Sponsors (2)
This bill honors Captain Paul W. Bucha and renames the West Haven VA—boosting recognition and drawing attention to veteran mental-health and research issues—while remaining ceremonial in nature and creating no new services, with only minor administrative costs and potential short-term confusion.
Veterans who use the West Haven VA and the broader veteran community: the bill officially names the West Haven VA medical center for Captain Paul W. Bucha and provides national recognition of his service, preserving his legacy, improving public awareness of veteran contributions, and ensuring statutory/regulatory references remain consistent.
Veterans and people with disabilities: the bill highlights and helps destigmatize PTSD and long-term mental-health needs, which can encourage more veterans to seek care and increase public attention to veteran behavioral-health issues.
Researchers and patients with chronic brain conditions: mention of brain donation to Yale may support awareness of and contributions to medical research into Alzheimer’s disease and brain injury.
Veterans: the bill is primarily ceremonial recognition and does not create new benefits, funding, or policy changes for veterans' services, which could raise expectations for follow-up action that the text does not deliver.
Taxpayers and federal operations: there will be minor administrative and financial costs to update signage, records, maps, and documents to reflect the new facility name, which may be borne by the VA or taxpayers.
Veterans and local health providers: temporary confusion for patients or providers could occur during the transition if local materials or third-party systems are not promptly updated.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Renames the VA medical center in West Haven, CT to honor Captain Paul W. Bucha and requires federal references to use the new name, including successor locations.
Introduced August 2, 2025 by Richard Blumenthal · Last progress August 8, 2025
Renames the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in West Haven, Connecticut, in honor of Captain Paul W. Bucha and requires that any federal reference to that facility (including successor locations) be read as the new name. The change is effective on the date the law is enacted and applies across federal laws, regulations, maps, and documents.