VAMOSA Act of 2025

Summary#

The VAMOSA Act of 2025 requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make sure the Chief Information Officer and other relevant officials create and run a department-wide software asset management policy. The policy must, at minimum: keep a complete inventory of software assets; assess interoperability and license limits; find and stop waste, fraud, and abuse by checking inventories against purchase records, subscriptions, vendor bills, and contracts; require CIO coordination on major software purchases; adopt cost-effective licensing strategies (including enterprise agreements where practical); and measure and enforce license compliance.

The Chief Information Officer must review and update the policy at least once every three years with the Chief Financial Officer and others as appropriate. Employees who buy, manage, or implement software must get training at least once a year on topics such as negotiating contract terms, differences between commercial and custom software, and evaluating licensing cost models. The law must be implemented using existing staff, systems, and funds and does not authorize new appropriations or new offices. The Secretary must include any substantive policy updates and an estimate of cost savings in the Department's annual report to Congress. The law defines what counts as a comprehensive software inventory and what counts as a software asset, and the requirements end five years after the law takes effect.

Not later than three years after enactment, the Government Accountability Office (Comptroller General) must report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on how the Department implemented the new section, the cost savings and duplication reduced, and the level of operational independence when contractors help with inventory or entitlement reconciliation.

What it means for you#

  • If you work at the Department of Veterans Affairs and handle software purchases or management, you will be required to follow a new department-wide policy and get annual training.
  • Major software acquisitions will involve coordination with the CIO.
  • Vendors may see more enterprise-wide licensing or centralized oversight, but the bill does not change procurement funding rules.
  • For veterans and the public, the bill does not directly change benefits or services; it focuses on how the Department manages software.

Expenses#

  • The bill states the policy must be implemented using existing personnel, systems, and funds and does not authorize additional appropriations or the creation of any new office.
  • The Secretary must report estimated cost savings from implementing the policy, but the bill does not provide any cost estimates.
  • The GAO report required within three years is mandated by the bill, but the bill does not specify new funding for that report.

Proponents' View#

According to the bill text, supporters seek to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in software spending; improve inventory and license management; adopt more cost-effective licensing strategies; and increase accountability through required reporting and GAO review.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.