H.R. 683 — Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act of 2025

This section establishes a pilot program, to be implemented not later than October 1, 2027, under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in coordination with the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, must permit specified members of the Armed Forces to elect pre-enrollment in VA's system of annual patient enrollment (under 38 U.S.C. 1705(i.e., prioritizes veterans for VA health care by assigning them to one of eight categories based primarily on service-connected disability ratings, military service, and income) during the 180-day period before their separation from active duty, with automatic enrollment on the separation date. Specified members are those on active duty who would be eligible for enrollment upon separation and who are described in 38 U.S.C. 1710(e)(1)(D)(i.e., combat veterans eligible for enhanced enrollment priority). The program terminates three years after enactment and requires (1) briefings by the VA-DoD Joint Executive Committee, beginning 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter, on implementation of the pre-enrollment mechanism; (2) annual VA reports to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services of the House and Senate, beginning 180 days after enactment, assessing participation rates, enrollment/denial outcomes, and aggregated demographics (age, ethnicity, service duration, grade, and Armed Force); and (3) a Government Accountability Office report to the same committees, two years after program termination, evaluating effectiveness and recommending improvements.