Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2234 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2234

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update certain standards 
   regarding anesthesia and pain management services in the Veterans 
                         Health Administration.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 2025

Ms. Underwood (for herself and Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update certain standards 
   regarding anesthesia and pain management services in the Veterans 
                         Health Administration.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to 
Anesthesia Care Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. ALIGNMENT OF STANDARDS REGARDING CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE 
              ANESTHETISTS IN THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION WITH 
              STANDARDS OF THE DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY.

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall update VHA Directive 1123 
titled ``National Anesthesia Program, Department of Veterans Affairs 
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Practice Guidelines'' (or any 
successor directive) to recognize, in the Veterans Health 
Administration, certified registered nurses anesthetists as licensed 
independent practitioners in a manner consistent with the practice 
standards described by section 3(f)(2) of Enclosure of Defense Health 
Agency Administrative Instruction 6025.07, dated November 8, 2023, as 
amended.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS OF ANESTHESIA PROVIDERS IN THE VETERANS HEALTH 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Certification.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require 
an anesthesia professional employed by the Secretary as--
            (1) a physician anesthesiologist to be certified by the 
        American Board of Anesthesiology or a similar body determined 
        by the Secretary; and
            (2) a certified registered nurse anesthetist to be 
        certified by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists 
        or the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists or a 
        similar body determined by the Secretary.
    (b) Direct Care.--The Secretary shall require an anesthesia 
professional described in subsection (a) to have completed at least 25 
hours of direct patient anesthesia care (not including supervision of 
other anesthesia professionals).
    (c) Enforcement.--The Secretary shall suspend from employment in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs an anesthesia professional described 
in subsection (a) who has not complied with the requirements of this 
section.

SEC. 4. GAO REPORT ON ANESTHESIA DELIVERY IN THE VETERANS HEALTH 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate a report that contains the following, 
and which shall be made publicly available:
            (1) Data regarding outcomes regarding the following 
        anesthesia models used in the Veterans Health Administration:
                    (A) Delivery by an anesthesiologist.
                    (B) Delivery by a certified registered nurse 
                anesthetist under the supervision of a physician.
                    (C) Delivery by a certified registered nurse 
                anesthetist without supervision.
            (2) A comparison of the cost effectiveness of the models 
        described in paragraph (1), including--
                    (A) the estimated cost to medical facilities of the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs and taxpayers for each 
                such model; and
                    (B) a breakdown of costs and savings to taxpayers 
                and to veterans' households associated with each such 
                model.
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