Strengthening VA Patient Advocacy for Rural Veterans Act of 2025

Summary

Requires each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center to designate at least one patient advocate to serve as a coordinator for veterans in rural and highly rural areas who receive care through community-based outpatient clinics or the community care network. The designee must perform patient advocate duties specific to supporting veterans receiving care outside the medical center, and, to the maximum extent practicable, existing medical center staff should be used for the designation. Also requires that medical center patient advocates report up through the medical center director’s chain of command and directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit at least an annual, de‑identified report to Congressional veterans’ committees and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) directors with Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS) data on common issues, resolution times, information-request resolution, and compliments/complaints.

• Each VA medical center must designate at least one patient advocate as a coordinator for rural and highly rural veterans receiving care outside the main medical center.
• Designated advocates must focus on patient advocate functions for veterans who use community-based outpatient clinics or the Community Care Network.
• Directors should, whenever practicable, assign existing medical center staff to these advocate coordinator roles rather than creating new positions.
• Patient advocates must report through a chain of command that includes the medical center director.
• The VA Secretary must provide an annual, de‑identified report to Congressional veterans’ committees and VISN directors using Patient Advocate Tracking System data.
• Annual reports must cover common issues reported, issue resolution times, information-request resolution times, and compliments/complaints.
• No specific new funding is authorized; implementation relies on existing staff and systems, which may create modest administrative workload.
• The bill aims to improve coordination and oversight of community-based care for rural veterans and to increase transparency about patient advocate activity and outcomes.