Veterans' ACCESS Act Dominates HVAC Markup

All 25 bills and 2 resolutions have been advanced to the full House for consideration.

July 24, 2025

⚡NIMITZ NEWS FLASH⚡

Markup on Pending Legislation

House Veterans Affairs Committee

July 23, 2025 (recording here)

BILLS CONSIDERED IN MARKUP

  • H.R. 740, Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025

  • H.R. 1663, Veterans Scam And Fraud Evasion Act of 2025

  • H.R. 3400, the Territorial Response and Access to Veterans’ Essential Lifecare (TRAVEL) Act

  • H.R. 3767, Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act of 2025

  • H.R. 2605, Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act

  • H.R. 2137, Review Every Veterans Claim Act of 2025

  • H.R. 3123, Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act

  • H.R. 3834, Protecting Veteran’s Claim Options Act

  • H.R. 3854, Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act

  • H.R. 3951, Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025

  • H.R. 3483, Forcing Real Accountability for Unlawful Distributions (FRAUD) Act of 2025

  • H.R. 3494, VA Hospital Inventory Management System Authorization Act

  • H.R. 3455, Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act of 2025

  • H.R. 2334, To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to preempt any squatter’s rights established by State law regarding real property owned by a member of the uniformed services

  • H.R. 2791, To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the maximum amount of housing loan guaranty entitlement available to certain veterans under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

  • H R. 3481, Delivering Digitally to Our Veterans Act of 2025

  • H.R. 3579, Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act

  • H.R. 3863, VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act

  • H.R. 659, Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025

  • H.R. 2701, Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act

  • H.R. 2721, Honoring Our Heroes Act of 2025

  • H.R. 2034, Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act

  • H.R. 2954, Veterans’ Transition to Trucking Act of 2025

  • H.R. 3812, Stop Troubling Retroactive Invoices for Veteran Expenses Act of 2025

  • H.R. 4446, FAST VETS Act

  • Major Medical Lease Committee Resolution FY25

  • Major Medical Lease Committee Resolution PACT Act

OTHER MARKUP INFORMATION

At the conclusion of the session, the House Veterans Affairs Committee officially reported 25 bills and two lease resolutions to the full House.

Given the nearly five-hour duration of the markup, we adjusted our usual format to provide a more streamlined and accessible summary. We appreciate your understanding.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 740

  • Chairman Mike Bost argued that the bill strengthened the VA’s Community Care Program by reducing bureaucratic barriers, expanding telehealth, and ensuring that veterans have more choices without privatizing the VA.

  • Ranking Member Mark Takano opposed the bill, warning it would divert resources from the VA and undermine suicide prevention by allowing unrestricted access to community mental health care.

  • Rep. Julia Brownley criticized a provision allowing veterans to skip VA appointments and still qualify for community care, saying it would lead to waste and delays.

  • Rep. Herb Conaway supported including telehealth wait times in eligibility decisions to improve efficiency, but Chairman Bost objected, saying it pressured veterans into VA telehealth.

  • Rep. Maxine Dexter proposed giving veterans comparative wait/drive time data, but the Chairman claimed this would empower the VA bureaucracy.

  • Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick sought to require training for community mental health providers treating conditions like PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI), which Chairman Bost called excessive red tape.

  • Ranking Member Takano proposed barring marketing tactics and requiring accreditation for community providers. Chairman Bost said that existing VA contracts already cover this.

  • Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks offered an amendment clarifying referral timelines, which was adopted.

  • Rep. Tom Barrett added a provision to allow licensed hearing aid specialists in community care, which Chairman Bost supported and Ranking Member Takano opposed.

  • Rep. Kelly Morrison and Rep. Conaway each proposed further training and transparency measures, which were rejected.

  • Rep. Conaway also proposed setting fee schedules for residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to curb fraud, but Chairman Bost argued that the VA already had pricing mechanisms.

  • All Democratic amendments were rejected. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably to the House.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 1663

  • Rep. Jen Kiggans introduced an ANS to name the fraud-prevention website and hotline and incorporate VA feedback. Chairman Bost supported it as a streamlined approach using existing resources.

  • Rep. Delia Ramirez offered an amendment requiring scam awareness training, including for MLM schemes, citing $419M in reported fraud. The Chairman opposed it as too prescriptive.

  • Rep. Ramirez’s amendment was rejected. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 3400

  • Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds said the bill would allow the VA to deploy physicians to U.S. territories for up to one year to address severe access shortages. Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Takano strongly supported the measure.

  • The ANS was adopted without objection, and the bill was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 2605

  • Rep. Morgan Luttrell introduced an ANS to create a five-year grant pilot for nonprofits providing service dogs to veterans. He shared personal testimony about their effectiveness. Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Takano expressed strong support. Rep. Keith Self also praised the bill’s practical impact.

  • The Chairman added an amendment requiring ADA training standards while protecting small providers.

  • The amendment and bill were adopted without objection and reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 3951

  • Chairman Bost supported extending license portability for contracted providers conducting Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams and expanding eligibility.

  • Rep. Ramirez offered an amendment to restore VA collective bargaining rights, tying workforce attrition to union suppression. Chairman Bost referred to it as a “poison pill.”

  • Ranking Member Takano and Rep. Budzinski backed Rep. Ramirez, citing morale and retention concerns.

  • Rep. Ramirez also proposed reinstating the Office of Equity Assurance to address disparities. Chairman Bost called it divisive and unnecessary.

  • Both amendments failed along party lines; the bill was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 3483

  • Rep. Barrett introduced an ANS expanding VA fraud monitoring across all VHA programs, using the Franchise Fund for financing. Chairman Bost endorsed it as fiscally responsible.

  • Ranking Member Takano opposed the funding mechanism, warning it could collapse the Franchise Fund. Rep. Dexter echoed concerns, citing a lack of replenishment.

  • Chairman Bost defended congressional oversight of the fund.

  • Ranking Member Takano’s amendment was rejected. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 3494

  • Rep. Kiggans introduced an ANS with a funding offset to modernize the VA’s inventory system. Chairman Bost agreed, calling current systems outdated and inefficient.

  • Rep. Budzinski proposed adding planning and review steps before implementation, citing four past VA failures. The Chairman opposed delaying the reforms.

  • Rep. Ramirez proposed prohibiting contracts with companies where federal appointees have financial interests, citing concerns about ethics and profiteering. Chairman Bost said that the current law already addresses it.

  • Ranking Member Takano supported Rep. Ramirez, arguing for codifying ethical safeguards.

  • Both amendments were rejected. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 3455

  • Chairman Bost supported studying blockchain to modernize VA claims.

  • Rep. Nancy Mace, the bill’s sponsor, said that distributed ledger tech could improve transparency and efficiency.

  • Ranking Member Takano proposed including a review of security risks and alternatives like cloud computing. Chairman Bost and Rep. Mace opposed expanding the scope, arguing it would slow innovation.

  • The Ranking Member’s amendment failed; the bill was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 2334

  • Chairman Bost introduced an ANS to clarify that state squatter laws do not supersede servicemembers’ property rights.

  • Ranking Member Takano offered a substitute using legal tolling to pause adverse possession timelines and proposed requiring VA education on property rights. Chairman Bost supported the concept but questioned assigning that role to the VA instead of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

  • The Ranking Member’s amendment was adopted, and the amended bill was reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON H.R. 3863

  • Rep. Budzinski introduced an ANS to expand outreach to veterans with mental health–related service connections and improve tracking of outreach efforts. Chairman Bost supported the measure.

  • Rep. Budzinski added an amendment to offset costs using the VA home loan fee structure. Rep. Self asked about its impact on mandatory spending, and the Chairman confirmed applicability.

  • The amendment and bill were adopted and reported favorably.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON THE FIRST EN BLOC

  • Chairman Bost requested and received unanimous consent to consider 13 bills en bloc, each with an amendment in the nature of a substitute: H.R. 2137, H.R. 3123, H.R. 3834, H.R. 2701, H.R. 2721, H.R. 3767, H.R. 2791, H.R. 3481, H.R. 3579, H.R. 2954, H.R. 3812, H.R. 2034, and H.R. 3854.

  • Rep. Kennedy supported his bill removing a headstone eligibility cutoff date.

  • Rep. Barrett highlighted the importance of modernizing VA communications systems through his legislation.

  • Rep. Budzinski backed two bills to improve STEM scholarships and expedite hiring for VA health professionals.

  • Rep. Morrison emphasized collecting cause-of-death data to inform suicide and toxic exposure policy.

  • All bills in the en bloc were reported favorably by voice vote.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON THE SECOND EN BLOC

  • Chairman Bost requested and received unanimous consent to consider H.R. 659 and H.R. 4446 en bloc, noting that both had been circulated in advance and had no amendments. No members requested to speak on these bills.

  • Both bills were favorably reported to the House.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS ON THE THIRD EN BLOC

  • Chairman Bost requested and received unanimous consent to consider the VA’s FY25 and PACT Act major medical lease resolutions en bloc.

  • Ranking Member Takano raised objections to changes made to the Plano lease without bicameral coordination, predicting a 10-month care delay. The Chairman defended the new site selection, saying Congress must ensure facilities are placed where veterans live.

  • The lease resolutions were adopted by voice vote.

SPECIAL TOPICS

🖤 Mental health and suicide:

  • H.R. 740 included a pilot program in Section 202 that would allow veterans to access outpatient mental health and residential SUD treatment in the community without a VA referral. Rep. Brownley and others expressed concern that this would undermine the VA’s integrated care model and expose veterans to underregulated, for-profit facilities.

    • Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick offered an amendment to require community mental health providers to complete VA training on PTSD, TBI, MST, and other conditions within 180 days of enactment. She argued this would ensure veterans receive competent care, but the amendment was rejected.

    • Ranking Member Takano introduced an amendment requiring providers in the Section 202 pilot to be accredited and to prohibit direct marketing to veterans. He cited widespread abuse in the rehab industry, but the amendment was rejected.

    • Rep. Conaway offered amendments to establish parity in training between VA and community providers and to create a fee schedule for residential substance use treatment. He argued that these were needed to prevent fraud and exorbitant billing, but both amendments were rejected.

  • H.R. 3863, sponsored by Rep. Budzinski, would expand VA outreach to veterans with service-connected mental health conditions and require the VA to track the effectiveness of its efforts. The bill, including an offset amendment, was adopted with bipartisan support and favorably reported.

👨‍💻 IT issues:

  • H.R. 3483 would modernize the VA’s fraud detection IT systems across all VHA programs. Ranking Member Takano offered an amendment to protect the Franchise Fund, warning that its use as a funding source could jeopardize long-term sustainability, but the amendment was rejected.

  • Rep. Barrett defended H.R. 3483 as a cost-effective way to reduce fraud and improve claims oversight, arguing the system would pay for itself.

  • H.R. 3494 would authorize modernization of the VA’s medical inventory systems. Rep. Budzinski offered an amendment requiring the VA to finalize a supply chain strategy and complete an after-action review before implementation, citing past failures. The amendment was rejected.

  • Rep. Ramirez proposed an amendment to H.R. 3494 that would bar the VA from contracting with companies where special government employees have a financial interest, citing ethical concerns involving Elon Musk and DOGE consultants. The amendment was rejected.

  • H.R. 3455 would direct the VA to study the use of blockchain technology in veterans benefits processing. Ranking Member Takano proposed an amendment requiring the study to include an analysis of security risks, workforce impacts, and alternative technologies like cloud solutions. The amendment was rejected, and the bill was favorably reported.

📋 Government contracting:

  • Rep. Ramirez’s rejected amendment to H.R. 3494 sought to codify conflict-of-interest protections by prohibiting contracts with companies tied to special government employees. She argued this would strengthen ethical oversight of VA contracting, but the Chairman stated that existing laws already covered these concerns.

🧠 Traumatic brain injury (TBI):

  • Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick’s rejected amendment to H.R. 740 would have required community providers to complete training on treating veterans with TBI, PTSD, and military sexual trauma.

⭐ Surviving spouses:

  • H.R. 3854, included in the en bloc, would require the VA to report on veterans’ causes of death to improve benefits policy and support surviving families. Rep. Morrison highlighted the value of this data in addressing issues like suicide and toxic exposure.

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