WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HR 6519

Veterans Affairs Peer Review Neutrality Act of 2025

119th Congress Introduced by Jack Bergman and 1 co-sponsor

Requires neutrality in VA peer reviews and investigations: recusal for conflicts; neutral cross-facility peer reviews; protects confidentiality; prevents reuse of investigation info.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HR 6519

Summary of H.R. 6519: Veterans Affairs Peer Review Neutrality Act of 2025

Purpose

  • To amend title 38, United States Code, to eliminate conflicts of interest in the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) processes for quality management, peer review, administrative investigations, and factfinding.

  • Short title: Veterans Affairs Peer Review Neutrality Act of 2025.

Key Provisions

  1. New statute: 7311B—Elimination of conflicts of interest in peer review, administrative investigation boards, and factfinding

    • Added to Subchapter II of Chapter 73 of title 38.

  2. Peer Review (Quality Management)

    • Anyone responsible for conducting peer review of care in a VHA facility and any member of a peer review committee must withdraw from a case review if:
      • They have direct involvement with the care under review, or
      • They cannot conduct an objective, impartial, accurate, and informed review.
    • The facility must establish procedures to ensure that the initial peer review for care provided by a provider who is a member of the facility’s peer review committee is evaluated, discussed, and assigned a final level review by a neutral peer review committee at another VHA facility.

  3. Administrative Investigations and Factfinding

    • Confidential information held by an investigation board or factfinder may not be:
      • Used by the same individuals on another board/factfinding process, or disclosed to others on an administrative investigation board or as a factfinder.
    • Individuals involved in investigations must avoid:
      • Personal interest, bias, direct involvement, or supervisory/personal relationships with the investigation subject.
    • Recusal obligations:
      • If a potential factfinder has a personal interest, bias, direct involvement, or a supervisory/personal relationship, they must inform the responsible authority and recuse themselves from the matter.

  4. Administrative Amendments

    • Clerical update to the table of sections to insert the new section 7311B title for this requirement.

Who Is Affected

  • Veterans Health Administration personnel involved in:
    • Peer review for quality management of care.
    • Administrative investigation boards.
    • Factfinding processes related to quality management.
  • Members of VHA peer review committees and investigation/factfinding personnel.
  • Facilities within the VHA that conduct initial and subsequent reviews of care quality.

Procedural Timeline and Status

  • Introduced in the House: December 9, 2025.
  • Sponsor: Mrs. Dingell (with Mr. Bergman co-sponsorship).
  • Referred to: House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
  • No fiscal provisions or timeline beyond committee referral are specified in the introduced text.

Potential Impacts

  • Increases in impartiality and objectivity in quality-of-care reviews and investigations within the VHA.
  • Strengthened safeguards against biases by ensuring neutral review processes and recusal when conflicts or direct involvement exist.
  • Enhanced confidentiality protections for information gathered during investigations.
  • Possible procedural changes for facilities to route certain peer reviews to neutral committees at other facilities.

Notes

  • The bill is currently at the introduction stage and has not yet become law. If enacted, it would add a new statutory framework to guide neutrality and conflict-of-interest practices in VA health care governance.

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

Sign in to ask a question.