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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 27, 2025
Copay Fairness for Veterans Act
This bill eliminates veterans' copayments for medication, hospital care, and medical services related to preventive health services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bill expands the definition of preventive health services to include (1) evidence-based items or services that have an A or B rating in the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force; (2) immunizations that have a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved; and (3) with respect to services for women, the preventive care, screenings, and contraceptives provided for in the Health Resources and Services Administration Preventive Services Guidelines in effect as of December 30, 2022, and any contraceptive approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, any related contraceptive care, and any related services.
People & committees
Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] · D–IL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
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.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 19, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-27 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.
The proposed Copay Fairness for Veterans Act would remove Department of Veterans Affairs copayments—amounts veterans pay toward their care—for preventive health services and medications that are or form part of those services. It would also expand the definition of preventive services to include specified recommended care and immunizations, along with preventive care, screenings, and contraception for women. These are proposed changes, not evidence of enacted law.
This Act may be cited as the Copay Fairness for Veterans Act.
(a) Elimination of medication copayments
(E) to medication that is or is part of a preventive health service.
(5) A veteran shall not be liable to the United States under this subsection for any amounts for preventive health services.
(L) evidence-based items or services that have in effect a rating of A or B in the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force; (M) immunizations that have in effect a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved; (N) with respect to services for women— (i) the preventive care, screenings, and contraceptives provided for in the Health Resources and Services Administration Preventive Services Guidelines in effect as of December 30, 2022; and (ii) any contraceptive approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, any related contraceptive care, and any related services;
The bill would add an exception to the medication copayment provision in section 1722A(a)(3) for medication that is itself a preventive health service or part of one.
(a) Elimination of medication copayments Section 1722A(a)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (E) to medication that is or is part of a preventive health service.
For hospital care and medical services, the bill would expressly prohibit charging veterans any amounts for preventive health services under section 1710(f). It would also add preventive health services to section 1710(g)(3) as part of eliminating these copayments.
(b) Elimination of hospital care and medical services copayments Section 1710 of such title is amended— (1) in subsection (f)—
(5) A veteran shall not be liable to the United States under this subsection for any amounts for preventive health services. ; and (2) in subsection (g)(3), by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (C) Preventive health services.
The expanded definition of preventive health services would include evidence-based items or services with an A or B rating in the United States Preventive Services Task Force's current recommendations.
(c) Definition Section 1701(9) of such title is amended—
(L) evidence-based items or services that have in effect a rating of A or B in the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force;
Immunizations would qualify under the expanded definition when a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is in effect and applies to the individual receiving the immunization.
(M) immunizations that have in effect a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved;
For women, the definition would include preventive care, screenings, and contraceptives listed in the Health Resources and Services Administration's Preventive Services Guidelines as they stood on December 30, 2022. That date identifies the guidelines to use; it is not stated as an implementation date.
(N) with respect to services for women— (i) the preventive care, screenings, and contraceptives provided for in the Health Resources and Services Administration Preventive Services Guidelines in effect as of December 30, 2022;
The provision for women's services would also include any contraceptive approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, together with related contraceptive care and related services.
(N) with respect to services for women—
(ii) any contraceptive approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, any related contraceptive care, and any related services;
The supplied action snapshot, updated September 19, 2025, records introduction and referral to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on February 27, 2025; referral to its Health Subcommittee on March 10; and a subcommittee consideration and mark-up session followed by forwarding to the full committee by voice vote on March 25.
Source snapshot updated 2025-09-19T08:07:35Z. 2025-03-25: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote. 2025-03-25: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held 2025-03-10: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. 2025-02-27: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 2025-02-27: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-27. 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 or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
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 was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; it does not establish formal earmark status or absence in accompanying materials or other versions.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential carve-out beyond ordinary coverage of the bill's intended beneficiaries was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 19, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI