Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2026” or the “Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2026”.
Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2026
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve mental health care for veterans through the establishment of a minimum requirement for the number of Vet Centers per State.
Sec. 2 Minimum requirement for number of Vet Centers per State
In general— The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that, by not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the number of covered Vet Centers located in each State is at least the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to that State.
Minimum required number— The minimum required number described in this subsection is the following:
With respect to each State that is one of the several States not located in the contiguous United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States that is not one of the several States, the greater of the following:
One covered Vet Center per State.
The total number of covered Vet Centers that were located in the State on January 1, 2020.
With respect to each of the several States located in the contiguous United States and not referred to in paragraph (1), the greater of the following:
One covered Vet Center per every 30,000 square miles of land area in the State.
One covered Vet Center per every 55,000 veterans located in the State (calculated by using the number of veterans in the State as determined by the Director of the United States Census Bureau for the most recent census).
Establishment of additional Vet Centers—
In general— In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish such additional covered Vet Centers in each State as may be necessary to meet the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to the State.
Existing facilities— In establishing additional covered Vet Centers pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary may establish such covered Vet Centers at facilities made available to the Secretary by the head of a State, local government, or federally recognized Indian tribe to carry out this section, regardless of whether such facility is made available at a cost to the Secretary.
Vet Center outstations— If the establishment of more than one additional covered Vet Center in a State is necessary to meet the minimum required number described in subsection (b) with respect to the State, the Secretary—
shall establish at least one additional covered Vet Center to meet such number; and
for each remaining covered Vet Center necessary to meet such number, may establish a covered Vet Center outstation in lieu of a covered Vet Center.
Definitions— In this Act:
The term covered Vet Center means a Vet Center, as such term is defined in section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, that is scheduled to be open for the provision of services under such section for a minimum of eight hours per day during five days of the week, except that the Vet Center may be open for less than such minimum on a temporary basis as a result of a Federal holiday, weather concern, safety concern, pandemic, or for such other reasons as may be determined appropriate by the Secretary.
The term covered Vet Center outstation means a Vet Center outstation that—
provides similar child care services as the child care services provided at a Vet Center; and
is scheduled to be open in accordance with the minimum hours and days specified in paragraph (1).
The term State has the meaning given such term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.