MMU Rural Expansion Act of 2026

overseeing deployments of mobile medical units of the Department;

coordinating with leadership of medical centers of the Department with respect to such units;

managing data collection with respect to such units;

identifying the funding and procurement sources that exist for such units and that are available to help deploy such units to medical centers of the Department; and

integrating such units, as appropriate, into broader access-to-care strategies of the Veterans Health Administration.

The total number of mobile medical units of the Department, including the different types of mobile medical unit models used by the Department.

The age, condition, and readiness of such units and what sort of maintenance such units need.

Where such units are currently located and the accessibility of mobile medical unit deployment sites.

How often each such unit is used and for what services each such unit is used.

Patient-level data with respect to each such unit.

Accessibility and lift capability across the mobile medical unit fleet of the Department, including an assessment of the wheelchair accessibility of deployment locations for each such unit.

Existing unmet needs or access barriers within the Department that such units could fill, when clinically and operationally appropriate.

incorporate findings from the nationwide inventory and capability assessment required by section 3;

include proposed criteria the Secretary could use to determine which medical centers of the Department should be subject to the requirement described in subsection (a);

include proposed rural or underserved areas where mobile medical units could be required to be deployed at least once per year to improve access to medical services by veterans and other individuals;

include a proposed list of services that mobile medical units could provide safely and appropriately in rural or underserved areas;

include an estimate of the number of veterans or other individuals who could access medical services through a mobile medical unit deployed to a rural or underserved area; and

include an assessment of the ideal frequency of such deployments in consideration of—

identifying gaps and opportunities to expand the appropriate use by the Department of Veterans Affairs of mobile medical units in rural or underserved areas, including by identifying the gaps between the capabilities of such units and the needs of veterans in rural areas;

identifying areas that medical centers of the Department serve with high rural veteran populations or that are near high rural veteran populations;

identifying staffing barriers, clinical support and resources, funding barriers, accessibility barriers, information technology, and training barriers to improving the appropriate use of mobile medical units;

identifying ways the Department can engage with local veterans service organizations to further identify suitable and accessible locations for mobile medical unit deployments;

identifying how the head of the office designated under section 2(a) can focus on rectifying the barriers identified under paragraph (3);

including the findings of the Secretary from the assessment conducted under section 3;

assessing the findings of the Secretary in response to the report of the Comptroller General of the United States published on December 14, 2023, and titled VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Information Reported on Mobile Medical Units;

describing any actions taken by the Secretary in response to the Comptroller General report specified under paragraph (7); and

recommending any legislative or administrative action necessary to improve the use of mobile medical units by the Department.