# Fisher House Availability Act of 2025

This bill expands who can use temporary housing facilities run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically the Fisher Houses—special homes located near VA medical centers that provide free or low-cost lodging for patients and their families during medical treatment.

Currently, these facilities are available mainly to veterans receiving care at VA hospitals. The new law would allow TRICARE beneficiaries to use these same facilities on a space-available basis. TRICARE beneficiaries include active-duty military members, retirees, their families, and survivors—basically anyone covered under the military's health insurance program. The bill specifically opens up housing for two groups: people who have to travel a long distance to receive care at a non-VA medical facility, and family members or support people who accompany them. The key phrase "space-available" means these groups can only use the housing when rooms aren't needed for the primary veterans already scheduled to stay there.

The bill requires the VA Secretary to set up specific rules for how and when TRICARE beneficiaries can access these facilities. This is a practical measure aimed at helping military families who need temporary housing during medical treatment but don't have VA facilities nearby. Since Fisher Houses are donated facilities funded by charitable foundations rather than taxpayer dollars, allowing additional military families to use them when space permits doesn't create new government costs—it just makes better use of existing resources that might otherwise sit empty.