Ricketts, King Introduce the CARING for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Coordinating and Aligning Records to Improve and Normalize Governance (CARING) for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025. The CARING for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025 would require the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement guidelines to ensure tracking of medical documentation after a veteran receives care from a community provider, while measuring the performance of obtaining community care records. This would enable the Office of Integrated Veteran Care to provide veterans with the standard of care they need and deserve.
“Our veterans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude,” said Ricketts. “In order to ensure our veterans receive the best standard of care, it is important that their medical history is shared and available for VA medical centers following care in the community. This bill will help establish guidelines and procedures for VA medical facilities to obtain medical documentation from community care providers.”
“Veterans in Maine and across the country have sacrificed greatly in service to the nation and it is our job to now return the favor,” said Senator King. “The CARING for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025would ensure that veterans have access to the best care by improving information-sharing between community care providers and VA medical centers to reduce the chances of important details falling through the cracks. I am grateful to my colleague, Senator Ricketts, for working with me on this important legislation putting veterans first.”
The CARING for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025 would require that the Office of Integrated Veteran Care supervised by the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs:
- Develops guidance for the efforts of medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs in obtaining final medical documentation after a veteran receives services from a community care provider pursuant to a referral from that medical center;
- Establishes goals and related performance measures for medical centers of the Department in obtaining initial and final medical documentation from community care providers;
- Establishes and monitors goals and related performance measures for the completion by such providers of core trainings and ensures that such providers complete the required training course; and
- Takes steps to ensure that the Office of Integrated Veteran Care and any contractor for that Office communicate clear and accurate information to such providers regarding the core trainings recommended or required by that Office, including whether such training is recommended or required.
This legislation is supported by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
BACKGROUND:
Nearly 75% of veterans return to medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for continued care after receiving services from community providers, making the exchange of medical documentation between providers essential to ensuring continuity of care. The Office of Integrated Veteran Care of the Veterans Health Administration currently lacks systemwide visibility into whether medical documentation from community providers is being received, jeopardizing oversight and clinical coordination.
As reliance on community care for veterans continues to grow, establishing clear expectations for tracking final documentation and creating monitoring goals and performance measures will enable the Office of Integrated Veteran Care to identify gaps and strengthen the systemwide exchange of information.
Bill text can be found here.