What does Preamble of Improving Access to Care for Rural Veterans Act do?

This bill, formally titled 'To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish partnerships between medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and medical facilities in rural areas, and for other purposes,' aims to establish partnerships between VA medical facilities and those in rural areas. The bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to create these partnerships.

What does SHORT TITLE. of Improving Access to Care for Rural Veterans Act do?

This Act is formally titled the Improving Access to Care for Rural Veterans Act.

What does PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN MEDICAL FACILITIES OF DEPARTMENT OF of Improving Access to Care for Rural Veterans Act do?

This section mandates that each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility enter into a partnership with a medical facility in a rural area. Partnerships may include agreements for telehealth, co-location, training, care coordination, emergency services, or other services. The purpose of these partnerships is to increase access to care for veterans in rural areas and reduce costs. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs can waive the requirement for a facility for up to five years, notifying Congress 48 hours prior to the waiver's effect. The Secretary must provide a briefing to Congress within 180 days of the Act's enactment outlining implementation plans. The Secretary must submit a biennial report to Congress detailing the operation and performance of these partnerships, including data on veteran enrollment and service-connected disability compensation. The Secretary must ensure compliance with the partnership requirement within three years of the Act's enactment for existing facilities and for new facilities within three years of seeing patients. The term 'rural' is defined using the Department of Agriculture's Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) coding system.

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Improving Access to Care for Rural Veterans Act

Last updated: 3/18/2026 · Introduced: 10/22/2025

Author: Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill requires each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility to partner with a rural medical facility to increase access to care for veterans in rural areas.
Partnerships can include telehealth, co-location, training, and other services, with the VA Secretary able to waive the requirement for up to five years.
The VA Secretary must report to Congress biennially on the operation and performance of these partnerships, including data on veteran enrollment and service-connected disability compensation.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

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Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 1 more.

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