CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2026

Deb Fischer

Republican · NE · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Pete Ricketts (R-NE)Original· 2026-06-17

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

2026-06-17

Source: Congress.gov

The Department of Veterans Affairs would be allowed to permanently accept donations of buildings, land, and construction services from individuals and organizations to help improve VA facilities, rather than having this ability expire as it currently does under a temporary pilot program. This would let the VA accept both physical donations and money specifically earmarked for maintenance projects and minor construction work without having to go through lengthy approval processes each time. Veterans and VA facilities would benefit from these donated resources, which could help expand or improve healthcare and services without requiring Congress to appropriate additional taxpayer funds.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4815 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4815 To permanently extend the pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs on acceptance by the Department of donated facilities and related improvements and to authorize acceptance of donations of construction services, minor construction or nonrecurring maintenance projects, and targeted contributions, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 17, 2026 Mrs. Fischer (for herself and Mr. Ricketts) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To permanently extend the pilot program of the Department of Veterans Affairs on acceptance by the Department of donated facilities and related improvements and to authorize acceptance of donations of construction services, minor construction or nonrecurring maintenance projects, and targeted contributions, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2026'' or the ``CHIP IN for Veterans Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF PILOT PROGRAM ON ACCEPTANCE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF DONATED FACILITIES AND RELATED IMPROVEMENTS. (a) In General.--Section 2 of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note) is amended-- (1) in the section heading, by striking ``pilot''; (2) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, by striking ``Pilot''; (3) by striking ``pilot'' each place it appears; (4) by striking subsection (i); and (5) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (i). (b) Modification of Acceptance of Property.--Paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of such section is amended to read as follows: ``(1) the donation aligns with-- ``(A) a need identified in a Strategic Capital Investment Planning process priority list, a five-year development plan, a facility master plan, or an annual capital needs inventory of the Department; or ``(B) any component or phase of a need described in paragraph (1); and''. SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT DONATIONS OF CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, MINOR CONSTRUCTION OR NONRECURRING MAINTENANCE PROJECTS, AND TARGETED CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) Authority.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may accept donations comprising the total cost or a portion of the cost of-- (1) minor construction projects; (2) nonrecurring maintenance projects; or (3) construction services relating-- (A) to minor construction projects; (B) to nonrecurring maintenance projects; (C) to an existing facility of the Department; or (D) to a new facility or portion thereof of the Department. (b) Alignment to Needs.--The Secretary may accept a donation under this section only if-- (1) the donation aligns with-- (A) a need identified in a Strategic Capital Investment Planning process priority list, a five-year development plan, a facility master plan, or an annual capital needs inventory of the Department; or (B) any component or phase of a need described in subparagraph (A); (2) the donation is from an entity described in section 2(a)(2) of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114- 294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note); (3) the Secretary determines such donation would-- (A) accelerate project completion; (B) reduce the expense to the Department; (C) improve facility condition; or (D) otherwise benefit veterans; and (4) the donor enters into a formal agreement with the Secretary that includes-- (A) provisions for the Department's oversight during performance; (B) compliance with applicable construction codes and standards,…

and applicable laws and regulations; (C) donor-provided insurance, warranties, and liability protections; (D) the amount of the donation and the amount of the Department's funding contribution, if any; (E) that the donation shall not increase the cost to the Federal Government of completing such project described in subsection (a) (excluding activation and sustainment of such facility); and (F) such other terms as the Secretary determines necessary. (c) Streamlined Requirements.--For donations under this section that do not involve transfer of real property title-- (1) the donor shall enter into an agreement with the Department that determines who is responsible to ensure environmental or historic preservation due diligence is completed; (2) the donor shall obtain all federally required construction and facility related permits; and (3) agreements may be simplified relative to those under section 2 of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note) to reflect the nature of services or targeted contributions. (d) Reporting.--The Secretary shall include information on donations accepted under this section in the reports required under section 2(g) of the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-294; 38 U.S.C. 8103 note), with separate tracking for donations under this section. <all>

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