PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7] · R–NJ
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Sep 24, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-27 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet minimum numbers of qualifying Vet Centers in each state and covered territory within one year after enactment. It would require additional centers wherever needed to meet those minimums, while allowing some additional locations to be Vet Center outstations instead of full centers.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that, by not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the number of covered Vet Centers located in each State is at least the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to that State.
In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish such additional covered Vet Centers in each State as may be necessary to meet the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to the State.
for each remaining covered Vet Center necessary to meet such number, may establish a covered Vet Center outstation in lieu of a covered Vet Center.
Section 1 gives the proposal the short title “Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2026.”
This Act may be cited as the Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2026 or the Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2026.
For states outside the contiguous United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories or possessions, the proposed minimum would be one qualifying center or the number located there on January 1, 2020, whichever is greater.
With respect to each State that is one of the several States not located in the contiguous United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States that is not one of the several States, the greater of the following: (A) One covered Vet Center per State. (B) The total number of covered Vet Centers that were located in the State on January 1, 2020.
For states in the contiguous United States, the proposed minimum would be whichever formula requires more centers: one per 30,000 square miles of land or one per 55,000 veterans. The veteran count would come from the Census Bureau's most recent census.
With respect to each of the several States located in the contiguous United States and not referred to in paragraph (1), the greater of the following: (A) One covered Vet Center per every 30,000 square miles of land area in the State. (B) One covered Vet Center per every 55,000 veterans located in the State (calculated by using the number of veterans in the State as determined by the Director of the United States Census Bureau for the most recent census).
The Secretary would have to establish additional qualifying centers as needed. The Secretary could use facilities made available by state or local governments or federally recognized Indian tribes, whether those facilities are offered free or at a cost.
In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish such additional covered Vet Centers in each State as may be necessary to meet the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to the State.
the Secretary may establish such covered Vet Centers at facilities made available to the Secretary by the head of a State, local government, or federally recognized Indian tribe to carry out this section, regardless of whether such facility is made available at a cost to the Secretary.
If a state needs more than one additional center, the Secretary would have to establish at least one additional qualifying Vet Center. For each remaining required location, the Secretary could establish a qualifying outstation instead.
If the establishment of more than one additional covered Vet Center in a State is necessary to meet the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to the State, the Secretary— (A) shall establish at least one additional covered Vet Center to meet such number; and (B) for each remaining covered Vet Center necessary to meet such number, may establish a covered Vet Center outstation in lieu of a covered Vet Center.
To qualify, a Vet Center would generally need to be scheduled to provide services for at least eight hours a day, five days a week. Temporary shorter hours would be allowed for federal holidays, weather, safety concerns, a pandemic, or other reasons the Secretary considers appropriate.
The term covered Vet Center means a Vet Center, as such term is defined in section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, that is scheduled to be open for the provision of services under such section for a minimum of eight hours per day during five days of the week, except that the Vet Center may be open for less than such minimum on a temporary basis as a result of a Federal holiday, weather concern, safety concern, pandemic, or for such other reasons as may be determined appropriate by the Secretary.
A qualifying outstation would have to provide child care services similar to those at a Vet Center and follow the specified minimum operating schedule.
The term covered Vet Center outstation means a Vet Center outstation that— (A) provides similar child care services as the child care services provided at a Vet Center; and (B) is scheduled to be open in accordance with the minimum hours and days specified in paragraph (1).
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 24, 2026, records introduction and referral to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on August 27, 2026, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Health on September 7, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-24T08:05:25Z. 2026-09-07: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. 2026-08-27: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 2026-08-27: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-27. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish what other versions or accompanying materials contain.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places outside a statutory formula was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; absent disclosure and committee materials prevent a broader determination.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Coverage rules, geographic formulas, and routine implementation options do not alone establish such a benefit. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 24, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI