Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025
Latest action · Sep 16, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 12, 2025
- Passed HouseSep 15, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025
This bill extends and expands the pilot program under which certain non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care professionals may be contracted to provide disability examinations to veterans, regardless of the jurisdiction of their licensure, for purposes of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and care. Specifically, the bill (1) expands the types of health care professionals who may provide such examinations, and (2) extends the authority for such professionals to be contracted for this purpose through January 5, 2031.
Currently, such examinations may only be contracted to licensed non-VA physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, audiologists, or psychologists. The bill expands the list to include qualified health care professionals who are eligible for appointment to specified positions in the Veterans Health Administration, including hospital or clinic directors, dentists, and pharmacists.
The VA must report on its use of the expanded authority under this bill.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jun 12, 2025.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NC | Donald G. Davis | Original | Jun 12, 2025 |
| D-WA | Marie Gluesenkamp Perez | Original | Jun 12, 2025 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Jun 12, 2025Discharged Jul 3, 2025Markup Jul 23, 2025Reported Sep 9, 2025 |
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Jun 23, 2025Hearings Jun 24, 2025 | |
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Sep 16, 2025 |
Actions 15
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 16, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Sep 15, 2025Mr. Bost moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 15, 2025Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4289)
- Sep 15, 2025DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3951.
- Sep 15, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4289: 1)
- Sep 15, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 9, 2025Reported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 119-259.
- Sep 9, 2025Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 215.
- Jul 23, 2025Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Jul 23, 2025Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- Jul 3, 2025Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Discharged
- Jun 24, 2025Subcommittee Hearings Held
- Jun 23, 2025Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Jun 12, 2025Introduced in House
- Jun 12, 2025Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4289, H4290Text printed H4289 | Juan Ciscomani R-AZ, Mark Takano D-CA, Mike Bost R-IL | Sep 15, 2025 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Aug 8, 2025H.R. 3951, Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on July 23, 2025
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 101, June 12, 2025, page H2822.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 119-33 | BEYOND THE CITY LIMITS: DELIVERING FOR RURAL VETERANS54 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Serial No. 119-28 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON. H.R. 3123, H.R. 3627, H.R. 3833, H.R. 3834, H.R. 3835, H.R. 3854, H.R. 3983, H.R. 3951, H.R. 659, H.R. 2055, H.R. 2701, AND H.R. 2721238 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Jun 24, 2025 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3703 | Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2026 | Related bill | Jan 27, 2026 |
| S 4744 | Take Care of America’s Veterans Act | Related bill | Jun 11, 2026 |
| HR 9237 | Take Care of America’s Veterans Act | Related bill | Jul 16, 2026 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 and the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 to improve the temporary licensure requirements for contract health care professionals who perform medical disability examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- To amend the Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996 and the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 to improve the temporary licensure requirements for contract health care professionals who perform medical disability examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 16, 2025Referred in Senate
- Sep 15, 2025Engrossed in House
- Sep 9, 2025Reported in House
- Jun 12, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
