VA moves to strengthen informed consent transparency for Veterans

WASHNGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced new guidance on informed consent that will increase transparency for Veterans before they receive a prescription for psychotropic medications, which include antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics and opioids.

VA practitioners currently disclose a host of relevant information to enable Veterans to make informed choices about whether to undergo procedures or treatments. That includes a full discussion of the risks, side effects, benefits and alternatives to psychotropic medications, and signature informed consent for all long-term opioid treatment.

To increase transparency, VA has identified additional educational measures regarding the benefits and risks of certain medications that will enable Veterans to make a more comprehensive assessment of treatment decisions in consultation with their providers and families. To that end, VA will add the following informed consent requirements starting in 2027:

• Patient education and signature consent prior to any concurrent prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines.
• Patient education and signature consent prior to prescribing an antidepressant to a Veteran younger than 30.
• Standardized patient education for Veterans who are prescribed psychotropic medications, including those that only require oral consent.
• Documented informed consent discussions about risks, side effects, benefits, alternatives, and how to safely discontinue the medication, including for psychotropic medications that only require oral consent.

"America's Veterans should get as much information as possible as they are deciding what treatment is best for them," said VA Secretary Doug Collins. "The guidance we're announcing today will ensure that happens."

As part of this initiative, VA will spend the rest of 2026 ensuring that these new requirements are communicated to VA staff, employees are trained on these new procedures, and all policies and procedures are updated to reflect this change.