Sponsors (3)
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to use four-dimensional functional lung imaging software product to identify respiratory disorders and lung disease in veterans, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 14, 2026 by Juan Ciscomani · Last progress July 14, 2026
The bill authorizes a $25M VA pilot to lease and evaluate 4D lung imaging that could improve early respiratory diagnostics for veterans and produce evidence for adoption, but it spends taxpayer dollars and carries risks of vendor lock‑in and ineffective results that could delay better care.
Veterans receiving VA medical care could get earlier or more precise detection of respiratory disorders because VA will pilot leased FDA‑approved 4D lung imaging software.
VA facilities and veterans will have dedicated pilot funding ($5M/year; $25M total FY2027–FY2031) to test new diagnostic technology without large upfront procurement costs, lowering the financial barrier to evaluating innovations.
Congress, VA leadership, and stakeholders will receive a required report evaluating the software’s effectiveness, producing evidence to inform decisions about wider VA adoption.
VA facilities and patients risk vendor lock‑in by leasing proprietary FDA‑approved software, which could limit interoperability, future competition, and integration with VA systems.
Veterans and other patients could experience delays in receiving accurate diagnoses or broader access to better diagnostics if the pilot is ineffective and resources were diverted to the trial.
Taxpayers fund an authorized $25M total ($5M/year FY2027–FY2031) pilot that may not improve outcomes, representing federal spending risk for a potentially ineffective program.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a five‑year VA pilot leasing FDA‑approved 4D functional lung imaging software and funds it at $5M/year for FY2027–FY2031, with a post‑pilot report to Congress.
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to run a time-limited pilot leasing an FDA‑approved four‑dimensional functional lung imaging software product to help identify respiratory disorders and lung disease in veterans treated at VA facilities. The pilot authority lasts five years, must be evaluated in a report to Congress within two years after the authority expires, and is funded at $5 million per year for FY2027–FY2031. The law defines eligible developers and eligible software (FDA‑approved 4D functional lung imaging products), directs leasing rather than purchase, and ties the pilot to VA facilities and medical services under existing VA law.