King Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Improve Veterans’ Access to High-Cost Prescription Medications

September 28, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is introducing bipartisan legislation to improve access to high-cost prescription drugs for veterans living in state veterans’ homes. The Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act would require the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to reimburse State Veterans Homes (SVH) for high-cost medications that exceed 8.5% of their per diem rate, like the arrangement many private contract nursing homes currently have with the VA. Alternatively, it could require the VA to provide these medications directly to the SVHs. Maine has six SVH’s in locations across the state .
Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not pay State Veterans Homes for high-cost medications for severely disabled veterans, which are covered for veterans who reside outside the facilities. Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) joins Senator King as a lead co-sponsor of the bill.
“Our men and women in uniform didn’t hesitate when it came time to answer the call and serve the nation – we shouldn’t hesitate to make their retirement from service as comfortable as possible,” said Senator King . “If the VA covers veterans’ medications when they are living at a private nursing home, those cost reimbursements should be the same when veterans choose to enter a facility that specializes in taking care of veterans. This bipartisan Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act is a crucial piece of legislation that will ensure our veterans continue to receive the care they have earned, regardless of where they chose to live.”
“State veterans’ homes should never have to turn away elderly and disabled veterans because lifesaving medications are too expensive,” said Senator Banks . “This bipartisan bill will help states cover those costs and expedite care for our nation’s heroes.”
Since the successful passage of the PACT Act in 2022 , there has been a significant increase in the number of veterans adjudicated as being severely disabled. For these veterans, the VA currently pays a per diem but doesn’t pay the State Veterans Homes for the cost of extremely high-cost medications which often cost the homes more than VA is paying (sometimes more than $1000 a day). The result has been a rise in veterans being refused SVH admissions, SVHs having to foot the costs of certain lifesaving medications – or the SVHs discharging them due to expense.
“This legislation addresses a clear and consequential gap in federal policy. Private facilities that contract with the VA receive direct reimbursement for high-cost medications, while State Veterans Homes like Maine Veterans’ Homes do not. That inequity can force Veterans Homes to weigh the extraordinary cost of a Veteran’s medications during the admissions process—something no Veteran or Veterans Home should face,” said Brad Klawitter, Maine Veterans’ Homes CEO. “Maine Veterans’ Homes provides high-quality care in a setting specifically designed to honor the service and sacrifice of our Veterans. Reimbursement for high-cost medications is essential to our ability to continue serving Veterans in our communities, including those with complex medical needs. These Veterans served our state and country, and they deserve access to a Veterans Home where their service is understood, respected and honored. Closing this gap must be a priority.”
“The National Association of State Veterans Homes (NASVH) strongly supports the bipartisan Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act which would ensure exorbitantly high-cost medications don’t limit long-term care options for aging and disabled veterans,” said Ryan Engle, NASVH President . ““NASVH is grateful for the leadership of Senators Angus King and Jim Banks in introducing legislation to improve the lives of highly service-connected disabled veterans and strengthen the State Veterans Homes system.”
Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. In March, Senator King was honored by The American Legion with its 2026 Distinguished Public Service Award . Last year, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. He was also recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his “outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans.”
On the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs. Earlier this month, Senator King introduced the VA Salary Cap Waiver Adjustment Act to allow the VA Secretary to exceed existing salary caps if they need to hire or retain highly skilled physicians. In February, he introduced the TAP Promotion Act which would allow accredited representatives from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), or other organizations, to participate in Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes to help transitioning servicemembers file Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claims. Additionally, he introduced the Ensuring Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act , which would address an unfair rule in federal law that creates unnecessary delays when veterans with service-connected disabilities attempt to access earned education and employment benefits.