The NOPAIN for Veterans Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to add newly approved non-opioid pain medications to its national formulary within specific timeframes. When a non-opioid pain drug is approved by the FDA and becomes eligible for Medicare payment, the VA must include it in its formulary within one year of that eligibility date, or within 18 months of FDA approval—whichever comes first. This bill affects veterans seeking pain management treatment and aims to expand access to alternatives to opioid-based painkillers, helping reduce the risk of addiction. The legislation must be implemented within 90 days of enactment but specifically prohibits using funds from the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund to cover these new medications, meaning the VA will need to absorb the costs within its existing budget.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.