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HR 8553

POPCaP Authorization Act of 2026

119th Congress Introduced by Greg Murphy

VA would establish a nationwide prostate cancer precision oncology program with Centers of Excellence, standardized genetic sequencing, and a shared registry to advance biomarker-d

Introduced in House
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Bill Summary · HR 8553

Overview

HR 8553, the POPCaP Authorization Act of 2026, would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a national precision oncology program specifically for cancer of the prostate, designating Centers of Excellence, creating a leadership structure, and implementing a uniform genetic sequencing platform and prostate cancer registry. The bill sets eligibility, staffing, reporting, and funding provisions, with a focus on advancing precision medicine for veterans with prostate cancer and related genitourinary cancers.

Purpose and intent

  • Create a VA-wide precision oncology program for prostate cancer to improve access to cutting-edge diagnostics, biomarkers, and targeted therapies.
  • Facilitate coordination of research, clinical trials, and data sharing across VA facilities to accelerate biomarker-driven care and biomarker-specific trials.
  • Establish a centralized leadership and governance framework to guide program development, stakeholder engagement, and national strategic planning.

Key provisions

  • Section 7330E Precision oncology program for cancer of the prostate

    • Establishment: VA must create the Program and designate Centers of Excellence; maintain a Program Leadership team.
    • Eligibility: Veterans enrolled in VA’s patient enrollment system with prostate cancer or non-prostate genitourinary cancer may enroll in additional medical services through the Program.
    • Center of Excellence requirements (designated facilities must):
    • Implement genetic sequencing for veterans with advanced prostate cancer.
    • Use a uniform sequencing platform for coordination across Centers.
    • Participate in a Telemedicine Tumor Board and a VA prostate cancer registry.
    • Provide travel support for eligible veterans to access studies.
    • Develop biomarker-specific clinical trials and participate in industry-sponsored precision oncology studies.
    • Maintain regular communication (monthly calls, at least three in-person meetings per year) with Program Leadership.
    • Report trial accrual and research activity and establish metastasis biopsy capability.
    • Extend resources to affiliated medical centers within the VA network.
    • Staffing: Centers must employ at minimum a medical oncologist, interventional radiologist, urologist, radiation oncologist, pathologist, and two FTE research staff.
    • Designation mechanics: Secretary must designate at least 21 Centers of Excellence, ensure one center in each VA Integrated Service Network (VISN), and ensure at least seven centers have a genitourinary program.
    • Existing centers with staff/functions related to prostate cancer may retain them through Jan 1, 2030; funding must not be reduced below 2023 levels through Jan 1, 2030.
    • Termination: Centers can be terminated after Jan 1, 2030 for noncompliance, with a 60-day consideration period after notifying Congress.
    • Program leadership location: Leadership team based at Seattle VA Medical Center, with provisions for replacement if discontinued.
    • Program Leadership roles: Executive Director, Clinical Director, and Research Director, each with defined duties (strategic planning, trial coordination, registry management, liaison work, etc.).
    • Annual reporting: By March 1 each year, VA must report on funding, enrollment, participants, researchers/providers, publications, trials, survival metrics (5-year), and projections for the coming year.
    • 2030 and beyond: Annual performance reviews of up to seven Centers; five-year review cadence; outcomes determine continued designation.

  • Section 2 and 3 include administrative details, designation lists of pre-enactment Centers of Excellence (a broad list including Seattle, Bronx, Ann Arbor, Manhattan, Chicago, West LA, and others), and an implementation plan due within 60 days of enactment.

  • Funding: Authorized appropriations of $15.5 million per fiscal year for 2027–2029 to support the program.

Eligibility and who is affected

  • Affects veterans diagnosed with prostate cancer or non-prostate genitourinary cancers who are enrolled in VA’s patient enrollment system.
  • Centers of Excellence and affiliated VA medical centers within the VA system would be impacted, requiring staffing, sequencing infrastructure, trials, and registries.

Timelines and process

  • Program must be established within 180 days after enactment.
  • An implementation plan must be submitted within 60 days.
  • Initial Centers of Excellence are designated at enactment with ongoing expansion to meet minimum counts and VISN coverage.
  • Annual and periodic performance reviews begin in 2030 and recur on a five-year cycle.

Potential impact

  • Advances in precision oncology for veterans with prostate cancer through standardized genetic sequencing, centralized data, and expanded trial access.
  • Improved coordination of care and research across VA centers, potentially leading to better biomarker-driven treatments and survival outcomes.
  • Increased administrative and funding commitments to sustain long-term prostate cancer research within VA.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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