Veterans Day: 3 New Bills Aim To Change VA Services

Detailed summary

As the United States marks Veterans Day, three bills have been put forward in Congress this week that could change certain services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs…

As the United States marks Veterans Day, three bills have been put forward in Congress this week that could change certain services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The bills, each introduced by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on November 9, cover veteran homelessness, pregnancy and postpartum care and evaluating a training program for service members transitioning out of military service. Each bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives and referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

They come as two other major veterans bills are due to be considered in the House later today.

The No Veteran Left Behind: Housing Retention Act, introduced by Democratic Representative, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, proposes creating a grant program within the VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families program that would fund community organizations that provide services to veterans to help them remain in permanent housing.

Eligible services could include mental health and substance abuse counseling, meals and grocery assistance, transportation help, medication support, home accessibility modifications and eviction protection. Pelosi said the legislation draws on California's Veterans Support to Self-Reliance (VSSR) Pilot program that targeted older and disabled veterans. Research by nonprofit group RAND found it helped improve housing stability and significantly reduced the number of emergency medical visits.

"This legislation helps codify the successful California pilot as a national model that helped fill the gap for San Francisco’s elderly and disabled Veterans—the fastest growing cohort," Pelosi said in a statement. "By meeting Veterans where they are, this transformative legislation would enhance access and stability for Veterans to their health care, transportation and daily supports that they need, earned and deserve."

The bill is cosponsored by fellow Democrats Kathy Castor of Florida and Mark Takano of California.

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Opening of the article, excerpted from Newsweek. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.