Veteran Artists Healing Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 7838
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-05: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-01T20:31:54Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose The legislation establishes a program allowing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers to purchase original artwork directly from veteran patients, with the goal of supporting creative arts therapy and veteran recovery.
Key Provisions
- Creates a new section 8130 in title 38, United States Code, authorizing a procurement program for direct purchases of original artwork.
- Grants VA medical center directors authority to make purchases under the micro-purchase threshold (section 1902 of title 41) without district, regional, or Veterans Integrated Service Network approval.
- Limits eligibility to veterans enrolled as patients who have a clinical recommendation for creative arts therapy or a history of participation in the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.
- Requires artwork to be non-partisan and focused on themes of recovery, nature, and service; the veteran must certify it is original.
- Caps purchases at $2,500 per veteran per fiscal year from any single medical center.
- Exempts purchases from standard requirements such as System for Awards Management registration, small business certification, and rules for obtaining multiple offers, provided the price is reasonable.
- Treats these purchases as acquisitions from veteran-owned small businesses for contracting goals under sections 8127 and 8128.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill adds new procurement authority that bypasses certain federal acquisition rules and higher-level VA oversight for qualifying artwork purchases. It integrates these transactions into existing veteran small business contracting priorities while carving out specific exceptions to competitive sourcing and registration mandates.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Simplifies purchasing processes for VA medical centers, potentially increasing local acquisition of therapeutic art without additional administrative layers.
- Citizens: Provides veteran patients an opportunity to sell original artwork and participate in recovery-oriented activities.
- No notable effects on international relations.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- VA medical centers and their directors.
- Enrolled veteran patients with creative arts therapy involvement.
- VA creative arts therapy programs and the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The measure expands agency discretion in small-scale procurements while maintaining price reasonableness and content restrictions. It does not alter constitutional procurement standards but creates targeted exemptions from standard competitive and registration requirements.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-05: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 2026-03-05: Introduced in House
- 2026-03-05: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Veteran Artists Healing Act — issued 2026-03-05 — PDF (4 pages)