S. 3119 — Fisher House Availability Act of 2025

This section expands eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs temporary lodging in Fisher Houses or other appropriate facilities. (As background, Fisher Houses are privately donated housing facilities located near VA medical centers that provide temporary lodging to patients and their families.) Specifically, it revises subsection (b) to retain priority access for (1) veterans traveling a significant distance for VA care or services and (2) their family members and supporters, while adding space-available access under new paragraphs (3)–(5) for (3) eligible individuals (i.e., members of the Armed Forces, regardless of duty status, or individuals on active duty) traveling a significant distance for care at VA or non-VA facilities and their family/supporters; (4) family members of veterans traveling a significant distance for the family's care at VA or non-VA facilities and the accompanying veteran/supporters; and (5) family members of eligible individuals traveling a significant distance for the family's care at VA or non-VA facilities and the accompanying eligible individual/supporters (previously limited to veterans and their families for the veteran's VA care). The section further strikes the prior Fisher House definition; updates regulations to address space-available access and accompaniment criteria for all eligible individuals; and defines eligible individuals and expands the Fisher House definition to include facilities donated by the Fisher House Foundation, Inc. (Thus, the changes enable temporary lodging for active duty personnel, service members, and families receiving or accompanying care at non-VA facilities when space is available.)