Sponsors
The bill expands tailored annual care, assistive‑technology access, telehealth, and oversight for veterans with spinal cord injuries—improving detection, mobility, and access—while raising VA costs and creating potential safety and governance risks (invasive device harms and industry influence) that need strong safeguards and well‑designed metrics.
Veterans with spinal cord injuries/disorders will receive an annual, SCI/D‑tailored preventive health evaluation that improves early detection and management of complications.
Veterans with SCI/D (and other people with disabilities) will have increased access to assessments, prescriptions, and provision of assistive technologies — including neuromodulation and powered exoskeletons — improving mobility and functional independence.
VA telehealth support for training, programming, and remote monitoring will expand access to device care (especially for rural veterans), reduce travel burden, and support safer ongoing use of assistive technologies.
Expanding annual evaluations, telehealth monitoring, and assistive‑technology services will raise VA costs and may require budget reallocation or increase taxpayer burden.
Covering FDA‑approved implantable devices and neuromodulation could expose some veterans to the risks of invasive therapies if eligibility criteria, training, and safeguards are inadequate.
Tying performance to VISN metrics and imposing reporting requirements could incentivize box‑checking and superficial compliance rather than meaningful quality improvements if metrics are poorly designed.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires VA to offer annual preventive evaluations to veterans with spinal cord injuries/disorders, expand assistive-technology assessment (including neuromodulation), and report outcomes biennially.
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Jerry Moran · Last progress March 4, 2026
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer an annual preventive health evaluation to any veteran with a spinal cord injury or disorder who chooses it, delivered through VA care, referral, or telehealth. The evaluation must address risk factors and comorbidities, chronic pain and pain management, diet and weight management, prosthetics and assistive technology needs (including spinal cord neuromodulation and suitability for home use), and safety/function of equipment. Directs the VA to consult relevant clinical and program experts and device manufacturers when appropriate, to notify known veterans annually about the evaluation, to provide training or remote monitoring via telehealth as clinically appropriate, and to report to congressional veterans committees within one year and then every two years on use of and outcomes from prescribed assistive technologies. The VA must also consider these evaluations in VISN performance reviews for years beginning more than one year after enactment.