HR 8793
Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act of 2026
Take action
Record your position on this measure.
Sign in to record your position, submit testimony, or contact your legislator.
Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create and maintain a list of healthcare providers who have completed annual training on suicide prevention among veterans. This list, called the ‘preferred provider list,’ will be publicly available to veterans seeking care through the VA’s community care program. The VA will also conduct an annual review of providers on the list to ensure they maintain their training and submit a report detailing the implementation and effectiveness of the list.
Key provisions
- The VA must establish a ‘preferred provider list’ of healthcare providers trained in suicide prevention.
- The list will be publicly available to veterans.
- The VA can include providers who complete training substantially similar to VA-required training.
- Providers can request to be removed from the preferred provider list.
- The VA will annually review providers on the list to ensure continued training.
- The VA will submit an annual report to Congress detailing the list's implementation and effectiveness.
- The report will include data on provider training completion and veteran utilization of preferred providers.
Who is affected
- Veterans
- Healthcare Providers
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Congressional Committees
Notable changes
- Establishes a formal process for identifying and prioritizing providers with suicide prevention training.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
No arguments in favor have been submitted.
Submit yoursArguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
No arguments opposed have been submitted.
Submit yoursRead the latest version inline or switch to a previous version.
119th CONGRESS — 2d Session
H. R. 8793
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a list of covered providers that complete annual training on the prevention of suicide among veterans and to make such list available to veterans.
This Act may be cited as the Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act of 2026
.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make available to covered providers annual, evidence-based training on the prevention of suicide among veterans.
The Secretary shall—
establish and maintain a list (to be known as the preferred provider list
) of each covered provider that completes the training under subsection (a); and
make such list publicly available to veterans eligible for health care under the laws administered by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall include on the preferred provider list any covered provider that the Secretary determines has completed training that—
is substantially similar to the training required by such subsection; and
meets the applicable competency standard for military health care professionals.
A covered provider desiring to be removed from the preferred provider list may submit to the Secretary a request in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines appropriate.
The Secretary shall, on an annual basis, review the preferred provider list to ensure each covered provider included on such list has completed such training.
In this section, the term covered provider
means—
a health care provider specified in subsection (c) of section 1703 of title 38, United States Code; and
an eligible entity or medical provider that has entered into a Veterans Care Agreement under section 1703A of such title.
Not later than 180 days after the day of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the following:
The number of providers who completed the VA-offered suicide prevention training prior to the implementation of the Preferred Provider List outline in Sec. 2(b).
The number of Community Care Network providers who completed a different suicide prevention training not offered by the VA prior to the implementation of the Preferred Provider List.
The number of providers currently on the Preferred Provider List, bifurcated by those who utilized the VA-offered suicide prevention training and those providers who received the waiver outlined in Sec. 2(b)(2).
The likelihood of veterans utilizing providers on the Preferred Provider List rather than a provider not found on the Preferred Provider List.
Any patterns apparent to the Secretary based on the review of the implementation of the Preferred Provider List.
Any recommendations for further action that would improve and enhance the Preferred Provider List with the objective of increasing access to care for veterans.
In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees
means—
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.