The GUARD Veterans' Health Care Act expands the Department of Veterans Affairs' ability to recover costs for health care services provided to veterans. The bill requires Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare prescription drug plans to reimburse the VA for covered health care items and services (including prescriptions, lab tests, and inpatient/outpatient care) furnished to their enrolled members, starting January 1, 2026. Additionally, the bill strengthens the VA's existing recovery authority for non-service-connected disability care by establishing stricter timelines—third parties must respond to recovery claims within 45 days or face interest charges and civil penalties, which can reach triple the claim amount or up to $50,000 per violation. The bill also expands what counts as recoverable care to include cases where tort liability exists and aggravations of service-connected disabilities. Any amounts recovered through these mechanisms are deposited into the VA's Medical Care Collections Fund. The legislation affects insurance companies, Medicare plans, and third parties responsible for injuries or care covered by insurance, while benefiting veterans by ensuring the VA is reimbursed for services these entities should be paying for.
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.