Bennet Joins Capito & Shaheen on Bipartisan Bill Expanding Veterans’ Access to Non-Opioid Alternatives

Feb 6, 2026| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) joined Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) as a co-sponsor of the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) for Veterans Act. The legislation would expand veterans' access to non-opioid alternative treatments by providing pathways for the inclusion of such treatments, pending approval by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)'s National Formulary (VANF).

"Veterans have sacrificed so much to keep us safe. We must do everything we can to ensure they have the care and resources they deserve," said Bennet. "Our bipartisan bill is an important step toward ensuring veterans' access to non-opioid alternatives while countering the opioid crisis."

"Our veterans deserve the very best care we can provide, including safe and effective options to manage pain without exposing them to unnecessary risk," said Capito. "By ensuring FDA-approved non-opioid treatments are included on the VA National Formulary, our legislation will make these alternatives easier to prescribe and easier for veterans to access."

"In New Hampshire, we're finally seeing the tide turn on the opioid epidemic through declining overdose deaths, and that progress has been fueled in part by policies that encourage doctors to prescribe alternatives to opioids for patients struggling with pain management," said Shaheen. "Last year, CMS implemented the legislation Senator Capito and I got signed into law that encourages use of non-opioid treatments for Medicare patients struggling with pain management - and our veterans deserve equal access to these non-opioid treatment options. This bipartisan legislation would advance veteran health care by maximizing access to safe, effective FDA-approved non-opioid alternatives and furthering efforts to tackle the opioid epidemic."

Despite the existence of safe and effective FDA-approved non-opioid alternatives for postoperative and acute pain, America's veterans need legislation to access such treatments through the VANF. The NOPAIN for Veterans Act would enable this.

The NOPAIN for Veterans Act is endorsed by the Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, among other organizations.

In addition to Bennet, Capito, and Shaheen, U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Angus King (I-Maine), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.) also cosponsored this legislation.

The text of the bill is available HERE.

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