TRAVEL Act of 2025
In committeeThe Territorial Response and Access to Veterans' Essential Lifecare Act or the TRAVEL Act of 2025 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assign a physician who has been appointed in the Veterans Health Administration to serve as a traveling physician for a period of not more than one year. Such physician must provide health care to veterans at VA facilities located in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States. Traveling physicians must coordinate with non-VA providers when necessary to ensure high quality and coordinated care for veterans receiving hospital care and medical services. The VA must provide a relocation or retention bonus to traveling physicians.
Sep 16, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Passed
The TRAVEL Act of 2025 authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assign VA physicians as traveling physicians to provide healthcare in U.S. territories. It includes provisions for coordination with non-VA providers and offers bonuses to these physicians. The bill aims to improve healthcare access for veterans in these regions.