January 2026 marked five years since the enactment of one of the most significant policy victories for women veterans. Named after the woman who brazenly disguised herself as a man so she could fight in the Revolutionary War, the Deborah Sampson Act mandated historic investment in understanding the unique health care needs of women veterans and improving the quality of and access to comprehensive, gender-tailored care provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“This landmark legislation codified a much-needed and far-reaching focus on the fastest-growing demographic of veterans,” said DAV Deputy National Legislative Director Naomi Mathis. “Over the past five years, we have seen notable progress, not the least of which is a better grasp on the experience of women veterans.”

The law includes 28 provisions, many of which require reports offering insight into the state of women veterans health care and resources at the VA. They address prostheses for women, child care support, military sexual trauma (MST), infertility services and more.

Below are updates on all 28 provisions, based on one-time mandated reports dating as far back as 2021, mandated annual reports, publicly available documents and information requests.

Improving Access

While the VA has had some version of an Office of Women’s Health since 1988, this provision puts it into law. It mandates adequate staffing, outlines responsibilities and calls for annual reporting from the Office of Women’s Health.

Review the latest Office of Women’s Health Annual Report, released in May 2025 and covering fiscal year 2023.

The VA was tasked with prioritizing retrofitting medical facilities to support the health care of women veterans and address deficiencies in environment of care—often relating to privacy and perceived safety. The provision also authorized $20 million to be appropriated to support those efforts.

The VA submitted a required plan at the end of 2021, listing 77 projects totaling nearly $610 million as part of a five-year capital investment plan to expand care for women veterans. Projects included constructing a women’s health clinic in New Hampshire; renovating a psychological residential rehabilitation home for women in Georgia; creating a women’s imaging center in West Palm Beach, Florida; and upgrading women’s privacy in Des Moines, Iowa.

It was not immediately clear how many of these projects have been funded or completed.