SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill creates a new Office of Falls Prevention inside the Veterans Health Administration, led by a Chief Officer who reports to the Under Secretary for Health. This office becomes the central hub for monitoring, improving, and coordinating all VA falls prevention efforts.
• Veterans in VA nursing homes or long-term care who have fallen or are at risk of falling must receive a falls risk assessment and prevention services from a licensed physical or occupational therapist — a new mandatory standard of care.
• The VA must launch a national education campaign targeting veterans at risk for falls, their families, and healthcare providers. The Chief Officer can also award grants or contracts to local organizations running their own fall-prevention outreach.
• The bill directs research on how home modifications and medication management can prevent falls, including a joint expert panel with the National Institute on Aging. The VA must also study whether a pilot program for home improvements to prevent falls is feasible.
• Within 180 days, the VA must update its directives to require biennial safe-patient-handling training for all providers and ensure every facility — especially emergency settings — has the right technology for safe transfers and fall recovery.