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Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act of 2026
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a list of covered providers that complete annual training on the prevention of suicide among veterans and to make such list available to veterans.
Summary
- Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make available annual, evidence-based training on suicide prevention for covered healthcare providers within 180 days of enactment.
- Requires the Secretary to establish and maintain a publicly available "preferred provider list" of healthcare providers who complete the suicide prevention training.
- Includes on the preferred provider list any provider who completes training substantially similar to VA-offered training and meets applicable military health care professional competency standards.
- Allows covered providers to request removal from the preferred provider list at any time.
- Requires the Secretary to review the preferred provider list annually to ensure all included providers have completed the required training.
- Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to Congress on provider participation numbers, veteran utilization patterns, and recommendations for improving the preferred provider list and veteran access to care.
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)
- Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-4] (R-MI)
7 cosponsors
Actions (3)
- Jun 12, 2026 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- May 13, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. · house
- May 13, 2026 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.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2026
Mr. Huizenga (for himself, Mr. Correa, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Lawler, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a list of covered providers that complete annual training on the prevention of suicide among veterans and to make such list available to veterans.
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 “Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PREFERRED PROVIDER LIST FOR VETERANS COMMUNITY CARE PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make available to covered providers annual, evidence-based training on the prevention of suicide among veterans.
(b) Preferred Provider List.—
(1) In general.—The Secretary shall—
(A) establish and maintain a list (to be known as the “preferred provider list”) of each covered provider that completes the training under subsection
(a); and
(B) make such list publicly available to veterans eligible for health care under the laws administered by the Secretary.
(2) Non-department training.—The Secretary shall include on the preferred provider list any covered provider that the Secretary determines has completed training that—
(A) is substantially similar to the training required by such subsection; and
(B) meets the applicable competency standard for military health care professionals.
(3) Opt-out.—A covered provider desiring to be removed from the preferred provider list may submit to the Secretary a request in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(4) Annual review.—The Secretary shall, on an annual basis, review the preferred provider list to ensure each covered provider included on such list has completed such training.
(c) Covered Provider Defined.—In this section, the term “covered provider” means—
(1) a health care provider specified in subsection (c) of section 1703 of title 38, United States Code; and
(2) an eligible entity or medical provider that has entered into a Veterans Care Agreement under section 1703A of such title.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the day of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the following:
(1) The number of providers who completed the VA-offered suicide prevention training prior to the implementation of the Preferred Provider List outline in Sec. 2(b).
(2) The number of Community Care Network providers who completed a different suicide prevention training not offered by the VA prior to the implementation of the Preferred Provider List.
(3) The number of providers currently on the Preferred Provider List, bifurcated by those who utilized the VA-offered suicide prevention training and those providers who received the waiver outlined in Sec. 2(b)(2).
(4) The likelihood of veterans utilizing providers on the Preferred Provider List rather than a provider not found on the Preferred Provider List.
(5) Any patterns apparent to the Secretary based on the review of the implementation of the Preferred Provider List.
(6) Any recommendations for further action that would improve and enhance the Preferred Provider List with the objective of increasing access to care for veterans.
(b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate. <all>
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