of remote work when effective.

• The Chairman thanked Senator King and entered letters of support into the record from VFW, PVA, TAPS, VVA, Wounded Warrior Project, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, and the American Legion.

• Sen. Dan Sullivan took a moment to mention that Alaska remained one of the only states without a full-service VA hospital and expressed hope that future authorizations would address this. Chairman Moran encouraged efforts to establish VA hospitals in Alaska and Hawaii.

• Sen. Hirono echoed the call for full-service VA hospitals in Hawaii and Alaska. She warned that the civilian health care system was fragile and unprepared to absorb more veterans. Sen. Maggie Hassan also voiced support for the initiative.

• Returning to the bill, Sen. John Boozman moved to adopt the committee print of S. 275 and report it favorably with a roll call vote.

• The Committee voted to report S. 275 favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON THE EN BLOC

• The Chairman listed the remaining bills to be reported en bloc. They were favorably reported to the full Senate.

SPECIAL TOPICS

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