Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Veterans Act of 2026

degree of clinician and veteran trust in system outputs. (6) The cost and resource stewardship of the systems, including-- (A) acquisition, deployment, sustainment, and cloud or compute costs; (B) evidence of cost-effectiveness or cost-utility relative to clinical outcomes; and (C) resource implications for staffing, administrative burden, and system maintenance. (7) The transparency and documentation of the systems, including-- (A) whether system logic, data sources, training inputs, and decision pathways are sufficiently documented and auditable; and (B) whether such documentation is available for oversight review. (8) The scalability and effect of the systems, including-- (A) the clinical effectiveness of each system in real-world practice, including its performance across diverse veteran populations and care settings; (B) whether each system improves clinical efficiency, including reductions in administrative burden, wait times, or duplicative services; (C) the clinical utility of each system in supporting medical decision making and improving veteran care outcomes; and (D) where applicable, the environmental effect of deployment at scale, including energy consumption and sustainability implications. (c) Risk-Based Selection Criteria.--In selecting systems for evaluation pursuant to an agreement entered into under subsection (a), the federally funded research and development center shall prioritize artificial intelligence systems that-- (1) influence diagnosis, treatment decisions, triage, eligibility determinations, or benefits adjudication; (2) are deployed across multiple medical centers or impact a significant veteran population; (3) are deployed at scale across facilities, programs, or beneficiary populations such that errors, bias, or system failure could reasonably affect a significant number of veterans; (4) use predictive analytics, large language models, imaging analysis, or automated clinical decision-support tools; or (5) present material cybersecurity, privacy, or patient- safety risks. (d) Access to Information.--The Secretary shall ensure that a federally funded research and development center that enters into an agreement under subsection (a) is provided with access to relevant Department of Veterans Affairs information without delay and in a manner sufficient to permit completion of the evaluation within the timeframe required under subsection (e). Such information shall include, with respect to artificial intelligence systems used by the Veterans Health Administration-- (1) relevant contracts, technical documentation, validation studies, and model cards; (2) performance data and audit logs; (3) incident reports and corrective action plans; and (4) policies governing artificial intelligence governance, data use, and risk management. (e) Reporting Requirements.-- (1) Report on findings of evaluation.-- (A) In general.--An agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall specify that, not later than the date that is one year after the date of the agreement, a federally funded research and development center agrees to submit to the Secretary and to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report that includes each of the following: (i) Findings for each evaluated system. (ii) Identification of material risks to patient safety, data security, equity, or clinical integrity. (iii) Recommendations for corrective action, governance improvements, or suspension of deployment where warranted. (iv) Identification of systemic gaps in the artificial intelligence governance framework of the Department. (B) Form.--The report required by subparagraph (A) shall be submitted in unclassified and unredacted form, but may include a classified annex. (2) Corrective action plan; department accountability.--Not later than 120 days after receipt of a report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report that includes-- (A) a response of the Secretary addressing each finding and recommendation contained the report; and (B) a corrective action plan that includes-- (i) an identification of specific actions the Department will take to address each finding; (ii) an assignment of responsibility to appropriate Department officials; (iii) measurable milestones and deadlines for implementation; and (iv) an identification of any risk that the Secretary determines will remain unmitigated and the justification for such determination. (3) Comptroller general review.--Not later than 180 days after submission of the corrective action plan under paragraph (2), the Comptroller General of the United States shall-- (A) conduct a review of-- (i) the independent evaluation carried out pursuant to subsection (a); and (ii) the corrective action plan submitted under paragraph (2) and the initial efforts of the Secretary to carry out the plan; and (B) provide to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on the review that includes any recommendations of the Comptroller General for improvement. (4) Committee access and transparency.--The Secretary shall provide to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate-- (A) the full independent evaluation produced pursuant to subsection (a), including all supporting analyses and technical appendices; and (B) any subsequent implementation updates to the corrective action plan submitted under paragraph (2), without redaction, except for information that is classified or otherwise protected by law. (f) Use of Existing Funds.--The Secretary shall carry out this section using amounts otherwise authorized and appropriated to the Department. No additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section. (g) Artificial Intelligence Defined.--In this section, the term ``artificial intelligence'' has the meaning given that term in section 5002(3) of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (division E of Public Law 116-283; 134 Stat. 4523; 15 U.S.C. 9401 note). <all>