VetPAC Act of 2025
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Would establish the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission, a 17-member independent body appointed by the Comptroller General to review VHA operations and submit annual reports with recommendations to Congress.
The commission would fill a long-standing oversight gap by providing an expert, standing body — with public financial-disclosure requirements and access to federal health data — to assess VHA quality, wait times, technology, workforce, and budget on an ongoing basis.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would create the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission (VetPAC) as a permanent advisory body under title 38 of the U.S. Code. The 17-member commission would be appointed by the Comptroller General, with at least two members required to be veterans and all members required to have significant expertise in large medical systems. Members would serve staggered five-year terms and would be required to file public financial disclosure reports. The commission would review VHA operations across a broad set of mandated topics — including electronic health records, community care referrals and wait times, workforce issues, procurement, hospital construction, research, and the long-term budget — and submit a report with recommendations to Congress by March 15 of each year.
The bill would not itself mandate specific policy changes at the VHA; it would create a review and advisory function. The commission's recommendations would require a simple majority vote to be included in annual reports, and the body would be directed to coordinate with the VHA Inspector General to avoid duplicating ongoing investigations.
Key provisions
- 1Would establish a 17-member Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission, appointed by the Comptroller General, with at least two veterans among its members.
- 2Would require members to serve five-year staggered terms and file public financial disclosure reports, treating them as employees of Congress for ethics purposes.
- 3Would direct the commission to conduct periodic reviews of VHA operations across 12 mandated topic areas, including wait times, IT infrastructure, workforce, procurement, and long-term budget outlook.
- 4Would require the commission to submit an annual report to Congress by March 15 each year containing review results and recommendations, which must be approved by a simple majority vote.
- 5Would authorize the commission to hire staff, enter contracts, and request data from any federal department or agency, with a 180-day deadline for agency responses.
- 6Would require the commission to examine budget consequences of all recommendations before submitting them to Congress, directly or through consultation with expert entities.
Who would be affected
Veterans who receive care through the VHA or the Veterans Community Care Program would be the ultimate population the commission's reviews would concern. The VHA and the Department of Veterans Affairs would be subject to information requests and oversight. The Comptroller General would be responsible for appointing all members and overseeing initial setup. Congressional veterans' affairs committees would receive reports and be consulted on the commission's agenda.
Why it matters
If enacted, the VHA would face an ongoing, expert-staffed review body empowered to request data from federal agencies, contract for research, and publish annual recommendations to Congress with budget analysis attached. Veterans and their advocates would gain a transparent, publicly reported independent assessment of VHA performance — from wait times and care quality to workforce and technology — that does not currently exist as a single standing institution.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Title 38, United States Code, Chapter 1 (Sec. 2)
Adds a new section 120 establishing the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission and its membership, duties, powers, and reporting requirements.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Initial appointments of commission members by the Comptroller General
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates the VetPAC Act of 2025 would cost $8 million over the 2025–2030 period in discretionary spending (funds subject to annual appropriation), with no effect on the deficit from direct spending or revenues.
S. 787 would create a permanent 17-member Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission authorized to hire staff, conduct studies, and contract for original research. CBO estimates the commission would begin operating in 2027 and cost approximately $2 million per year — $1 million for staff salaries, travel, and operations, and $1 million for research contracts — totaling $8 million over the 2025–2030 period; spending beyond 2030 was not estimated. All spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated (discretionary) funds, with no effect on direct (mandatory) spending or revenues and no impact on the deficit. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The Comptroller General would make initial member appointments within 280 days of first receiving appropriations. Members would serve staggered five-year terms and meet at least annually. The commission would hire an Executive Director and staff, request data from federal agencies (with a 180-day response deadline), and may award grants or contracts for original research. The commission would consult annually with the chairmen and ranking members of both chambers' veterans' affairs committees on its agenda. By March 15 each year, the commission would transmit a report to Congress. Congressional support agencies — GAO, CRS, and CBO — would receive unrestricted access to commission records within 30 days of request.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Held at the desk.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill establishes the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission for purposes of reviewing operations at the Veterans Health Administration and preparing reports with recommendations for Congress based on such review.
Legislative subjects
Advisory bodies; Armed Forces and National Security; Congressional oversight; Data collection, sharing, protection; Veterans' medical care
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-98