US HB2426

Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to contract with an independent organization within 90 days to study quality of care differences between VA and non-VA providers for mental health and addiction therapy services

Study must compare care across multiple treatment modalities including telehealth, inpatient, intensive outpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment, with completion required within 18 months

Report must assess health outcome improvements, suicide risk using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and whether providers use evidence-based practices including American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria

Study must evaluate coordination gaps between VA and non-VA providers, patient satisfaction, provider competency with military/veteran populations, and average wait times from initial contact to service delivery

Final report must be submitted to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees and published on a publicly available website