John Cornyn (R-TX)
Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act
A Republican bill with 5 Democratic cosponsors · See all 8 cosponsors
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 287.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
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 compares the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by Department of Veterans Affairs providers against non-Department providers. This comparison covers various treatment methods, including telehealth, in-patient, and residential treatment. An independent and objective organization outside the Department is intended to perform this work. The results must be submitted to specific Congressional committees and published on a public website. The entire study process must be completed within 18 months of the agreement being made.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +4
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
The bill focuses on assessing and improving the quality of essential mental health and addiction services for the veteran population.
- Scored +3
Does this make mental health care easier to get?
The bill's study aims to identify gaps in mental health care quality and service initiation times to potentially improve access.
- Scored +3
Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths?
The bill mandates a study on the quality of addiction therapy care, which is a critical component of addressing addiction.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Understanding of Care Quality: The study aims to compare the quality of care between Department providers and non-Department providers across various modalities like telehealth and in-patient treatment (Section 2(a)(1)). This could help determine which providers offer the best care for veterans.
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Assessment of Health Outcomes: The report will assess improvements in health outcomes, specifically looking at symptom scores and suicide risk using evidence-based scales (Section 2(c)(1)). This focus on suicide risk and health improvement is vital for veteran safety.
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Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices: The study checks if providers are using evidence-saced practices, including criteria from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (Section 2(c)(2)). This ensures that the care provided follows recognized medical standards.
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Identification of Coordination Gaps: The assessment looks for potential gaps in coordination and the sharing of patient health records between different provider types (Section 2(c)(3)). Better coordination can lead to smoother care transitions for individuals.
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Focus on Veteran-Centric Care: The study evaluates patient satisfaction and how well providers understand the unique needs and experiences of the military and veteran population (Section 2(c)(4)). This ensures care is tailored to those who served.
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Integrated Care for Co-occurring Conditions: The report examines whether veterans with multiple health needs receive integrated, holistic care (Section 2(c)(5)).
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Long-term Outcome Monitoring: The study looks at whether providers monitor health outcomes throughout treatment and for up to three years after treatment is finished (Section 2(c)(6)).
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Monitoring Wait Times: The assessment includes the average length of time it takes to start services after the initial point of contact (Section 2(c)(7)). This can help identify delays in getting help.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
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 make mental health care easier to get? — The bill's study aims to identify gaps in mental health care quality and service initiation times to potentially improve access. Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths? — The bill mandates a study on the quality of addiction therapy care, which is a critical component of addressing addiction. Does this make health care easier to get in general? — By assessing the time taken to initiate services, the bill seeks to improve the efficiency of healthcare access for veterans.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — The bill focuses on assessing and improving the quality of essential mental health and addiction services for the veteran population.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — The bill seeks to improve the quality of mental health and addiction treatment provided to veterans.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill requires the study results to be published on a publicly available website.
- 12/9/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Moran without amendment. Without written report.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 287.
- 9/19/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/30/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- 3/11/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-35.
- 2/25/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 7 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
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.
Michael BennetDemocrat · Colorado
Susan CollinsRepublican · Maine
Bill CassidyRepublican · Louisiana
John FettermanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Maggie HassanDemocrat · New Hampshire
Gary PetersDemocrat · Michigan
Thomas TillisRepublican · North Carolina
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia