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Mental Health Care Provider Retention Act of 2025
To authorize an individual who is transitioning from receiving treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense to treatment furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to continue receiving treatment from such individual's mental health care provider of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would allow individuals transitioning from Department of Defense mental health care to Veterans Affairs care to continue receiving treatment from their military mental health care provider during the transition period. Covered individuals would receive the same priority for care at military medical treatment facilities as active duty service members, and the VA would reimburse the DoD for services provided. Medical records from DoD providers would be transferred to the VA's electronic medical record system, and individuals could transition to VA care if their provider leaves or if they relocate.
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)
Actions (3)
- Oct 15, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- Sep 26, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Sep 26, 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)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 26, 2025
Mr. Thanedar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To authorize an individual who is transitioning from receiving treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense to treatment furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to continue receiving treatment from such individual’s mental health care provider of the Department of Defense, 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 “Mental Health Care Provider Retention Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. RETENTION OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
(a) In General.—During the transition from receiving treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense to treatment furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a covered individual may elect to continue receiving treatment from such individual’s mental health care provider of the Department of Defense.
(b) Priority.—A covered individual shall receive the same level of priority as members of the Armed Forces at the military medical treatment facility at which the covered individual has elected to continue treatment.
(c) Reimbursement of Costs.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall reimburse the Secretary of Defense for services rendered pursuant to subsection (a), if such services would have otherwise been furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(d) Departure of Mental Health Care Provider.—In the event that the mental health care provider described under subsection (a) departs the military medical treatment facility at which the covered individual is receiving treatment, such individual may elect to obtain the services of—
(1) a different mental health care provider at the same military medical treatment facility; or
(2) a mental health care provider of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(e) Departure of Covered Individual.—In the event that the covered individual relocates and is unable to reasonably receive care at the military medical treatment facility at which such individual has elected to continue treatment under subsection (a), such individual shall transition to receiving treatment from a mental health care provider of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(f) Medical Records.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that any mental health care provider of the Department of Defense that furnishes care or services under this section to a covered individual submits to the Department of Veterans Affairs a copy of any medical record related to the care or services provided to such individual by such mental health care provider for inclusion in the electronic medical record of such individual maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs upon such individual’s transition to receiving treatment from a mental health care provider of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(g) Definition of Covered Individual.—In this section, the term “covered individual” means an individual who has been diagnosed with a mental health condition and—
(1) is enrolling in the patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs, established by section 1705 of title 38, United States Code; or
(2) has enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs and is still in transition from receiving treatment furnished by the Secretary of Defense, as determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. <all>
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