WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan announced that he introduced two bills to help support the mental and physical health of America’s veterans.
Buchanan introduced the Veterans Nutrition and Wellness Act of 2025 to offer enhanced nutritional food options to veterans through a “food as medicine” health care approach. The bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and carry out a pilot program to administer medically tailored meals and groceries to eligible veterans.
“Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and we must ensure they have access to the full range of care and benefits they have earned and deserve,” said Buchanan. “Veterans experience higher rates of chronic illness than the general population, making it critical to explore innovative health care solutions like the ‘food as medicine’ approach. My bill honors their sacrifice and works to improve their health and well-being.”
U.S. veterans have worse health outcomes than non-veterans and are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases. Previous studies have found that obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, skin cancer and other cancers are statistically greater among veterans than non-veterans. Veterans are also more likely to have multiple chronic diseases than non-veterans according to a 2015–2018 National Health Interview Survey.
This bipartisan bill is cosponsored by Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC). Buchanan and Moore are co-Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus. The caucus works to bring awareness to this country's health care challenges, including the burgeoning obesity epidemic in this country and help promote and advance policy-centric solutions.
“The Veterans Nutrition and Wellness Act honors our nation’s commitment to ensuring our heroes receive high quality, effective health services. It would create a pilot program at the VA to provide access to medically tailored meals that can help veterans manage certain chronic diseases and improve their wellbeing. This pilot program recognizes that nutrition care is a critical part of health care. For example, we know that access to good nutrition can be critical to maternal health outcomes, and I am particularly pleased that this program would include those seeking maternal care at the VA,” said Rep. Moore.
The Veterans Nutrition and Wellness Act of 2025 is also supported by the Healthcare Leadership Council, Feeding Tampa Bay, the Manatee County Veterans Council and leading physicians.
“By establishing the pilot ‘Food is Medicine Program,’ Rep. Buchanan’s bill bolsters the health of veterans in a unique way by leveraging the opportunity for medically-tailored nutrition, education, and existing community support. HLC and our members applaud these efforts and remain committed to partnering with lawmakers to advance policy solutions for our nation’s veterans that prioritize chronic disease management,” said Maria Ghazal, President and CEO, Healthcare Leadership Council.
“The Veterans Nutrition and Wellness Act of 2025 is a critical pathway to showcase how nutrient rich food, tailored to specific health needs, can help individuals reach optimal health outcomes while reducing healthcare costs. Our organization has several programs demonstrating that this approach creates positive health outcomes for both our veterans and the wider community. We applaud the Congressman’s vision and hope this bill finds the successful path to passage,” said Lorena R. Hardwick, Chief External Affairs Officer, Feeding Tampa Bay.
“Manatee County Veterans Council is strongly in favor of the proposed pilot program for Food is Medicine. I personally am a Veteran who recently had an amputation at Bay Pines and spent several weeks in the Community Living Center while recuperating. It was a great advantage to me in the recouperation process, to be able to come home for healing. I am fortunate enough to have a wife that could prepare healthy meals for me at home, while several other Veterans that were in the CLL were unable to go home, due to their inability to shop and prepare healthy meals for themselves. We strongly support the initiation of this program,” said Jim Klocke, Chairman, Manatee County Veterans Council.
“Our military veterans deserve the best in all things—in particular, their health and well-being. There are few better ways to demonstrate our gratitude than to ensure these heroes have access to nourishing, life-restoring food for diet-sensitive conditions as part of their regular medical care,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, Cardiologist and Director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University.
Buchanan also introduced the Veterans Mental Health Crisis Referral Enhancement Act of 2025 to address critical gaps in mental health care for veterans. This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a three-year pilot program to refer veterans experiencing mental health crises to approved non-Veterans Affairs mental health care providers, ensuring timely access to competent care.
“Florida is home to more than 1.4 million veterans, including over 64,000 in my district alone. Yet too many of them face unacceptable delays when trying to access critical mental health services,” said Buchanan, “My legislation takes decisive action to bridge these gaps, ensuring timely access to life-saving care and restoring trust in the system.”
Florida is home to over 1,400,000 veterans. The suicide death rate among veterans (40.4 per 100,000) living in Florida is at least 2.6 times higher than the general population (13.1 per 100,000 population), according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Veterans Mental Health Crisis Referral Enhancement Act of 2025 is supported by Operation Warrior Resolution and the Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Charity Assembly #3089, both Sarasota-based, and the Manatee County Veterans Council.
“We proudly supports the mental health legislation introduced by Congressman Vern Buchanan, which seeks to address the critical mental health needs of our nation’s veterans. This pilot program represents an innovative and timely approach to alleviating the challenges faced by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in delivering prompt and effective mental health care, especially for veterans in crisis and those struggling with suicidal ideations. We applaud Congressman Buchanan for championing this vital legislation and urge Congress to pass it without delay. Together, we can make a profound difference in the lives of our veterans and their families,” said Kendra Simpkins Walsh, Founder and CEO, Operation Warrior Resolution and Dr. Steven M. Wyer, Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Charity Assembly #3089.
“The Manatee County Veterans Council strongly supports the Veterans Mental Health Crisis Referral Enhancement Act of 2025. We have worked with enough Veterans in our community to realize the extreme need for this type of assistance for the men and women who have served our country. We can’t forget what they have done for our country and need to support their mental health issues,” said Jim Klocke, Chairman, Manatee County Veterans Council.
Buchanan has fought for veterans and America’s servicemembers throughout his career. In January, he introduced the Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 136), which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to review the deaths of all veterans it treated who died by suicide or from a drug overdose in the last five years.
