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Stop VA Medical Billing Errors From Hurting Veterans

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Sponsor: The Veterans Site

Veterans should not be blindsided by medical debt caused by VA billing delays or processing failures.

Veteran with a cane looks distressed during an office meeting, touching his forehead while speaking with an official.

In November 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would relieve veterans of more than $272 million in potential medical bills that accrued after certain copayment claims processing and collections stopped in early 2023.1 VA said the action would prevent veterans from being blindsided by mountains of medical debt tied to agency processing problems.

That relief was the right step. But it also exposed a serious weakness in the system. Veterans should never have to rely on one-time relief after a billing backlog grows into a crisis.

A Withdrawn Rule Shows The Gap

On May 8, 2026, VA withdrew a proposed rule that would have allowed the agency to initiate copayment debt waiver requests on behalf of veterans in certain circumstances and remove the requirement that veterans submit VA Form 5655 when seeking a copayment debt waiver.2 GovInfo’s Federal Register copy states VA withdrew the proposal because the agency had already announced relief for the copayments that gave rise to the rulemaking.3

That may resolve one backlog, but it does not permanently protect veterans from the next one. If a future VA billing error, delay, or processing failure creates unfair debt, veterans should not have to fill out complex waiver forms, fight collection notices, or wait for political intervention.

Rep. Adam Gray’s office said the VA relief covered medical copay debt accrued due to technical errors within VA’s payment processing system and followed key provisions of the STRIVE Act.4 That points to the right policy direction: automatic protection when the debt is not the veteran’s fault.

VA Must Build Permanent Safeguards

Connecting Vets reported that VA resumed billing for community care copayments in November 2025, after the backlog issue.5 VA’s own debt management page tells veterans they can review overpayment or copay bill balances online and seek help.6 But the burden should not fall on veterans to discover and fight debts created by agency failures.

VA and Congress should require automatic debt review before collections begin, plain-language notices, pause-on-appeal protections, credit reporting safeguards, and debt forgiveness when VA delay or error caused the bill. Veterans should also receive clear explanations of what happened, why they were billed, and what rights they have.

Sign now to urge VA and Congress to make medical billing error protections permanent and stop veterans from being punished for agency failures.

More on this issue:

  1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA News (20 November 2025), "VA provides Veterans relief from Biden-era backlogged medical bills."
  2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Register (8 May 2026), "Updates to Waiver of Charges for Copayments."
  3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GovInfo (8 May 2026), "Federal Register Volume 91, Number 89, Updates to Waiver of Charges for Copayments."
  4. Office of Rep. Adam Gray, U.S. House of Representatives (21 November 2025), "VA to relieve veterans of over $272 million in medical bills, enacting Rep. Gray’s STRIVE Act provisions."
  5. Julia LeDoux, Connecting Vets (26 November 2025), "Veterans get relief from backlogged medical bills."
  6. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA.gov (9 February 2026), "Manage your VA debt for benefit overpayments and copay bills."

The Petition

To the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Members of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees,

I urge VA and Congress to permanently protect veterans from medical debt caused by VA billing delays, processing failures, or agency errors.

In November 2025, VA announced relief from more than $272 million in potential medical bills tied to a backlog in copayment claims processing and collections that began in early 2023. That decision was necessary and welcome. Veterans should not be blindsided by large medical bills that accumulated because of an agency processing failure.

But one-time relief is not enough. The system must be fixed so the same problem does not happen again.

In May 2026, VA withdrew a proposed rule that would have allowed the agency to initiate copayment debt waiver requests on behalf of veterans in certain circumstances and remove the requirement that veterans submit VA Form 5655 when seeking waiver relief. VA said the rule was no longer necessary because the specific backlog had been addressed. That leaves an important question: what happens the next time VA billing systems fail?

Veterans should not have to discover surprise bills, fight collection notices, risk credit harm, or complete complicated waiver forms when the debt was caused by government delay or error. VA should automatically review questionable medical debt before collection begins. It should pause collections during disputes, protect veterans from credit damage, send clear plain-language notices, and forgive debt when agency failure caused the bill.

Congress should require these protections by law and provide oversight to ensure VA billing systems are accurate, timely, and fair. Veterans should also have access to live assistance when they receive confusing copay or debt notices.

Veterans used VA care in good faith. They should not be punished for backlogs they did not create and could not control.

Please make medical billing error protections permanent, automatic, and veteran-centered.

Sincerely,

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