Pat Fallon (R-TX)
Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act
A Republican bill with 6 Democratic cosponsors · See all 12 cosponsors
Last activity — Subcommittee Hearings Held
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act," directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a specific study. The study aims to compare the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by Department of Veterans Affairs providers against non-Department providers. This comparison covers various care methods, such as telehealth, in-patient, and residential treatment. The Secretary is tasked with hiring an independent and objective organization to perform this work. The final report must be submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs and published on a public website.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +8
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
Veterans stand to benefit directly from more effective and high-quality mental health and addiction services.
- Scored +7
Does this help veterans get medical care?
The bill directly seeks to improve the quality of mental health and addiction treatment specifically for veterans.
- Scored +6
Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive?
Improving the quality of mental health care is a significant enhancement to overall veteran benefits.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Transparency and Accountability: The bill requires the results of the study to be published on a publicly available website, which allows the public to see the findings (Section 2(a)(2)).
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Better Assessment of Health Outcomes: The study will look at improvements in health outcomes, including symptom scores and suicide risk using evidence-based scales like the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (Section 2(c)(1)).
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Evaluation of Care Quality: The study assesses whether providers are using evidence-based practices and if they are providing veteran-centric care that addresses the unique needs of the military population (Section 2(c)(2) and Section 2(c)(4)).
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Identification of Coordination Gaps: The assessment will check for gaps in coordination between different types of providers, specifically regarding the sharing of patient health records (Section 2(c)(3)).
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Focus on Holistic Care: The report will determine if veterans with co-occurring conditions are receiving integrated care to address their needs holistically (Section 2(c)(5)).
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Monitoring of Long-term Success: The study evaluates whether providers monitor health outcomes throughout treatment and for up to three years after treatment is completed (Section 2(c)(6)).
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Efficiency in Service Delivery: The assessment includes a comparison of the average length of time it takes for a veteran to initiate services after the initial point of contact (Section 2(c)(7)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly mentioned in the text of the bill.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Healthcare
- Does this help veterans get medical care? — The bill directly seeks to improve the quality of mental health and addiction treatment specifically for veterans. Does this make mental health care easier to get? — The study aims to improve mental health and addiction care by assessing quality and identifying gaps in service delivery. Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths? — By assessing addiction therapy quality, the bill supports more effective responses to addiction-related issues.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — Veterans stand to benefit directly from more effective and high-quality mental health and addiction services.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — Improving the quality of mental health care is a significant enhancement to overall veteran benefits.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The requirement to publish the study results on a public website increases transparency regarding VA care quality.
- 1/13/2026
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Subcommittee Hearings Held
- 12/1/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/1/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/5/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/24/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/8/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/31/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/27/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Sanford BishopDemocrat · Georgia
Troy CarterDemocrat · Louisiana
Lance GoodenRepublican · Texas
Josh HarderDemocrat · California
Seth MagazinerDemocrat · Rhode Island
Troy NehlsRepublican · Texas
David ValadaoRepublican · California
Derrick Van OrdenRepublican · Wisconsin
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia
Joe WilsonRepublican · South Carolina
Steve WomackRepublican · Arkansas
George WhitesidesDemocrat · California