Protecting Home-Based Care for Rural Veterans Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5027 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5027

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure fair reimbursement
rates for home and community-based services furnished by the Department
              of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 16, 2026

 Mr. Heinrich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure fair reimbursement
rates for home and community-based services furnished by the Department
              of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Home-Based Care for Rural
Veterans Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES.

    (a) Homemaker and Home Health Aide Program.--Section 1720L(c) of
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
    ``(3) On and after the date of the enactment of the Protecting
Home-Based Care for Rural Veterans Act of 2026, the Secretary--
            ``(A) in the case of any reimbursement rates for services
        furnished under the Homemaker and Home Health Aide program that
        were reduced after December 31, 2025, shall reinstate the rates
        in effect on such date; and
            ``(B) may not reduce the reimbursement rates for such
        services to an amount that is less than the rates in effect on
        such date, unless the Secretary notifies Congress of such
        reduction not later than 90 days before such reduction takes
        effect.
    ``(4) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
the Protecting Home-Based Care for Rural Veterans Act of 2026, and
annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report--
            ``(A) specifying whether the number of providers furnishing
        services under the Homemaker and Home Health Aide program is
        adequate to meet veteran demand for such services;
            ``(B) identifying any regions where provider participation
        in furnishing such services is inadequate to meet such demand;
        and
            ``(C) identifying how the Secretary plans to ensure
        adequate provider participation in furnishing such services to
        ensure the needs of veterans for such care are met.''.
    (b) Report on Reimbursement Rates.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall submit to Congress a report that includes--
            (1) the data sources used to establish reimbursement rates
        for services under subsections (c) and (e) of section 1720L of
        title 38, United States Code, including any use of data from
        the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security
        Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), the Medicaid program under title
        XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), or the private
        market;
            (2) the weighting and adjustment factors applied to such
        data;
            (3) the role of any contractors or third-party
        administrators in determining such rates;
            (4) a description of any consultation with providers of
        home and community-based services in establishing such rates,
        including how such input was solicited, considered, and
        incorporated; and
            (5) a description of any formulas, models, or analytical
        methods used to establish such rates, including any variables,
        assumptions, weighting, and any additional data sources or
        factors considered by the Secretary.
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