HR7112-119

What This Bill Does

The Veterans' Bill of Rights Act of 2026 directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to inform veterans of rights related to VA health care, benefits, and services. The listed rights include receiving VA or eligible community care, being treated with courtesy and dignity, receiving clear treatment-option information and informed consent, receiving understandable benefits and program information, applying for benefits at any time and receiving eligibility explanations, seeking care or raising concerns without stigma or retaliation, protection of personal and medical records, filing complaints and receiving timely investigation and resolution, receiving written claim and appeal status notices, and appealing adverse decisions with fair hearings within a reasonable time. VA must integrate the rights into policies, directives, patient-facing materials, and employee training; train every employee annually; display the rights at VA facilities and online; coordinate with Defense and Labor to add a TAP module; put the rights in the VA mobile application and eBenefits or successor portal within 180 days; require each VA medical facility to designate a patient advocate or ombudsman to conduct annual compliance audits; and include summary rights statements in claim and health-care application acknowledgments. The bill does not create new damages claims, judicially enforceable rights beyond current law, or alter eligibility rules.

Who Benefits and How

Veterans, transitioning service members, VA patients, benefit claimants, veteran service organizations, VA patient advocates, and family caregivers benefit because the bill would make rights visible across VA facilities, portals, claim notices, and TAP instruction. Veterans raising complaints benefit from annual facility audits and emphasis on grievance redress and transparent communication.

Who Bears the Burden and How

VA employees, VA medical facilities, patient advocates, ombudsmen, VA training offices, VA policy offices, mobile application teams, eBenefits portal teams, Defense TAP staff, Labor TAP staff, and claims processors must update materials, complete annual training, display rights, add modules and portal features, conduct audits, and include rights statements in acknowledgments. The no-new-cause-of-action clause limits litigation benefits for veterans seeking damages.

Key Provisions

• Requires VA to inform veterans of rights related to health care, benefits, and services.
• Requires VA to integrate those rights into policies, directives, patient-facing materials, employee training, facility displays, and websites.
• Requires annual training for every VA employee on the listed rights.
• Requires Defense and Labor coordination to add a dedicated Transition Assistance Program module.
• Requires a VA app and eBenefits portal feature within 180 days and annual facility compliance audits by patient advocates or ombudsmen.
• Clarifies that the bill creates no new damages cause of action, judicially enforceable rights, or eligibility changes.