116th Congress Legislation

Note: This does not reflect the status of every bill referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. For a comprehensive list of all bills referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, please click here.

Signed into Law

H.R. 1812: The Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act 

The Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, expands eligibility for counseling and care at Vet Centers to those who served in the Reserve, National Guard or Coast Guard who never deployed but served during emergency situations in the wake of disaster, civil disorder or in support of dangerous drug interdiction operations. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

S.785: The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act

The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Jon Tester, will makes a number of improvements and enhancements to the VA’s suicide prevention programs, increases VA’s mental health workforce, and expands access to care in VA medical facilities and through community-based organizations to help save the lives of the approximately 20 servicemembers and veterans who die by suicide each day. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 3504: The Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act

The Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act, introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, will provide needed improvements and changes to the Specially Adaptive Housing (SAH) program at VA to allow severely wounded veterans to live more comfortably and independently in their own homes. Click here for more information. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4920: The VA Contracting Preference Consistency Act

The VA Contracting Preference Consistency Act, introduced by Rep. Mark Takano, will preserve VA’s longest-standing partnerships with AbilityOne non-profit companies, while also preserving the Veterans First Program by applying it to all other VA purchasing. Further, this bill would protect meaningful employment opportunities for thousands of blind and severely handicapped individuals across the country that would otherwise be in jeopardy. Click here for more information. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 6322: The Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 & The Disabled Veterans Education Relief Act

The Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 & The Disabled Veterans Education Relief Act, introduced by Rep. Mark Takano, protects GI bill users benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, preserves the work study program by allowing the Secretary to continue to pay student veterans, safeguards vocational rehabilitation and employment, and further protect GI Bill benefits for students during emergency situations. This bill also ensures that students whose schools close and cannot transition to an online curriculum will be able to use and maintain their GI Bill eligibility next semester at a different college or university. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

S. 153: Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act

The Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act, introduced by Senator Marco Rubio, directs the National Science Foundation to encourage veterans to study and pursue careers in STEM and computer science in coordination with other federal agencies that serve veterans, and submit a plan to Congress for enhancing veterans outreach. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 561: Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2019

The Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2019, introduced by Rep. Jack Bergman, requires participants in the Vets First Program to certify that they are performing the required percentage of work and directs VA to refer suspected violators to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation. The bill also directs the VA Secretary to consider whether existing administrative and criminal penalties for fraudulent representation would apply in each case. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1424: Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act

The Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act, introduced by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, requires VA's national cemeteries to allow the display of the Battlefield Cross, which is a monument that depicts a fallen servicemember by an inverted rifle, with a helmet and dog tags on top, and a pair of combat boots at the bottom. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 2333: The Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act

The Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act, introduced by Rep. Anthony Brindisi, directs the Government Accountability Office to assess the responsibilities, workload, and vacancy rates of VA's Suicide Prevention Coordinators to ensure that they are being used effectively to support veterans in crisis and assist in preventing suicide among servicemembers and veterans most in need of their support. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 2334: To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Odessa, Texas, as the "Wilson and Young Medal of Honor VA Clinic"

This bill, introduced by Rep. Mike Conaway, honors the lives of two heroes from Texas - First Class Alfred “Mac” Wilson and Staff Sergeant Marvin “Rex” Young, who both posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions during the Vietnam War - by naming the VA community-based outpatient clinic in Odessa, Texas, after them.

H.R. 2196: To amend title 38, United States Code, to reduce the credit hour requirement for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

H.R. 2196, introduced by Rep. Andy Barr, ensures that the scholarship program Congress provided for student veterans in STEM programs can be used in the way Congress intended and - more importantly - ensure that student veterans in these important degree programs receive the support they need to pursue their dreams. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

S. 49: To designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation

This legislation, which passed the Senate in February, renames a VA outstation in North Ogden, Utah as the “Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation”. Read the bill here.

H.R. 2385: To permit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program to conduct cemetery research and produce educational materials for the Veterans Legacy Program 

This bill, introduced by Rep. Conor Lamb, provides the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with the authority to establish a grant program to conduct cemetery research and produce outreach materials for the Veterans Legacy Program (VLP), an educational initiative from the National Cemetery Administration (NCA).

H.R. 299: The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, introduced by Rep. Mark Takano, extends the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange to veterans who served in the Blue Water Navy. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1200: The Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2019

The Veterans Compensation Cost-of Living Adjustment Act of 2019, introduced by Rep. Elaine Luria, provides veterans with a cost-of-living adjustment to ensure that the disability compensation they and their surviving family members receive from VA keeps up with inflation. Click here for more information. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4285: The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019

The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019 continues numerous programs at VA that were set to expire by the end of the fiscal or calendar year. A section-by-section summary of the bill can be found here. 

H.R. 2372: The Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act

The Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Lauren Underwood, requires an assessment of VA’s agreements with other government and non-governmental entities to ensure that they are working as intended to prevent suicide among our nation’s heroes. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

Passed House

H.R. 7795: The Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020

The Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Andy Barr, would require VA to resume publishing DBQ forms on VA’s public-facing website. If changes are made to the DBQs, the bill would require VA to accept DBQs completed by a non-VA medical provider for up to one year after the provider fills out the form, as long as the DBQ was current at the time it was completed. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 3010: The Honoring All Veterans Act

The Honoring All Veterans Act, introduced by Rep. Kathleen Rice, would modify the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs motto to honor the brave service of all veterans, men and women alike, to read, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those ‘who shall have borne the battle’ and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.” Read the bill here.

H.R. 3749: The Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act

The Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act, introduced by Rep. Jimmy Panetta, would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide grants to organizations that provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness. The legislation would help provide assistance for legal services including helping veterans with outstanding warrants or fines, child support matters, and license revocations, as well as specific assistance for women veterans and their families. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4613: The VA Reporting Transparency Act

The VA Reporting Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Max Rose, would require Congressionally-mandated reports on service and accessibility, including reports on nurse staffing and fraud prevention efforts, be made available on VA’s website after redaction. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4305: The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, introduced by Rep. Steve Stivers, would create a work therapy grant program at VA to connect veterans with service dogs. Learn more about the bill here. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4477: The Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act

The Reducing High Risk to Veterans and Veterans Services Act, introduced by Rep. Chris Pappas, would improve management and better the quality of care within the Veterans Health Administration in order to remove it from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) “High Risk List” of federal government programs that are most susceptible to fraud, waste, or mismanagement. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4625: Protect the GI Bill Act

The Protect the GI Bill Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Levin, would ensure that schools receiving GI Bill funding inform prospective students of the cost of attendance, how much their benefits cover, student outcomes, and more. The bill empowers State Approving Agencies (SAAs) to flag or suspend new enrollments to schools that violate these requirements. Further, this bill also bans schools from misrepresenting themselves while marketing, recruiting, and enrolling students. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4162: The GI Bill Planning Act of 2019

The GI Bill Planning Act, introduced by Rep. Jack Bergman, would save money for new military enlistees and make it easier for them to understand their future education benefits. Specifically, this bill allows recruits 6 months - instead of just 2 weeks into boot camp – to decide if they want to pay $1200 for Montgomery GI Bill eligibility. Nearly 70% of recruits sign up to pay the expense, but few will ever actually choose this program over the newer Post 9/11 GI Bill. Additionally, this legislation responsibly ends new enlistee enrollments in this outdated benefit by 2030. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 3224: The Deborah Sampson Act 

The Deborah Sampson Act, introduced by Rep. Julia Brownley, would ensure that women seeking care at VA have access to the high-quality care, benefits, and services that women veterans have earned. This bill would also create an Office of Women's Health within VA; require VA to establish environment of care standards for women veterans and ensure that VA medical facilities are retrofitted to meet those standards; require and fund programs to train providers in VA medical facilities an in the community on women's health; and improve access to care for women veterans and their newborn children. This bill would also include provisions that would help all veterans - women and men - who experience military sexual trauma, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, or sexual harassment to get the support and the care that they need. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 1615: Verification Alignment and Service-disabled Business Adjustment (VA-SBA) Act

H.R. 3996: VA Design-Build Construction Enhancement Act of 2019

The VA Design-Build Construction Enhancement Act of 2019, introduced by Rep. Jim Banks, would encourage VA to use the design-build construction method to complete construction projects in a swift manner and give our veterans the world class facilities they have earned. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4771: VA Tele-Hearing Modernization Act

The VA Tele-Hearing Modernization Act, introduced by Rep. Joe Cunningham, would expand the Board of Veterans' Appeals hearing options to include tele-hearings. Which would allow veterans to use their personal device for a VA hearing, this bill will help make hearings more accessible for veterans, especially those in rural areas or for whom travel might be physically challenging. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4360: VA Overpayment Accountability Act

The VA Overpayment Accountability Act, introduced by Rep. Andy Kim, would ensure that veterans are not unduly harmed by VA's debt collection process. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 4356: Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act

The Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act, introduced by Rep. Josh Harder, would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to give a spouse or dependent of a servicemember who experiences a catastrophic injury or who dies while in military service the ability to terminate telephone, multichannel video programming, or interest service contracts. This bill will also extend SCRA protections to members of the National Guard and Reserve who are executing active duty orders or are performing inactive-duty training. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 95: The Homeless Veteran Families Act

The Homeless Veteran Families Act, introduced by Rep. Julia Brownley, updates the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for entities furnishing services to homeless veterans to include funding for a minor dependent. The rate for per diem payments is the daily cost of care as estimated by the grant recipient or eligible entity. Further, this bill would expand the per diem payment amount for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent to the daily cost of care plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of such daily cost of care.

H.R. 1199: The VA Website Accessibility Act of 2019

The VA Website Accessibility Act, introduced by Rep. Elaine Luria, would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study and submit a plan to Congress that would make VA websites accessible for veterans affected by blindness or hearing loss.

H.R. 840: Veterans’ Access to Child Care Act

The Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, introduced by Rep. Julia Brownley, would make VA’s pilot program for child care a permanent program at VA for veterans who are receiving regular mental health services and other intensive health care services from VA and serve as the primary caretaker of a child. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 2045: Veterans' Education, Transition, and Opportunity Prioritization Plan (VET OPP) Act of 2019

The VET OPP Act, introduced by Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would realign the transition, education, and employment programs at VA under one roof. This would streamline these veteran services and place a greater priority on opportunity-based programs within VA. The legislation would create a new administration, the Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration, which would be accountable to a presidentially appointed undersecretary and would be created using existing resources at VA to avoid the growth of government and additional bureaucracy. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1947: To exempt transfers of funds from Federal agencies to VA for nonprofit corporations from certain provisions of the Economy Act 

H.R. 1947, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would provide explicit authority for NPCs to administer amounts transferred to them without regard to fiscal year limitations.  Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1271:Veterans’-Specific Education for Tomorrow’s Health Professionals Act of 2019 (VET HP Act)

The VET HP Act, introduced by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, would require VA to carry out a pilot program to provide undergraduate students with clinical observation experience within VA to increase awareness of medical conditions common to veterans and encourage potential careers in the VA. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1381: The Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act

The Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act, introduced by Rep. Raul Ruiz, would create a process to ensure that the burn pit registry may be updated with the cause of death of a deceased registered individual. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 2326: the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William Bill Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019

H.R. 2326, introduced by Rep. Mike Levin, would ensure that more servicemembers can attend the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and more veterans can receive support and training once they have left the military. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 499: The Service-Disabled Veterans Small Business Continuation Act 

The Service-Disabled Veterans Small Business Continuation Act, introduced by Rep. Steve Chabot, addresses conflicting language in prior laws to ensure that surviving spouses of less than 100% service-disabled veteran small business owners can retain their priority for three years following the servicemember’s death, protecting widows and widowers from potentially catastrophic disruptions to their businesses during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

Passed Committee

H.R. 7111: The Veterans Economic Recovery Act of 2020

The Veterans Economic Recovery Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would assist eligible veterans, members of the National Guard, and Reservists, in getting back to work by creating a rapid retraining program at VA to provide unemployed veterans and reservists with 12 months of educational benefits, to pursue training in high-demand occupations. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 6036: The VA Family Leave Act of 2020

The VA Family Leave Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would provide VA medical professionals with up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, as authorized by the FY 2020 NDAA. Click here for more information. Read the bill here. 

H.R 1527: The Long Term Care Veterans Choice Act

The Long Term Care Veterans Choice Act, introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins, would ensure that VA would be authorized to pay the costs for eligible veterans who prefer to live in an MFH. Click here for more information. Read the bill here. 

Introduced

H.R. 7469: The Modernizing Veterans' Healthcare Eligibility Act

The Modernizing Veterans' Healthcare Eligibility Act, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would create a bipartisan commission to assess veterans’ eligibility for care within VA and make recommendations for how such eligibility could be revised and simplified. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 7728: The COVID-19 Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers, the Reserve Components, and their Survivors Act of 2020

The COVID-19 Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers, the Reserve Components, and their Survivors Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would create a time-limited presumption of entitlement to service connection for active duty, National Guard and Reserve servicemembers if they develop symptoms of COVID-19 during or within 14-days after a qualifying period of military service. Click here for information. Read the bill here. 

H.R. 8506: The Toxic Exposure in the American Military (TEAM) Act of 2020

The Toxic Exposure in the American Military (TEAM) Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, would improve access to care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances in the military. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 8275: The Reducing Veteran Homelessness Act of 2020

The Reducing Veteran Homelessness Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, would make it easier for homeless veterans to access safe, affordable housing. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 7952: The Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020

The Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Mike Bost, includes provisions from bipartisan proposals introduced in the House and Senate to improve the provision of benefits to veterans and others that VA is tasked with serving. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 6013: The Veteran Families Financial Support Act

H.R. 547: The Biological Implant Tracking and Veterans Safety Act

The Biological Implant Tracking and Veterans Safety Act, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would ensure veterans do not receive contaminated tissue by requiring the VA to adopt the same system for tracking implants and tissue used within the private sector. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 628: WINGMAN Act

The WINGMAN Act, introduced by Rep. Ted Yoho, allows designated permanent, full time Congressional staffers to look up the status of a veteran's claim on VA’s database - but only if the veteran has given the staffer permission. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 497 The Burial Rights for America’s Veterans’ Efforts (BRAVE) Act of 2019

The BRAVE Act, introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter, would update the burial allowance each fiscal year to reflect current inflation. H.R. 497 would also raise the $300 benefit for veterans with a non-service connected death to match the allowance for veterans who pass away in a VA facility. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 697:  “To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay costs relating to the transportation of certain deceased veterans to veterans' cemeteries owned by a State or tribal organization”

H.R. 697, introduced by Rep. Jim Banks, would expand the VA Secretary’s authority to pay for transportation costs if the families choose to have deceased veterans buried in a national cemetery, state veterans cemetery or tribal veterans cemetery. Under the bill, VA would pay expenses up to the cost of transporting the veteran’s remains to the nearest national cemetery. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 747: “To direct VA to research medicinal cannabis” 

H.R. 747, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, would promote medical research into the safety and efficacy of medicinal cannabis usage on veterans diagnosed with PTSD, chronic pain and other illnesses and injuries by (1) specifically requiring VA to conduct and support research regarding medicinal cannabis and (2) requiring VA to report to Congress on how it intends to exercise that authority.  Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 846: The Veterans Serving Veterans Act of 2019

The Veterans Serving Veterans Act, introduced by Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, would expand on that pilot program and increase veteran employment across the VA healthcare system by requiring VA to identify the military occupation specialties (MOS’) that correlate with open positions within VA, to coordinate with the Department of Defense to identify soon-to-be-separated servicemembers and to add their relevant information to VA’s recruiting database, and to establish a  program to recruit, train and certify former military medics to work as ICTs at VA medical facilities. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1577: VA Procurement Efficiency and Transparency Act

VA Procurement Efficiency and Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Robert Wittman, would encourage efficiency and transparency in VA’s procurement processes by mandating high-level parameters for how the department calculates its savings from encouraging competition when awarding procurement contracts. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1628: Enewetak Atoll Cleanup Radiation Study Act

H.R. 1628, introduced by Rep. Greg Steube, would require VA to partner with NAS and conduct a small-scale prospective study to determine the accuracy and adequacy of DoD’s study, as well as whether a new Radiation Dose Assessment (RDA) would be possible and would improve the estimates for ECUP veterans. If a new RDA is warranted, NAS would identify the data sources, methodology, cost, and timeline for the new RDA. Moreover, the Secretary of VA would be required to provide, within 90 days of receiving the study, his plan of action in response to the study’s results. Click here for more information. Read the bill here.

H.R. 1962: the Department of Veterans Affairs Creation of On-Site Treatment Systems Affording Veterans Improvements and Numerous General Safety Enhancements (VA COST SAVINGS) Act

H.R. 1962, introduced by Rep. Mike Bost, would: (1) require VA to identify VA facilities that would benefit from cost savings associated with the use of an on-site regulated medical waste treatment system over a five year period; (2) require VA to develop a uniform, regulated medical waste cost analysis model to be used to determine the cost savings associated with the use of an on-site regulated medical waste treatment system; (3) ensure that, at each VA facility identified as a facility that would benefit from an on-site regulated medical waste treatment system, these systems are purchased pursuant to the purchase agreement known as the “VHA Regulated Medical Waste On-Site Treatment Equipment Systems Blanket Purchase Agreement." Click here for more information. Read the bill here.