Bill Details
HR.244 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-11 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Introduced Date
2025-01-09
Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Committees
View committees (2)
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would let certain veterans with service-connected disabilities enroll in TRICARE Select, the military health plan, even if they are not active-duty family members. These veterans would be able to choose TRICARE Select during the yearly open enrollment period, but they could not use VA health care at the same time while enrolled in TRICARE. The bill also says the Department of Veterans Affairs would pay the Department of Defense for the cost of covering these veterans. The changes would start one year after the bill becomes law, and the two departments would write rules, phase in enrollment, and report regularly to Congress on how the new system is working.
- It creates a new group called “covered veteran beneficiaries” for veterans who qualify for VA health care and are eligible for TRICARE only because of this bill or because they are Medicare-eligible under related TRICARE rules.
- These veterans could join TRICARE Select during the normal annual open enrollment period, and their cost-sharing would be based on the same rules used for other TRICARE Select users.
- If a covered veteran beneficiary enrolls in TRICARE, they cannot also stay enrolled in the VA patient enrollment system or receive VA medical care at the same time under the law.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense would make an agreement for VA to reimburse DoD, then issue rules, phase in enrollment over time, and send quarterly and yearly reports to Congress on implementation.
Official Summaries
Veterans' True Choice Act of 2025
This bill allows covered veterans to receive coverage under TRICARE Select, a health care program of the Department of Defense (DOD). Veterans covered by this bill include those with service-connected disabilities, former prisoners of war, Purple Heart recipients, Medal of Honor recipients, those discharged from service due to disability, and those entitled to disability compensation.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must reimburse DOD's costs of enrolling eligible veteran beneficiaries in the program.
A covered veteran may not concurrently receive medical care from DOD and the VA.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 244 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 244
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide eligibility for
TRICARE Select to veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 9, 2025
Mr. Steube introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide eligibility for
TRICARE Select to veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' True Choice Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR TRICARE FOR VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED
DISABILITIES.
(a) In General.--
(1) Enrollment in tricare select.--Section 1075 of title
10, United States Code, is amended--
(A) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by inserting before
the period at the end the following: ``, and covered
veteran beneficiaries under subsection (h), other than
Medicare-eligible beneficiaries described in such
subsection (d)(2)'';
(B) by redesignating subsections (h) and (i) as
subsections (i) and (j), respectively; and
(C) by inserting after subsection (g) the following
new subsection:
``(h) Covered Veteran Beneficiaries.--(1) Subject to section
1086(d) of this title, a covered veteran beneficiary may elect to
enroll in TRICARE Select during the annual open enrollment season of
the TRICARE program.
``(2) The cost-sharing requirements under TRICARE Select for
covered veteran beneficiaries shall be calculated pursuant to
subsection (d)(1), regardless of the date of the original enlistment or
appointment of the beneficiary in the uniformed services.
``(3) A dependent of a covered veteran beneficiary may not enroll
in the TRICARE program solely by reason of the covered veteran
beneficiary enrolling in the TRICARE program.''.
(2) Enrollment in tricare for life.--Section 1086(d) of
such title is amended--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting before the
period at the end the following: `` or pursuant to
section 1075(h) of this title''; and
(B) in paragraphs (2) and (4), by inserting ``, or
section 1075(h) of this title,'' after ``a person
referred to in subsection (c)'' both places it appears.
(3) Definition.--Section 1072 of such title is amended by
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(16) The term `covered veteran beneficiary' means a
veteran who--
``(A) is eligible to enroll in the system of
patient enrollment under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of
section 1705 of title 38; and
``(B) is eligible to enroll in the TRICARE program
only pursuant to--
``(i) section 1075(h) of this title; or
``(ii) section 1086(d) of this title by
reason of being an individual who would be
covered by section 1075(h) but for being a
Medicare-eligible beneficiary covered by such
section 1086(d).''.
(4) Enrollment in va health care.--Section 1705 of title
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
``(d)(1) A covered veteran beneficiary who enrolls in the TRICARE
program may not be concurrently enrolled in the system of patient
enrollment under subsection (a), and the Secretary may not furnish
medical care to the covered veteran beneficiary under this chapter or
other provision of law administered by the Secretary while the covered
veteran beneficiary is so enrolled in the TRICARE program.
``(2) In this subsection, the terms `covered veteran beneficiary'
and `TRICARE program' have the meaning given those terms in section
1072 of title 10.''.
(b) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
and the Secretary of Defense shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs reimburses
the Secretary of Defense for the costs of enrolling covered veteran
beneficiaries in the TRICARE program pursuant to the amendments made by
subsection (a), as jointly determined appropriate by the Secretaries.
(c) Implementation.--
(1) Effective date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect one year after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(2) Regulations.--During the one-year period following the
date on which the amendments made by this section take effect,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense
shall each prescribe regulations to carry out such amendments.
(3) Phase in.--During the one-year period following the
date on which the regulations are prescribed under paragraph
(2), the Secretaries shall phase in the enrollment of covered
veteran beneficiaries in accordance with the annual open
enrollment season of the TRICARE program.
(4) VA center for innovation for care and payment.--The
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out this subsection
through the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(d) Reports.--
(1) Reports on implementation.--On a quarterly basis during
the two-year period following the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of
Defense shall jointly submit to the Committees on Veterans'
Affairs and Armed Services of the Senate and the House of
Representatives a report on the implementation of this Act and
the amendments made by this Act.
(2) Annual reports.--Not later than one year after the date
on which the final report under paragraph (1) is required to be
submitted, and annually thereafter, the Secretaries shall
jointly submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Armed
Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a
report on covered veteran beneficiaries enrolled in the TRICARE
program.
(e) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``covered veteran
beneficiary'' and ``TRICARE program'' have the meaning given those
terms in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code, as amended by
subsection (a).
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