Bill sets wait-time rules and mental health fast-track for VA outside care
In markupH.R. 740Latest action
Sponsor: Mike Bost · Representative · IL
AIDecoded by AI · checked against the recordRead the official text
Official title: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025
119th Congress
Topics: Security & foreign affairs
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
The plain-language version comes first. The official text is always the reference.
HR 740 sets clear wait-time and travel rules for veterans to access outside care and speeds up mental health admissions.
40-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
HR 740, the Veterans' ACCESS Act of 2025, sets specific wait-time and travel-distance standards for when veterans can see private doctors instead of VA providers, and requires faster notifications about eligibility, denials, and appeals. It also creates a 48-hour screening process for priority mental health and substance abuse admissions, an online scheduling and appeals tool, and a three-year pilot letting some veterans access mental health care without prior referral.
Who does it affect?
The bill affects veterans who use VA health care, the VA itself, and private/outside health providers who partner with the VA.
Why does it matter?
The changes would restructure how quickly veterans can qualify for outside care and how VA tracks, staffs, and reports on mental health treatment access, with ongoing reporting requirements to Congress.
AI-drafted summary. Check it against the official text before you act on it.
Read the official bill on Congress.govMake the call
Where does it stand?
- IntroducedJan 28, 2025
- House committeeYou are here · Jul 23, 2025
- House vote
- Senate
- The president's desk
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.