Protecting Home-Based Care for Rural Veterans Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill stops the Department of Veterans Affairs from cutting the money it pays for home health aides. If pay was already cut after the end of 2025, the VA must raise it back to the previous level. This helps ensure that caregivers can afford to keep working with veterans.
• The goal is to make sure veterans can get help with daily tasks like bathing or cooking while living in their own homes. If pay for these workers is too low, many companies might stop serving veterans, which makes it harder for people in rural areas to find help.
• The VA would have to tell Congress at least 90 days before making any future pay cuts for these services. This gives lawmakers a chance to step in if they think the cuts will make it too difficult for veterans to get the care they need.
• The VA must also track whether there are enough caregivers to meet the needs of veterans across the country. They have to report every year on which regions are struggling to find enough workers and explain their plan to fix those shortages.
• The VA must provide a detailed report explaining exactly how they decide what to pay these caregivers. They have to show if they are using data from other programs like Medicare or private insurance to set their prices.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.