TRAVEL Act of 2026

This Act may be cited as the Territorial Response and Access to Veterans’ Essential Lifecare Act or the TRAVEL Act of 2026.
Subchapter I of chapter 74 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
The Secretary may assign a physician appointed under section 7401 of this title to serve as a traveling physician for a period of not more than one year at a time.
A physician assigned to serve as a traveling physician under this section may be assigned to provide health care to veterans residing in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or any other territory or possession of the United States at facilities of the Department or other approved facilities located in such territory or possession.
The Secretary may assign multiple physicians to serve as traveling physicians under this section and may assign each such physician to serve in a specific territory or possession.
In providing care under this section, traveling physicians shall coordinate with non-Department medical providers to the extent practicable and necessary to ensure high quality and coordinated care for veterans receiving hospital care and medical services (as those terms are defined in section 1701 of this title).
In addition to pay under section 7431 of this title, the Secretary shall provide a relocation or retention bonus to traveling physicians under this section.
The relocation or retention bonus provided under paragraph (1) shall be substantially similar to a relocation or retention bonus offered under section 7410(a) of this title, as the Secretary considers appropriate.
The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 7414 the following new item:
Title 38, United States Code, is further amended as follows:
In section 7410(a)(1), by—
striking retention allowances and inserting retention bonuses; and
striking the second comma after section 7401(1) of this title.
In section 7431(e)(5)(B), by striking retention allowances and inserting retention bonuses.