To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the availability of care for veterans at facilities of the Department of Defense.

HR 6595 – Summary

Overview
- Bill number: HR 6595
- Title: To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the availability of care for veterans at facilities of the Department of Defense.
- Introduced: December 10, 2025 (House)
- Status: Introduced in House; referred to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
- Objective: Strengthen collaboration between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve access to care for enrolled veterans by utilizing DoD facilities with excess capacity, expanding joint care, and enhancing governance, data sharing, and accountability.

Key Provisions and Requirements

A. Action Plans at Covered Facilities
- Require DoD and VA to develop and implement action plans at covered facilities to:
- Strengthen resource sharing under existing authority.
- Improve communication between VA and military medical leadership.
- Increase use of DoD facilities that have excess capacity.
- Increase case volume and complexity for DoD/VA graduate medical education programs.
- Improve access to care for enrolled veterans in areas with excess capacity.

B. Required Elements of Action Plans
Action plans must include:
- Cross-credentialing and privileging of health care providers to jointly care for enrolled veterans.
- Expedited access to DoD installations for VA staff and enrolled veterans.
- Designation of a facility-level coordinator to lead implementation and serve as liaison.
- Ongoing monitoring framework with performance goals and data collection.
- Prioritized integration of IT and systems for seamless referrals, records, payments, and workload attribution.
- Oversight and accountability plan for adverse medical events and patient/staff complaints.
- Any other matter deemed appropriate by the Secretaries.

C. Approval Process Before Submission to Congress
- Action plans for a covered facility must be approved by:
- The co-chairs of the VA-DOD Joint Executive Committee (section 320, title 38 U.S.C.).
- The local DoD installation commander.
- The VA medical center director for the relevant facility.

D. Lead Coordinators and Public Disclosure
- Each facility with a sharing agreement must have a lead coordinator.
- DoD and VA must maintain a publicly accessible list of existing sharing agreements.

E. Reporting Mechanisms and Complaints
- Establish a secure mechanism for enrolled veterans to report concerns about care under an action plan.
- Mechanism must protect confidentiality, prohibit retaliation, and ensure complaints are transmitted to both DoD and VA.
- DoD and VA must maintain records of complaints, adverse events, and safety incidents, reviewed quarterly by designated officials from both agencies.
- Any allegation of abuse, neglect, or misconduct by DoD personnel in veteran care must be promptly referred to the DoD and VA Office of Inspector General.
- Pending investigations may allow VA to suspend referrals to a provider or facility.

F. Congressional Reporting and Briefings
- Not later than 30 days after completing action plans, DoD and VA must submit the plans to the appropriate Congressional committees.
- Not later than one year after submission, DoD and VA must brief Congress with:
- Status of implementation.
- Recommendations for additional action plans per facility.
- Number of patients served by the plans (facility and service type).
- Number of cross-credentialed/priviliged providers (facility and service type).
- Costs incurred and reimbursed between DoD and VA, including use of the DOD–VA Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund (38 U.S.C. 8111(d)(2)) if applicable.
- Effectiveness of oversight, data collection, performance goals, and recommendations for improvement.
- Summary of patient safety incidents or complaints and resolutions.
- Summary of IT and system integration progress and barriers.

G. Limitations
- The bill does not authorize or require veterans to seek care at a DoD facility solely for eligibility determination, and it does not authorize using DoD facilities as VA care sites for general eligibility determinations.

Impact and Implications

• Access and Capacity: Aims to increase veteran access to care by leveraging DoD facilities with excess capacity, potentially reducing wait times and travel burdens for some veterans.
• Integrated Care: Promotes cross-credentialing and joint care models, which could streamline treatment across DoD and VA providers.
• Education and Capacity: Seeks to grow case volume and complexity for joint DoD/VA education programs, potentially expanding training opportunities for military and VA clinicians.
• Governance and Accountability: Establishes formal mechanisms for complaints, adverse events, and independent oversight with quarterly reviews and IG referrals as needed.
• Data and IT: Emphasizes interoperability—refined sharing of medical records, referrals, orders, and billing—to support coordinated care.
• Budget and Funding: Involves cost accounting and potential use of the DOD–VA Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund; specific fiscal impact would depend on implementation.

Timeline and Process

• Action plans required for each covered facility, with approval by the Joint Executive Committee, local DoD commander, and VA medical center director.
• Plans submitted to Congress within 30 days of completion.
• A comprehensive briefing to Congress on progress, outcomes, and recommendations is due within one year of plan submission.
• Ongoing reporting and quarterly reviews of safety and complaint data.

Note: The bill’s text truncation limits certain details; the summary reflects the provided content.