March 24, 2026
Mr. Ciscomani (for himself and Ms. Bynum) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the efficiency of the recovery and collection of revenue for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Vets Collections, Liquidity, and Efficiency Accountability for Reinvestment Act
or the Vets CLEAR Act
.
Sec. 2. Provide flexibility and efficiency for collection of revenue for Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund
(a) In general
Section 1729A of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
(11)
Sections 3711 and 3729 through 3733 of title 31, to the extent that such recovery or collection is based on medical care, services, or medication provided or paid for under this chapter.
(12)
Amounts recovered or collected through administrative, legal, or judicial processes, including investigations and audits, to the extent that such recovery or collection is based on medical care, services, or medication provided or paid for under this chapter.;
(2)
by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and (e) as subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively; and
(3)
by inserting after subsection (b) the following new subsection:
(c)
(1)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds directed to the
Medical Servicesaccount to reimburse such account for the costs of care provided under the following authorities may, at the discretion of the Secretary, be deposited in the Medical Care Collections Fund:(A)
Section 1781 of this title.
(B)
Section 8111 of this title.
(2)
The authority of the Secretary to deposit amounts into the Medical Care Collections Fund pursuant to this subsection shall expire on September 30, 2028.
(b) GAO reports
Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
(g)
(1)
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, and not less frequently than once every 180 days thereafter during period the authority under subsection (c) is effective, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on amounts deposited into the Medical Care Collections Fund under this section.
(2)
Each report required under paragraph (1) shall include—
(A)
the total amount of funds recovered or collected during the period covered by the report, disaggregated by source of recovery or collection; and
(B)
a description of how such funds were expended by the Department, including the categories of medical care, services, staffing, or other purposes for which the funds were used.