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S. 5497Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act

Sponsored by Angus S. King Jr.Sen. Angus S. King Jr. (I-ME)
Introduced September 24, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

Updated September 30, 2026 at 5:54 AM UTC

The Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act changes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) helps cover expensive drugs for veterans living in state‑run nursing homes. It lets the VA either pay back the nursing home for these high‑cost medicines or directly supply the drugs. The rule applies to veterans who receive nursing‑home care in state homes and to the state homes that serve them.

Key Provisions

  • Amends the VA payment rules to add a new option (subparagraph B) that lets the VA reimburse a state home for a costly medication or provide the medication itself.
  • Defines “costly medication” as a drug whose monthly wholesale price plus a 3% fee is more than 8.5% of the VA’s usual payment to the state home for the veteran’s care.
  • Specifies that a “covered state home” is any state‑run nursing facility that, under its contract with the ​​​  ​  ​  ​ ​  ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​  ​  ​  ​  ​ ​ ​ ​  ​ ​ ​​  ​…

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

September 24, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 24, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

September 24, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 24, 2026

II

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 5497

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 24, 2026

Mr. King (for himself and Mr. Banks) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reimburse State homes for the cost of, or to furnish to State homes, certain costly medications provided to veterans who receive nursing home care in such State homes, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act.

2.

Reimbursement of a State home for high cost medications

Section 1745(a)(3) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

by striking Payment and inserting (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), payment; and

(2)

by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:

(B)

In addition to payment described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall, at the election of a covered State home—

(i)

reimburse the covered State home for a costly medication; or

(ii)

furnish such costly medication to the covered State home.

(C)

In this paragraph:

(i)

The term costly medication means a drug or medicine for which the average wholesale price for one month’s supply, plus a 3 percent transaction fee, exceeds 8.5 percent of the payment under subparagraph (A) by the Secretary to a covered State home for care provided to the veteran who receives such costly medication during such month.

(ii)

The term covered State home means a State home that, in the course of nursing home care provided pursuant to a contract (or agreement) under paragraph (1), provides to a veteran a costly medication.

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