EVEST Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4114 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4114

To amend title 38, United States Code, to automatically enroll eligible
  veterans in the patient enrollment system of Department of Veterans
                    Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2025

  Mr. Takano introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to automatically enroll eligible
  veterans in the patient enrollment system of 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 ``Ensuring Veterans' Smooth Transition
Act'' or the ``EVEST Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT OF ELIGIBLE VETERANS IN PATIENT ENROLLMENT
              SYSTEM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) The Secretary shall enroll each veteran described in
subsection (a) in the patient enrollment system under this section not
later than 60 days after receiving the information described in
paragraph (2) regarding the veteran.
    ``(2) The information described in this paragraph is the
information--
            ``(A) regarding a veteran that the Secretary determines is
        necessary to so enroll a veteran; and
            ``(B) transmitted to the Secretary under section 1142(e) of
        title 10.
    ``(3) Not later than 60 days after enrolling a veteran under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide to the veteran--
            ``(A) notice of such enrollment;
            ``(B) instructions regarding how the veteran may opt out of
        such enrollment;
            ``(C) instructions regarding how the veteran may elect to
        enroll at a later date.
    ``(4) In carrying out paragraph (3), the Secretary shall--
            ``(A) provide a notice or instructions in the form of a
        physical copy delivered by mail and, to the extent practical,
        in the form of an electronic copy delivered by electronic mail;
        and
            ``(B) consider using, to the extent practical, mass texting
        capabilities through mobile telephones.''.
    (b) Applicability.--Subsection (d) of section 1705 of title 38,
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply to a
veteran--
            (1) who is discharged or separated from the Armed Forces on
        or after the date that is 90 days before the date of the
        enactment of this Act; and
            (2) with respect to whom the Secretary receives the
        information described in paragraph (2) of such subsection on or
        after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Electronic Certificates of Eligibility.--Not later than August
1, 2026, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that any
veteran who is eligible for automatic enrollment in the patient
enrollment system under subsection (d) of section 1705 of title 38,
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), is able to access--
            (1) an electronic version of the veteran's certificate of
        eligibility for such enrollment; and
            (2) an electronic mechanism by which the veteran may opt
        out of such enrollment.
    (d) Report on Automatic Enrollment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the first
        veteran is enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the
        Department of Veterans Affairs under subsection (d) of section
        1705 of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection
        (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the
        Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of
        Representatives a report on the enrollment process under such
        subsection. Such report shall include each of the following:
                    (A) A discussion of any anticipated challenges that
                occurred in implementing such subsection, the
                strategies used to address such challenges, and the
                effectiveness of such strategies.
                    (B) A discussion of any unanticipated challenges
                that occurred in implementing such subsection, the
                strategies used to address such challenges, and the
                effectiveness of such strategies.
                    (C) Any additional information the Secretary
                determines appropriate, including information that may
                be useful to other Federal departments and agencies
                considering the implementation of similar automatic
                enrollment programs.
            (2) Form of report.--The report required under paragraph
        (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a
        classified annex.

SEC. 3. GAO REPORT ON NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT IN PATIENT
              ENROLLMENT SYSTEM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of
Representatives a report containing the results of a study to determine
the best methods for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide
notice under paragraph (3) of subsection (d) of section 1705 of title
38, United States Code, as added by section 2. In making such
determination, the Comptroller General shall consider the needs of a
veteran based on--
            (1) age;
            (2) residence in an urban area; and
            (3) residence in an rural area.
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