HR 1107: Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025

HR 1107 in plain English: This bill permanently allows VA health care professionals to prescribe controlled substances to eligible veterans via telemedicine, without requiring an in-person medical examination first. The professionals must hold a valid, unrestricted license, act within their normal scope of practice, and prescribe only for legitimate medical purposes.

Stated purpose

The bill permanently authorizes certain VA health care professionals to prescribe and dispense controlled substances to eligible veterans through telemedicine, without requiring an in-person exam first.

Key points

• Permanently authorizes VA providers to prescribe controlled substances through telemedicine without an in-person visit
• Applies only to VA health care professionals with an active, full, and unrestricted license or certification
• Prescribing must be for a legitimate medical purpose and within the provider's usual professional practice
• Covers veterans who are eligible for VA health care

Arguments supporters make

• Veterans in rural or remote areas, or those with mobility or transportation challenges, would find it easier to access necessary medications without having to travel long distances for an in-person visit.
• Making this authority permanent gives veterans and VA providers stable, predictable access to telemedicine prescribing, rather than relying on temporary or emergency-based rules that could expire.
• The bill keeps existing safeguards in place — providers must hold valid licenses and follow all Controlled Substances Act requirements — so it expands access without removing current oversight.

Arguments opponents make

• Prescribing controlled substances without an in-person examination raises concerns about whether providers can fully assess a patient's condition and risk for misuse or addiction through a screen alone.
• Permanently waiving the in-person exam requirement could make it harder to catch fraud, diversion, or over-prescribing of controlled substances within the VA system.
• Relying more heavily on telemedicine for controlled substance prescribing may reduce the frequency of face-to-face care, potentially missing health issues that are harder to detect remotely.

Tradeoffs

Expanding telemedicine prescribing improves convenience and access for veterans — especially those far from VA facilities — but trades away the in-person examination requirement that has traditionally served as a check on controlled substance prescribing.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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