S. 787 — VetPAC Act of 2025

This section establishes the Veterans Health Administration Policy Advisory Commission (Commission) by adding a new section 120 to chapter 1 of title 38, United States Code. The Commission consists of 17 members appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States (at least 2 of whom must be veterans) with expertise in operating or advising large medical systems (i.e., quality of care, staffing, information technology, artificial intelligence in health care, medical supply chains, procurement, facility construction or leasing, research, and managed care); members must reflect diverse health care backgrounds received by veterans and are treated as congressional employees for ethics purposes, with public financial disclosure required. Members serve 5-year terms (staggered initially), with vacancies filled by the Comptroller General; the Commission meets at least annually (quorum is a majority), and the Comptroller General designates the chairman and vice chairman. The Commission must (1) review Veterans Health Administration (VHA) operations—which provides health care services to approximately 9 million enrolled veterans annually—and prepare reports with recommendations to Congress; (2) conduct periodic reviews of specified topics, including information technology infrastructure (e.g., electronic health records), referrals and access/wait times under the Veterans Community Care Program, care quality, workforce issues, patient satisfaction, provider training and standards, budgetary outlook, procurement, research, construction/leasing needs, and interactions with Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and commercial plans; and (3) use existing Department data to the extent practicable, including from independent assessments under section 1704A, to limit duplication.