Why it Matters

The House Veterans Affairs Committee is putting the Department of Veterans Affairs' internal management under a microscope. A veterans affairs hearing scheduled for March 25, 2026, before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will take up a dozen legislative proposals — four introduced bills and eight discussion drafts — targeting everything from the VA's nearly $1 billion in annual software spending to how the department pays bonuses, reimburses community care providers, and treats its own workforce. Taken together, this veterans oversight hearing 2026 represents one of the most sweeping single-session legislative reviews of VA operations this Congress.

The stakes are concrete: the VA reportedly cannot account for tens of millions of dollars in software license spending, its fiscal management systems have been repeatedly flagged by inspectors general, and geographic disparities in community care reimbursement continue to affect whether veterans in rural and high-cost areas can access private-sector providers.

What's on the Table at the Veterans Affairs Congressional Hearing

Software and Data: Where Does $1 Billion Go?

Two of the four introduced bills zero in on the VA's digital infrastructure. H.R. 6654, the Veterans Affairs Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act, would require the VA Secretary to implement a comprehensive software asset management policy. The bill responds to reporting by Nextgov/FCW that the VA spends nearly $1 billion annually on software with no comprehensive tracking system — leading to duplicate licenses and wasted taxpayer funds. When the Federal CIO asked agencies for a full software inventory, the VA reportedly listed license usage and quantities as "unknown" for tens of millions of dollars' worth of services. A VA official later told a House subcommittee the department had achieved "100 percent visibility" into its software license inventory — a claim that will likely face scrutiny at this hearing.

H.R. 7280, the Veteran DATA Act, would restrict the VA Secretary from entering into certain contracts related to veteran data governance. The bill's focus on data contracting restrictions aligns with broader concerns about VA IT vendor management.

These proposals land as the VA's FY2026 IT budget totals approximately $5.9 billion in direct obligations — a 6.6 percent decrease from FY2025 enacted levels, according to Federal News Network. The department is simultaneously planning to roll out its Oracle-Cerner electronic health record system at 13 new sites in 2026 while cutting 931 IT full-time employees.

Fiscal Accountability and Bonus Recovery

H.R. 7683, the VA Fiscal Management Modernization Act, would clarify and expand the authority of the VA's Assistant Secretary for Management to modernize the department's financial oversight processes — an area the Government Accountability Office has historically flagged as high-risk.

H.R. 7319, the VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act, introduced on March 2, 2026, would authorize the VA to recoup awards, bonuses, and relocation expenses from employees under certain circumstances. The bill was referred directly to this subcommittee and fast-tracked for consideration.

Eight Discussion Drafts Spanning Workforce and Operations

The VA committee hearing preview also includes discussion drafts addressing patient safety, workforce protections, and institutional structure. Among them: a proposal to require professional certifications for VA sterile processing technicians, a draft to modify Community Care Program reimbursement rates based on geographic location, proposals expanding parental leave and family medical leave definitions for VA employees, a draft to prohibit downgrading VA law enforcement positions, and a measure to formally establish the VA's Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs in statute.

The community care reimbursement draft is particularly timely: the 2026 VA Fee Schedule took effect January 1, and the American Health Care Association has highlighted ongoing geographic disparities in nursing home reimbursement rates.

Who's Lobbying Ahead of the Oversight Investigations Subcommittee Hearing

The legislative agenda has drawn sustained interest from major VA stakeholders over the past year. Oracle Corp., a primary VA IT contractor running the department's electronic health record modernization program, filed lobbying disclosures totaling $60,000 per quarter across the Second, Third, and Fourth Quarters of 2025 — all focused on VA management and oversight issues.

InterSystems Corp., a health data platform provider, reported $30,000 in lobbying spending in both the Third and Fourth Quarters of 2025 on VA software and data management — directly relevant to H.R. 6654 and H.R. 7280. Freedom Scientific Inc., which provides accessibility software used in VA systems, disclosed $10,000 in the Second Quarter of 2025.

On the workforce side, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing VA employees, filed multiple lobbying disclosures across 2025 focused on VA employee benefits and compensation — directly relevant to the discussion drafts on parental leave, family medical leave, and law enforcement position protections.

Oracle's PAC, Oracle America, Inc. PAC, made an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 in contributions to members of Congress between March 2024 and March 2026. AFGE's PAC, People Helping People, distributed approximately $40,000 across 17 contributions on a single date — October 1, 2024.

The Hearing Details

The hearing is chaired by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-2), with Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL-3) serving as ranking member. Other subcommittee members include Del. Amata Radewagen (R-AS-1), Rep. Keith Self (R-TX-3), Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6), Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-NY-26), and Rep. Herb Conaway (D-NJ-3). The full hearing notice is available online.

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