Advancing VA’s Emergency Response to (AVERT) Crises Act of 2025

This bill focuses on making the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) better at handling emergencies. It orders the VA to map out who does what during disasters, look for overlap between offices, and consider creating one central office to improve communication and cut waste. The VA must consult watchdogs and other federal agencies and recommend ways to fix gaps and strengthen accountability. The report is due 180 days after the bill becomes law .

The bill also reviews the VA’s Regional Readiness Centers, which store emergency supplies. The VA must report how often supplies are requested, what was sent, current stock levels, changes over the last two years, how much is expired or expiring soon, operating costs, and whether the centers can handle different types of crises. It must also share any plans to change or realign these centers. This report is also due in 180 days . Finally, within 90 days, the VA and FEMA must explain why FEMA can’t currently share fuel or other resources with the VA during emergencies, whether new laws are needed to allow it, and if past responses were hurt by a lack of authority to coordinate during emergencies or “Fourth Mission” activations .

Key points:

• Who is affected: Veterans who rely on VA services, VA staff and facilities, and communities that benefit when the VA supports wider disaster response under its “Fourth Mission” .
• What changes: Clear roles across VA emergency offices; possible consolidation into one central office; a detailed checkup of supply hubs; and a plan to allow FEMA-to-VA fuel/resource sharing during emergencies .
• When: VA emergency roles report due in 180 days; Regional Readiness Centers report due in 180 days; FEMA-VA fuel/coordination plan due in 90 days after the bill becomes law .