Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025
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The bill would write into law specific wait-time and driving-distance standards that determine when veterans can get outside "community care" instead of VA care, and would require the VA to notify veterans of their eligibility within two business days.
It would also overhaul VA mental health residential treatment programs with standardized screening, 48-hour admission timelines, and a new appeals process, and would create an online portal for veterans to request and track care — changes meant to reduce delays and confusion in how veterans access both VA and outside health services.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would codify in statute the eligibility standards the VA uses to decide when a veteran can receive non-VA "community care," including specific drive-time and wait-time thresholds for primary, mental health, extended, and specialty care. It would require the VA to notify veterans of their eligibility within two business days, explain any denial in writing, and discuss telehealth options. It would extend the deadline for community care providers to submit payment claims from 180 days to one year. For mental health residential treatment programs, it would require a standardized 48-hour screening and admission process, performance tracking, transportation assistance, and a new appeals process with a 72-hour decision deadline for veterans denied admission or timely bed placement. The bill would also direct the VA to build an online self-service module for scheduling, tracking referrals, and appealing care decisions, and would require a three-year pilot program letting some veterans access outpatient mental health and substance-use care without referral. It does not create a new insurance benefit or expand who is eligible for VA-enrolled care generally; it governs how existing community care and mental health program eligibility is determined and administered.
Key provisions
- 1Would codify in 38 U.S.C. § 1703B specific driving-time and wait-time eligibility standards for veterans to access non-VA community care
- 2Would require the VA to notify veterans in writing of their community care eligibility within two business days of learning they are seeking care
- 3Would require written notice and appeal instructions within two business days whenever a request for community care is denied
- 4Would extend the deadline for community care providers to submit payment claims from 180 days to one year
- 5Would require a standardized screening process determining priority or routine admission to mental health residential treatment programs within 48 hours
- 6Would create a national clinical appeals process, with 72-hour decisions, for veterans denied admission or timely bed placement in mental health treatment programs
- 7Would require an online self-service module for veterans to request appointments, track referrals, and appeal care decisions, plus a three-year pilot letting some veterans access outpatient mental health/substance-use care without referral
Who would be affected
Veterans enrolled in VA health care, particularly those seeking non-VA community care or residential mental health and substance-use treatment; VA medical facilities, Veterans Integrated Service Networks, and community care providers and health care entities that submit payment claims to the VA; and the VA's Center for Innovation for Care and Payment.
Why it matters
Veterans would gain clearer, legally enforceable timelines for learning whether they qualify for outside care, appealing denials, and being admitted to mental health treatment programs, potentially reducing delays in urgent care. Community care providers would get more time to submit claims, and Congress and the public would gain new oversight reports on wait times, staffing, and program performance.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1703B (Sec. 101)
Replaces prior access-standard provisions with statutory driving-time and wait-time eligibility standards for community care, plus periodic review requirements.
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1703 (Sec. 102-105)
Adds notification-of-eligibility, denial-notice, veteran-preference, and telehealth-discussion requirements for the Veterans Community Care Program.
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1703D (Sec. 106)
Extends the deadline for providers to submit claims under the prompt payment standard from 180 days to one year.
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1703E (Sec. 302)
Moves the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment into the Office of the Secretary, adds reporting and budget line-item requirements, and requires a three-year outpatient mental health/substance-use pilot program.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Periodic review of new community care eligibility access standards
- VA must establish standardized mental health treatment screening process
- Report on modifications to mental health treatment programs
- Comptroller General review of access to residential mental health treatment
- Submission of plan for online self-service module
- Comptroller General report on Center for Innovation for Care and Payment
- Establishment of outpatient mental health/substance-use pilot program
- Report on clinical appeals process improvements
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates H.R. 740 would decrease the deficit by $290 million over the 2026–2035 period, driven mainly by extended higher VA home loan fees that more than offset new spending on veterans' health care.
CBO estimates that H.R. 740 would reduce net direct spending (mandatory spending) by $290 million over the 2026–2035 period, primarily because extending higher VA home loan guarantee fees through November 2034 would decrease direct spending by $377 million, outweighing roughly $87 million in new mandatory health care costs. The bill would also require $260 million in discretionary appropriations (spending that Congress must separately fund each year) over the same period, for items such as extending the claims-filing deadline for community health care providers, a three-year pilot program for veterans to access mental health and substance-use treatment without prior VA approval, and a new online health care portal. CBO found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
How implementation would work
The VA would need to issue guidance and train staff to apply the new statutory access standards, notification deadlines, and mental health screening/appeal processes, generally within one year of enactment. It would develop performance metrics tracked by facility and network, a national appeals policy with 72-hour response times, and a pilot program at five or more sites with its own oversight metrics. The VA would report periodically to the Veterans' Affairs Committees on program operations, appeals, and pilot outcomes, and the Comptroller General would separately review access to mental health residential care and the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill addresses the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) and other Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care matters.
Among other provisions regarding the VCCP, the bill
- establishes in statute access standards that determine when a veteran is eligible to receive non-VA care through the VCCP,
- requires the VA to notify veterans regarding their eligibility for care within two business days after the VA is aware the veteran is seeking care, and
- extends the deadline for the submittal of claims under the VCCP by health care entities and providers.
The VA must address its mental health treatment programs by
- establishing a standardized screening process to determine whether a veteran satisfies criteria for priority or routine admission to a mental health residential rehabilitation treatment program or a program for residential care for mental health and substance abuse disorders,
- tracking the performance of medical facilities and Veterans Integrated Service Networks in meeting the requirements for mental health treatment screenings and timely admission to treatment programs under such screenings, and
- establishing an appeal process for when a veteran is denied admission to a covered treatment program or is accepted into a program but not offered bed placement in a timely manner.
Additionally, the VA must establish an online self-service module for veterans to request and manage appointments, track referrals, and appeal and track decisions related to requests for care.
Legislative subjects
Administrative remedies; Armed Forces and National Security; Congressional oversight; Drug, alcohol, tobacco use; Employment and training programs; Government information and archives; Health care coverage and access; Health information and medical records; Health promotion and preventive care; Health technology, devices, supplies; Internet, web applications, social media; Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care; Mental health; Performance measurement; Transportation costs; Veterans' medical care; Veterans' organizations and recognition