Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2026

This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make sure each State has at least a minimum number of Vet Centers within one year of the law taking effect. For States in the contiguous United States, the minimum is the greater of one Vet Center per 30,000 square miles of land or one per 55,000 veterans, based on the most recent census. For Alaska, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories, the minimum is the greater of one Vet Center or the number that existed on January 1, 2020. Counted Vet Centers must be scheduled to be open at least eight hours a day, five days a week. The Secretary could use facilities offered by State, local, or tribal governments, and could use outstations for some of the additional centers needed.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Thomas H. Kean, Jr. Republican sponsor
• 4 cosponsors