GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
The Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America Government Affairs Committee is committed to providing timely information on issues that are specific to the needs of veterans and their families. Citizens may show support by contacting their elected officials in person or via phone or e-mail, to keep the needs of our veterans and their families in the limelight as relevant acts impacting our membership are considered.
Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America does not pay professional lobbyists, nor do we lobby as an organization, for any legislative action. We do not support any political party or candidate on any level. The Government Affairs Committee merely provides information to the membership, solely for their use as individuals in grass roots actions at all levels of government.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 10, 2023
5:00 am
Since President Biden signed The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (PACT Act) into law as a part of his Unity Agenda, VA has delivered more than $1.85 billion in earned PACT Act benefits to Veterans and survivors
WASHINGTON — Today, VA released a PACT Act Year-In-Review Dashboard showcasing the care and benefits that VA has delivered to Veterans and their survivors since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on Aug. 10, 2022. Partly due to this historic law, VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before. Key results to date include:
Delivering benefits to Veterans and their survivors: VA has delivered more than $1.85 billion in earned PACT Act benefits to Veterans and their survivors. VA is delivering these benefits to Veterans at the fastest rate in our nation’s history, processing 1.65 million total Veteran claims thus far in this fiscal year (including 458,659 PACT Act claims) — 16% more year-to-date than the previous all-time record.
Increasing Veteran access to health care: Since August 10, 332,252 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care — which is nearly 50,000 more enrollees than during the previous year. This includes more than 113,719 enrollees from the PACT Act population (Vietnam, Gulf War, and Post-9/11 Veterans).
Screening Veterans for toxic exposures: More than 4.1 million Veterans have received free, 10-minute screenings for toxic exposures from VA under the PACT Act — a critical step to catching and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions as early as possible.
Spreading the word to Veterans and their survivors: Thanks to the largest outreach campaign in VA history, Veterans and survivors are applying for their earned benefits at record rates. In this fiscal year, Veterans and survivors have submitted 1.95 million total claims (including 843,448 PACT Act-specific claims) — 37% more than last year and on pace to break an all-time record. Veterans have also submitted 1.65 million “intents to file” during this fiscal year — 44% more than last year and also on pace to break an all-time record.
The PACT Act is here to stay, and Veterans and survivors can apply anytime for the care and benefits they’ve earned. Veterans and survivors who apply (or submit their intent to file) for PACT Act benefits by 11:59 p.m., ET, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 will be eligible to have their benefits backdated to Aug. 10, 2022 — the day that President Biden signed the PACT Act into law. This is an extension from the original deadline of Aug. 9, 2023. VA encourages all Veterans and survivors to visit VA.gov/PACT to apply — or submit their intent to file — today.
“Thanks to President Biden, millions of Veterans who fought for our country are now getting health care and compensation for the conditions that followed them home from war,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “We’re proud that so many Veterans and survivors have already benefited from the PACT Act, but this is just the beginning: we won’t rest until every Veteran and every survivor gets the VA health care and benefits they deserve.”
For more information about how one year of the PACT Act has helped Veterans, visit VA’s PACT Year-in-Review Dashboard. This dashboard is a special highlight edition of VA’s regular PACT Act dashboard, which VA publishes every other Friday to document the implementation of this legislation and showcase its impact on Veterans and survivors. The Year-in-Review Dashboard includes national and state-level data on PACT Act benefits and health care.
Halls of CongressHouse Committee on Veterans Affairs
House Appropriations Committee
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Halls of Congress | ||
August Recess | ||
Thursday, July 27, is the last legislative day for both chambers as they head into August Recess. |
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House Committee on Veterans Affairs | ||
House Veterans Affairs Committee passes 11 bills | ||
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), released the following statement after the Committee reported 11 bills to be considered on the House Floor: “To close out the summer session, our Committee reported eleven bills to effectively address veteran homelessness, continue our commitment to improving TAP, expand access to home-based care for aging veterans, increase access to mental health resources for caregivers, protect deployed servicemembers' USERRA rights, and more. Each of these bills would have a direct impact on veterans, Reservists and National Guardsmen, veteran caregivers, and their families,” said Chairman Bost. “I am especially proud to see my Restore VA Accountability Act reported by our Committee today. My bill is in response to the brave whistleblowers who have been coming to our Committee since the start of the new Republican majority. Under my leadership, we won’t turn a blind eye to them sounding the alarm on bad employees hurting the delivery of care and services to veterans at VA. Instead, we’ll fix it and provide the Secretary with the tools they need to appropriately hold employees accountable. I look forward to considering it, along with these other good proposals on the House Floor, as soon as possible.” The following bills were passed out of the Committee today: H.R. 4278, Restore Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability Act (Chairman Bost) |
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House Appropriations Committee | ||
VA FY24 Budget pass House before August recess | ||
WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives met to consider H.R. 4366, the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The measure was approved by a vote of 219 to 211. The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill includes a total of Honors our commitment to veterans by: BILL HIGHLIGHTS DETAILED FUNDING SUMMARY Department of Veterans Affairs |
11 VSOs Agree—It’s time to pass Chairman Takano’s Honoring our PACT Act
Comprehensive legislation to honor pact to address toxic exposures heads to House floor
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
BREAKING: Tester, Moran Bill to Expand VA Health Care for Post-9/11 Veterans Unanimously Clears Senate Committee leaders’ bipartisan Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act one step closer to becoming law.
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 USE THIS LINK TO READ
VVA UPDATE
HOUSE AND SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HEARINGS FEB 2-8, 2022
CAREGIVER ACT INFORMATION!
There have been many people who have been denied on claims regarding the new caregiver act, for benefits. Anyone who has been denied a claim can appeal. A recent court action said:
CAVC Baudette Decision
- Court held that “All claimants who received an adverse benefits decision under the Caregiver Program, exhausted the administrative review process within the VHA, and have not been afforded the right to appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals” (See link below)
If you think you qualify to get benefits regarding your role as a caregiver to a Veteran who is at least 79% service connected, or who meets requirements, go to this link to apply:
PLEASE READ THE TWO SENATE AND HOUSE BILL INFO SHEETS AND CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSONS!
SENTATE BILL S810 AND HOUSE BILL HR1972
CONGRESS 101
Click here for an easy to follow listing of information that will make contacting congress as easy as 1 2 3!
FIND YOUR CONGRESS MEMBER: (**You can still find the names, but the info is no longer available. You can google your senator or representative once you find the names. We are looking for alternative software)