Congressman Hamadeh Introduces the CARING Act of 2025 to Increase Continuity of Community Care for Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Abe Hamadeh is proud to announce the introduction of the Coordinating and Aligning Records to Improve and Normalize Governance (CARING) for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025.
Congressman Hamadeh’s legislation, cosponsored by fellow Arizonan Congressman Juan Ciscomani, is a companion bill to legislation introduced earlier this year by U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Angus King (I-ME) and will receive a hearing in the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee this week.
Under the CARING for Our Veterans Health Act of 2025, the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs would be required to implement guidelines to ensure tracking of medical documentation after a veteran receives care from a community provider, while measuring the performance of obtaining community care records. This requirement will help ensure that there is continuity of care.
“I promised my fellow veterans that I would continue to look for every opportunity to improve their access to the healthcare they so rightly deserve,” stated Congressman Hamadeh. The expansion of community care has been a blessing, and as increasing numbers of veterans are able to access it, sharing information in a timely manner will facilitate that care.”
“I am proud to join Senators Ricketts and King in introducing this bill, which I believe will improve the delivery of care. Closing these documentation loopholes is not a technical fix. It is a life saving measure that ensures every provider involved in a veteran’s care is informed with complete records to make accurate, timely decisions that protect our veterans’ health,” stated Congressman Hamadeh.
“Veterans deserve a system that works for them — not one that leaves them waiting on paperwork or caught between providers,” said Congressman Ciscomani. “With nearly 80,000 veterans calling Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District home, this issue is personal to the communities I represent. The CARING for Veterans Act takes practical steps to improve communication, tighten oversight, and ensure timely, accurate medical records so every veteran receives seamless, high-quality care. I’m proud to support this bipartisan effort to strengthen accountability at the VA and deliver the care our veterans have earned.”
Background on Community Care Document Sharing:
Nearly 75 percent of veterans return to medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs for continued care after receiving those services from community providers, making the exchange of medical documentation between providers essential to ensuring continuity of care. The Office of Integrated Veteran Care of the Veterans Health Administration lacks systemwide visibility into whether medical documentation from community providers is being received because it has not established goals, performance measures, or comprehensive tracking procedures for such documentation.