July 17, 2025
Mr. Landsman (for himself, Mr. Van Orden, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Bergman, Ms. Sewell, and Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs furnishes certain non-opioid pain medications to veterans, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the NOPAIN for Veterans Act
.
Sec. 2. Inclusion of certain non-opioid pain medications in the National Formulary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
(a) In general
Section 8125 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(4)
The term non-opioid pain management drug or biological product means a drug or biological product approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to reduce postoperative pain, or to produce postsurgical or regional analgesia, without acting upon the body’s opioid receptors.
(2)
by redesignating subsection (d), as so amended, as subsection (e); and
(3)
by inserting, after subsection (c), the following new subsection (d):
(d)
The Secretary shall—
(1)
not later than one year after the date on which a non-opioid pain management drug or biological product becomes eligible for temporary additional payment under section 1833(t)(16)(G) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)(16)(G)), or eligible for separate payment under section 416.174 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulation), include such non-opioid pain management drug or biological product in the national formulary of the Department; and
(2)
include a non-opioid pain management drug or biological product in the drug standardization list of the Department.
(b) Limitation
None of the funds in the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund under section 324 of title 38, United States Code, may be used to carry out the amendments made by this section.
(c) Implementation
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall implement the amendments made by this section.