New VA Bill Expands Veteran Homecare Choices by Adding Nurse Registries to Community Care Network

The new Veterans Homecare Choice Act of 2025 is short, but it packs a punch for veterans who need care at home. Essentially, this bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care Program to officially recognize and include “nurse registries” as eligible providers. If you’re a veteran relying on the VA for home health services, this means your options for getting help just got bigger.

The Homecare Expansion: What’s a Nurse Registry?

Before this bill, the VA had a specific list of providers it could pay through the Community Care Program. This legislation adds a new category: the “nurse registry.” The bill defines this registry as any organization that helps find or contract registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), home health aides, or even companions and homemakers to provide services. Think of them as a staffing agency specifically for in-home medical and supportive care. Crucially, the bill requires these registries to meet all state licensing rules, which is the check-and-balance that keeps things above board.

Why This Matters for Veterans and Caregivers

For a veteran needing assistance—perhaps recovering from surgery or managing a chronic condition—access to timely, quality home care is everything. If you live in a rural area or a place where the VA’s existing network is thin, this expansion is huge. It plugs the VA into established local networks of CNAs and aides that were previously off-limits. For example, a veteran in a smaller town might now be able to use a local, trusted homecare service that contracts through a registry, rather than waiting for an overworked VA provider or commuting long distances.

This change is purely about expanding choice and access (Section 2). By integrating these registries, the VA potentially gains flexibility and speed in arranging care. For the caregivers—the RNs, LPNs, and aides—this opens up a new stream of VA-funded work, which can stabilize local employment for these essential workers. The bill doesn't change what care is covered, only who can provide it under the existing Community Care rules. It’s a smart, procedural move that uses existing state-regulated infrastructure to improve service delivery for those who earned it.