The VetPAC Act of 2025 establishes a commission to review and recommend improvements to the Veterans Health Administration's operations and policies.
Bill Cassidy
Senator
LA
The VetPAC Act of 2025 establishes the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission to assess and provide recommendations to Congress regarding the Veterans Health Administration's operations. The commission, composed of experts appointed by the Comptroller General, will evaluate areas such as healthcare quality, IT, staffing, and budget management. It will then submit annual reports to Congress with its findings and proposed improvements. The Act authorizes funding for the commission's activities and mandates transparency by granting access to information to key congressional entities.
VetPAC Act Proposes New 17-Member Commission to Oversee Veterans Health Administration, Mandates Annual Reports to Congress
The VetPAC Act of 2025 proposes establishing a new body, the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission, specifically designed to review the operations of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This 17-member commission, appointed by the Comptroller General, would be tasked with digging into how the VHA works and delivering annual reports with recommendations directly to Congress by March 15th each year.
Setting Up the Review Crew
So, who sits on this commission? The bill mandates 17 members serving five-year terms. At least two must be veterans, ensuring some direct experience with the system under review. Crucially, the appointees need demonstrated expertise in areas vital to running a massive healthcare system – think quality of care, staffing, IT systems (including AI), supply chains, facility construction, medical research, and managed care. This broad expertise aims to equip the commission to understand the VHA's complexities. The Comptroller General has 280 days to make the initial appointments once funding is allocated, kicking off the commission's work.
What Gets Examined?
The commission's to-do list is extensive. According to Section 2, it's expected to scrutinize everything from VHA's IT infrastructure and patient referral processes to wait times, quality of care metrics, and staffing challenges. It will also look into patient satisfaction, employee training, budget management, procurement practices, research initiatives, facility construction projects, and how the VHA coordinates care with other major programs like Medicare and TRICARE. For veterans navigating the system, this could mean focused attention on issues like appointment delays or the effectiveness of new digital health tools.
Powers, Pay, and Paper Trails
To do its job, the commission gets significant authority. It can hire its own staff, request help and information from other federal agencies, enter into contracts, and collect data. This access is key to conducting thorough reviews. Members will be compensated at a rate similar to senior federal executives (Level IV of the Executive Schedule) for their time, plus travel expenses. Importantly, the bill requires transparency: the commission must grant unrestricted access to its records and data to government watchdogs like the Comptroller General, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) within 30 days of a request. While designed to provide robust oversight for the VHA, the effectiveness will depend on how these powers are wielded and whether the commission can navigate the inherent complexities without becoming just another layer of bureaucracy.