Official Summaries

Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a program to carry out all activities necessary to permit certain members of the Armed Forces to elect to enroll in the VA health care system on the date of separation of such members from active service. Specifically, the program is for those who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998.

The VA must, in conjunction with the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security, establish a mechanism to permit a member of the Armed Forces to elect to pre-enroll in the VA health care system during the 180-day period preceding the date of separation of the member from active service.

The VA-DOD Joint Executive Committee must brief Congress on the efforts to implement such a mechanism under the program.

The Government Accountability Office must report on the program and include recommendations with respect to methods to improve the program.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 683 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 683

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot 
program to permit certain members of the Armed Forces to pre-enroll in 
the system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under 
             section 1705 of title 38, United States Code.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 23, 2025

  Mrs. Kim (for herself, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Ciscomani, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. 
  Lawler, and Mr. Cisneros) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot 
program to permit certain members of the Armed Forces to pre-enroll in 
the system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under 
             section 1705 of title 38, United States Code.

    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 ``Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act 
of 2025''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR PRE-ENROLLMENT OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE 
              ARMED FORCES IN SYSTEM OF ANNUAL PATIENT ENROLLMENT OF 
              THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than October 1, 2027, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall establish a program to carry out, to the maximum 
extent practicable, all activities necessary to permit a member of the 
Armed Forces specified in subsection (b) to elect to enroll in the 
system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under 
section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, on the date of the 
separation of such member from active military, naval, air, or space 
service.
    (b) Member of the Armed Forces Specified.--A member of the Armed 
Forces specified in this subsection is a member of the Armed Forces 
that the Secretary determines--
            (1) is performing active military, naval, air, or space 
        service;
            (2) would be eligible for enrollment in the system of 
        annual patient enrollment established and operated under such 
        section on the date of the separation of such member from such 
        service; and
            (3) is described in section 1710(e)(1)(D) of title 38, 
        United States Code.
    (c) Pre-Enrollment Mechanism.--
            (1) In general.--Under the program required by subsection 
        (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the 
        Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
        shall establish a mechanism to permit a member of the Armed 
        Forces specified in subsection (b) to elect to pre-enroll in 
        such system of annual patient enrollment, pursuant to the 
        program required by subsection (a), during the 180-day period 
        that precedes the date of the separation of such member from 
        active military, naval, air, or space service.
            (2) Briefings on mechanism.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 
        for the duration of the program required by subsection (a), the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint 
        Executive Committee established under section 320 of title 38, 
        United States Code, shall submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees a briefing on efforts of the Secretary 
        of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense with respect 
        to the implementation of the mechanism required by paragraph 
        (1) during the period covered by the briefing.
    (d) Report on Pre-Enrolled Members.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the 
duration of such program, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that includes, with respect to the 
fiscal year that precedes the period covered by the report--
            (1) the number of members of the Armed Forces specified in 
        subsection (b) who--
                    (A) elected to participate in such program and who 
                were subsequently--
                            (i) enrolled in the system of annual 
                        patient enrollment established and operated 
                        under section 1705 of title 38, United States 
                        Code; and
                            (ii) denied enrollment in such system; and
                    (B) elected not to participate in such program; and
            (2) aggregated demographic information on members of the 
        Armed Forces described in paragraph (1), including--
                    (A) age;
                    (B) ethnicity;
                    (C) duration of active military, naval, air, or 
                space service;
                    (D) grade; and
                    (E) Armed Force.
    (e) Termination Date.--The authority of the Secretary to carry out 
the program required by subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that 
is three years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (f) GAO Report on Program.--Not later than the date that is two 
years after the date of the termination of such authority, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report that includes--
            (1) an analysis of the effectiveness of the program 
        required by subsection (a) with respect to the enrollment of 
        members of the Armed Forces specified in subsection (b) in the 
        system of annual patient enrollment established and operated 
        under section 1705 of title 38, United States Code; and
            (2) recommendations of the Comptroller General, if any, 
        with respect to methods to improve to such program.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``active military, naval, air, or space 
        service'' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of 
        title 38, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
                House of Representatives and the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committees on Armed Services of the House 
                of Representatives and the Senate.
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