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Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act of 2025
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update certain standards regarding anesthesia and pain management services in the Veterans Health Administration.
Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update anesthesia care standards in the Veterans Health Administration to recognize certified registered nurse anesthetists as independent practitioners, consistent with Defense Health Agency standards. The bill requires both physician anesthesiologists and CRNAs employed by the VA to maintain current certifications and to have completed at least 25 hours of direct patient anesthesia care. Anesthesia professionals who fail to meet these requirements may be suspended from employment. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to submit annual reports comparing the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of three anesthesia delivery models used in VA facilities.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
16 cosponsors
- Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] (R-MP)
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT)
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI)
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR)
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN)
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY)
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ)
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL)
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA)
- Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14] (R-OH)
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA)
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL)
- Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3] (R-NE)
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS)
- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (R-PA)
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Lauren Underwood’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO $33,465
- NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY $26,150
- BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA $18,100
- CORNERSTONE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS $16,800
- CLIFFORD LAW OFFICES $13,200
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Lauren Underwood → · Outside spending →
Actions (5)
- Jun 11, 2025 Subcommittee Hearings Held · house
- Jun 11, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. · house
- Apr 4, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- Mar 18, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. · house
- Mar 18, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 18, 2025
Ms. Underwood (for herself and Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update certain standards regarding anesthesia and pain management services in the Veterans Health Administration.
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 Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS REGARDING CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETISTS IN THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION WITH STANDARDS OF THE DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall update VHA Directive 1123 titled “National Anesthesia Program, Department of Veterans Affairs Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Practice Guidelines” (or any successor directive) to recognize, in the Veterans Health Administration, certified registered nurses anesthetists as licensed independent practitioners in a manner consistent with the practice standards described by section 3(f)(2) of Enclosure of Defense Health Agency Administrative Instruction 6025.07, dated November 8, 2023, as amended.
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS OF ANESTHESIA PROVIDERS IN THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Certification.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require an anesthesia professional employed by the Secretary as—
(1) a physician anesthesiologist to be certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology or a similar body determined by the Secretary; and
(2) a certified registered nurse anesthetist to be certified by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists or the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists or a similar body determined by the Secretary.
(b) Direct Care.—The Secretary shall require an anesthesia professional described in subsection (a) to have completed at least 25 hours of direct patient anesthesia care (not including supervision of other anesthesia professionals).
(c) Enforcement.—The Secretary shall suspend from employment in the Department of Veterans Affairs an anesthesia professional described in subsection (a) who has not complied with the requirements of this section.
SEC. 4. GAO REPORT ON ANESTHESIA DELIVERY IN THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report that contains the following, and which shall be made publicly available:
(1) Data regarding outcomes regarding the following anesthesia models used in the Veterans Health Administration:
(A) Delivery by an anesthesiologist.
(B) Delivery by a certified registered nurse anesthetist under the supervision of a physician.
(C) Delivery by a certified registered nurse anesthetist without supervision.
(2) A comparison of the cost effectiveness of the models described in paragraph (1), including—
(A) the estimated cost to medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and taxpayers for each such model; and
(B) a breakdown of costs and savings to taxpayers and to veterans’ households associated with each such model. <all>
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