Sponsors (4)
The bill aims to expand veteran access to care and improve health and workplace safety through targeted hiring and a systemwide smoke-free policy, trading off higher short-term costs, potential operational strain on the VA, and restrictions on on-site smoking for some veterans.
Veterans—especially those in high-need and rural areas—are likely to get improved access to VA care because scholarship recipients must be placed at Department facilities with the highest need and hired into full-time clinical roles promptly.
Healthcare workers who participate in the VA Scholarship Program receive guaranteed full-time employment within 90 days of training/licensure and competitive VA-standard salary and benefits, improving recruitment and retention.
Veterans, patients, visitors, and VA staff will have reduced exposure to secondhand smoke and cleaner air on VHA grounds, likely improving respiratory and cardiovascular health and workplace well-being.
Taxpayers and VA budgets may face higher short-term costs from guaranteed competitive salaries for scholarship hires and from implementing and enforcing a systemwide smoke-free policy (signage, enforcement, compliance programs).
VA may face operational strain meeting the 90-day placement deadlines, potentially shifting existing staff, disrupting local hiring plans, or delaying other hires at facilities.
Veterans and visitors who smoke or vape lose the ability to smoke on VA grounds and may need to travel offsite or face enforcement actions, reducing on-site personal freedom.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Introduced June 5, 2025 by Abraham J. Hamadeh · Last progress September 16, 2025
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire graduates of the VA Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP) into full-time clinical employment at a Department facility with the highest need within 90 days after they complete their training or obtain required licensure/credentials. Establishes a comprehensive ban on smoking anywhere on the premises of any Veterans Health Administration facility, including combustible tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems, and requires recurring reports to congressional Veterans’ Affairs committees on implementation through September 30, 2027.