H.R. 10160: Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2026

This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to make sure every state has at least a minimum number of Vet Centers within one year after the bill becomes law.

What Vet Centers are

Vet Centers are VA facilities that provide counseling and related services to veterans, often focused on readjustment, mental health, and support for veterans and their families. Under this bill, only centers that are open at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week would count as a covered Vet Center, unless they are temporarily closed or operating reduced hours because of things like a holiday, weather, safety issues, a pandemic, or another reason the VA approves.

Minimum number of centers required

The bill sets different minimum standards depending on where a state is located:

• Non-contiguous states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories/possessions: each must have the greater of:
  • 1 covered Vet Center per state, or
  • the number of Vet Centers that were in that state on January 1, 2020.
• Contiguous states: each must have the greater of:
  • 1 covered Vet Center for every 30,000 square miles of land area, or
  • 1 covered Vet Center for every 55,000 veterans in the state, based on the most recent census.

What the VA would have to do

If a state does not already meet the required minimum, the VA Secretary would have to create enough additional Vet Centers to meet it. The bill also allows the VA to use buildings or other facilities offered by state governments, local governments, or federally recognized tribes, including spaces made available at no cost.

If more than one new location is needed in a state, the VA must establish at least one full Vet Center. For the remaining needed locations, the VA may use Vet Center outstations instead of full Vet Centers.

Outstations

The bill defines a Vet Center outstation as a location that provides similar child care services as a Vet Center and follows the same minimum hours and days of operation as a covered Vet Center.

Relevant Companies

None found