Sponsors (11)
The bill makes VA mammography services permanent and ensures at least one program per State/PR—improving access and equity for veterans, including those with disabilities—while increasing VA costs and implementation risks and potentially leaving follow-up care gaps where local diagnostic capacity is limited.
Veterans in every State and Puerto Rico will have guaranteed access to at least one VA mammography program (telescreening, facility-based, or mobile) within two years, and the program is made permanent so the VA can scale screening capacity—potentially increasing early cancer detection.
Veterans with paralysis, spinal cord injuries/disorders, or other disabilities will receive mammography services that meet accessibility requirements, improving equitable access to breast cancer screening.
Taxpayers and veterans could face higher VA costs because expanding and sustaining nationwide mammography programs will require additional funding or reallocation of VA resources, potentially requiring new appropriations.
Veterans and VA staff may experience implementation strain from fixed rollout deadlines (e.g., May 1, 2027 / two-year availability requirement), risking staffing/equipment shortages, delays, or diversion of VA resources from other services.
Veterans in areas lacking local diagnostic imaging could face longer travel times or delayed in-person follow-up after telescreening if local diagnostic capacity is not expanded alongside screening, reducing the practical health benefit.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Converts VA mammography pilots into a permanent program and requires at least one mammography option in every State and Puerto Rico within two years, with accessibility protections and a May 1, 2027 deadline for a related requirement.
Official title: To expand the telescreening mammography pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 5, 2026 by Glenn Thompson · Last progress February 5, 2026
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to make mammography services available across every State and Puerto Rico by offering at least one of three program types (telescreening, full-service facility-based, or VA mobile mammography) within two years of enactment and sets an explicit statutory deadline of May 1, 2027 for a related requirement. Removes prior "pilot" language to convert the prior pilot program structure into a permanent/expanded VA program and requires accessibility for veterans with paralysis, spinal cord injuries, or other disabilities consistent with applicable accessibility standards. Clarifies that the VA may expand telescreening beyond previously participating sites and locations that lacked VA breast imaging services, and renumbers and updates statutory subsections to reflect these substantive changes.