CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2025
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Would extend the Department of Veterans Affairs' pilot program — allowing nonfederal entities to donate property, facilities, and now minor construction or maintenance projects — by pushing the program's expiration date five years, from December 16, 2026 to December 16, 2031.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would make two changes to an existing VA pilot program that allows nonfederal entities — such as state authorities and private organizations — to donate property or facilities to the Department of Veterans Affairs. First, it would expand the program's scope to include donations of minor construction projects and nonrecurring maintenance projects, not just real property and physical facilities. Second, it would extend the program's deadline from December 16, 2026 to December 16, 2031, keeping it in operation for five more years. Conforming amendments update the program's language throughout to reflect the broader donation categories.
The bill does not make the program permanent; it extends the current pilot for an additional five-year window. It does not appropriate new funding or alter the basic framework under which the VA evaluates and accepts qualifying donations.
Key provisions
- 1Would expand the pilot program to allow nonfederal donations of minor construction projects and nonrecurring maintenance projects, in addition to existing property and facility donations.
- 2Would extend the pilot program's expiration date from December 16, 2026 to December 16, 2031, keeping it active for five additional years.
- 3Would make conforming amendments updating statutory language throughout the 2016 program to reflect the broader categories of eligible donations.
Who would be affected
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which would continue receiving and administering donations under the extended program. Nonfederal donors — including state and local authorities, private entities, and nonprofit organizations — that wish to donate property, facilities, or contribute to minor construction or maintenance work at VA sites. Veterans and patients served at VA facilities improved through these donations would indirectly benefit.
Why it matters
Without this extension, the pilot program would expire on December 16, 2026, ending the VA's authority to accept nonfederal donations of property or facilities. The expansion to cover minor construction and maintenance work broadens what donors can contribute, potentially allowing more community-funded improvements to VA facilities without requiring congressional appropriations for every project.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-294) (Sec. 2)
Expands eligible donations to include minor construction and nonrecurring maintenance projects, and extends the program's sunset date from December 16, 2026 to December 16, 2031.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Extended program expiration — pilot runs until this date under the new deadline.
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 217 would increase direct spending by less than $500,000 — an insignificant amount — in each scoring window (2025, 2025–2030, and 2025–2035), with no effect on revenues.
CBO estimates that H.R. 217 (the CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2025) would increase direct (mandatory) spending by an insignificant amount — less than $500,000 — over the 2025, 2025–2030, and 2025–2035 periods, with no change in revenues or in spending subject to annual appropriations. The bill would expand the Department of Veterans Affairs' authority to accept donations of real property and in-kind contributions (such as minor construction and maintenance) for VA medical facilities, and would extend the existing program, set to expire in December 2026, by five years; because those donations are property rather than money, they do not appear in the federal budget. CBO expects VA is unlikely to enter arrangements under this authority that would create future financial obligations, keeping estimated costs negligible. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
How implementation would work
The VA would continue operating under the existing pilot-program framework — evaluating donor eligibility, reviewing proposed donations, and managing compliance — now also covering minor construction and nonrecurring maintenance projects. The conforming amendments update statutory references so that approval, design, alteration, and maintenance authorities apply uniformly across all donation types. No new rulemaking mandate is specified; the program's existing administrative structure governs the expanded scope through its 2031 expiration.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Official CRS summary
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This bill makes permanent, starting December 16, 2026, the pilot program under which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may accept donations of property or facilities from certain nonfederal entities (e.g., state authorities or private entities). The bill also removes the limit on the number of donations that the VA may accept under the program.
Legislative subjects
Armed Forces and National Security; Charitable contributions; Department of Veterans Affairs; Government buildings, facilities, and property; Land transfers
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-97