Sponsors (36)
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Extends CHAMPVA dependent coverage so an eligible child may receive medical benefits through CHAMPVA until the child’s 26th birthday regardless of whether the child is married. The change amends 38 U.S.C. §1781(c) and applies to medical care provided on or after the date the Act is enacted.
Amend subsection (c) of 38 U.S.C. §1781 so that, notwithstanding clauses (i) and (iii) of section 101(4)(A), a child is eligible for benefits under subsection (a) until the child's 26th birthday, regardless of the child's marital status.
States that the subsection shall not be construed to limit eligibility for benefits under subsection (a) of a child described in section 101(4)(A)(ii) of title 38.
The amendment applies with respect to medical care provided on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Primary beneficiaries are children (dependents) of veterans or survivors who participate in CHAMPVA: eligible children up to age 25 will retain medical coverage through the program until their 26th birthday even if they marry. Veterans and surviving spouses who currently use CHAMPVA for dependent children will see their family coverage broadened for older dependent children, and out-of-pocket or coverage gaps triggered by marriage for those children will be removed for care on/after enactment. The VA will need to adjust eligibility screens, enrollment records, and claims-processing systems to reflect the new statutory age rule, and providers will bill CHAMPVA for services for these beneficiaries under existing procedures. The change may increase program enrollment and claims volume modestly (raising administrative and benefit-payment workload), but it does not create new federal-state obligations or change other eligibility conditions in the CHAMPVA statute.
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Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced February 18, 2025 by Julia Brownley · Last progress February 18, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House