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Whole Health for Veterans Act (H.R. 6848)

Original title: Whole Health for Veterans Act

Last action · April 16, 2026: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.Sponsor: Christopher Deluzio

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill proposes to regulate and cap copayments for 'Whole Health' wellness services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It establishes a maximum monthly copayment of $30 for these services while maintaining existing exemptions for veterans in 1 through 5.

Why it matters

The bill sets a $30 monthly cap on out-of-pocket costs for veterans accessing VA wellness services like yoga, meditation, and health coaching, while protecting current fee exemptions for specific .

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Veterans

Veterans accessing VA wellness services will have their monthly out-of-pocket costs capped at $30.

Directly affected

Department of Veterans Affairs

The agency must implement the new copayment structure and maintain the exemption system for priority groups 1-5.

Key Facts

  • The bill introduces a new section, 1730D, to title 38 of the United States Code regarding copayments for Whole Health services.
  • The Secretary of the VA is prohibited from requiring copayments for Whole Health services except as specifically authorized by this new section.
  • A monthly copayment for Whole Health services is authorized, but it cannot exceed $30 per month.
  • Veterans enrolled in priority groups 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 are explicitly exempted from all copayments for these services.
Show all 8 facts
  • Whole Health well-being services are defined to include educational/skill-building services like coaching and partner sessions.
  • Whole Health well-being services also include complementary health services like guided imagery, meditation, Tai Chi/Qigong, and yoga.
  • The bill clarifies that these services are defined as those independent of the treatment of a specific medical condition or diagnosis.
  • The bill includes a 'Sense of Congress' statement encouraging the VA to provide all veterans with affordable access to these services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my costs for VA wellness services change?
If you are in 1-5, you remain exempt from copayments. For others, the bill proposes a cap of $30 per month for these specific services.
What services are considered 'Whole Health well-being services'?
These include coaching, skill-building courses, and complementary health practices like meditation, yoga, and Tai Chi that are not tied to a specific medical diagnosis.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

5 actions
  1. Apr 16, 2026House
    Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
  2. Apr 16, 2026House
    Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  3. Jan 29, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  4. Dec 18, 2025HouseCommittee
    Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  5. Dec 18, 2025HouseIntroduced
    Introduced in House

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

“P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology”

Senate LDAMatched on title words onlyView on LDA.gov →

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Standardizing Wellness Costs

The bill seeks to formalize the cost structure for wellness services that are currently independent of specific medical diagnoses, potentially increasing access by capping costs.

Connected Entities

Mr. Deluzio, Department of Veterans Affairs
PersonMr. Deluzio“The House Representative who introduced the bill.”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Veterans Affairs“The federal agency responsible for administering the Whole Health program and co”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance45
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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