ACE Veterans Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The ACE Veterans Act adds a new section 1720M to title 38. If a veteran is enrolled in VA annual patient enrollment and a VA medical provider prescribes contraceptive pills, transdermal patches, vaginal rings, or other contraceptive products, the veteran may elect to fill the prescription as a full-year supply. VA medical providers who prescribe those products must notify veterans of the full-year option. The bill defines contraceptive product broadly to include drugs, devices, or biological products intended to prevent pregnancy, including products also used for other health needs, so long as they are approved, cleared, authorized, or licensed under specified Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or Public Health Service Act authorities.
Who Benefits and How
Veterans using VA contraceptive care benefit because they can receive a full-year supply instead of repeated shorter fills. Veterans in rural areas benefit because fewer refill visits or mail-order cycles reduce access barriers. VA pharmacy patients benefit from more reliable continuity for pills, patches, rings, and other approved contraceptive products. VA reproductive health clinicians benefit from a clear statutory option to offer eligible veterans.
Who Bears the Burden and How
VA medical providers must notify veterans of the full-year supply option when prescribing covered contraceptive products. VA pharmacy staff must stock, dispense, and document full-year supplies when veterans elect them. Department of Veterans Affairs health systems staff must update pharmacy workflows, patient notices, and benefit guidance. Federal taxpayers may bear upfront dispensing costs from larger prescription fills.
Key Provisions
- Adds title 38 section 1720M for full-year VA contraceptive supply.
- Requires VA to let enrolled veterans elect full-year fills for prescribed contraceptive products.
- Requires VA medical providers to notify veterans of the full-year supply option.
- Defines contraceptive product by reference to FDA and Public Health Service Act approval, clearance, authorization, or licensing authorities.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to let enrolled veterans fill VA-prescribed contraceptive pills, patches, vaginal rings, or other approved contraceptive products as a full-year supply and requires VA medical providers to notify veterans of that option.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans Health, Reproductive Health, Pharmacy
Primary Purpose
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to let enrolled veterans fill VA-prescribed contraceptive pills, patches, vaginal rings, or other approved contraceptive products as a full-year supply and requires VA medical providers to notify veterans of that option.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Veterans using VA contraceptive care
- Veterans in rural areas
- VA pharmacy patients
- VA reproductive health clinicians
Identified Costs
- VA medical providers
- VA pharmacy staff
- Department of Veterans Affairs health systems staff
- Federal taxpayers
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Ms. Underwood introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
VA medical providers, VA pharmacy patients, VA pharmacy staff
Positive-direction: VA pharmacy patients, Veterans in rural areas, Veterans using VA contraceptive care
Negative-direction: VA medical providers, VA pharmacy staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology