Press Releases

In case you missed it, leading veteran service organizations (VSO) have sounded support for H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, a comprehensive veterans’ package to expand benefits through the Maj. Richard Star Act and Sharri Briley and Eric Edmunson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, improve rural and urban healthcare access nationwide, support Gold Star families, expand mental health and substance abuse support for veterans who may be struggling, and deliver on the promises Congress has made to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) work better for the men and women who have and will serve, their families, and their survivors. To learn more about the historic Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, click here.

The American Legion: "For over a century, The American Legion has been the leading veterans service organization advocating for passage of nearly all major expansions or reforms to healthcare and benefits that benefit veterans and their families. When the situation required, we advocated for sensible, non-traditional approaches to enact legislation where traditional legislative efforts repeatedly failed. The American Legion and the broader veteran community have been frustrated at the lack of action on the Major Richard Star Act despite strong bipartisan, bicameral support. That is why Legion leadership and our government affairs team have remained open to every possible avenue to get this critical legislation across the finish line and have been encouraged to see it garner more attention in the last two months than it ever has. We appreciate the introduction of a viable path forward for the Major Richard Star Act and over 60 other pieces of critical legislation through the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA),” said Daniel K. Wiley, American Legion National Commander. “After thorough consideration of the legislative and regulatory environment, which included conversations with legislators who both agreed and disagreed with the bill, we believe TCAVA is the best path forward to get these crucial bills enacted into law.”

Elizabeth Dole Foundation: “This legislation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to stand with the veterans, caregivers, and survivors who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act speaks directly to needs that have gone unmet for far too long. For more than 30 years, our surviving families, many of whom were caregivers, have waited for a meaningful increase in support, while our most catastrophically injured veterans and the caregivers devoted to them have absorbed costs they were never meant to bear alone. Many who left their jobs and sacrificed their income and retirement savings to care for a loved one will find relief in this bill. Having seen the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act signed into law and begin changing lives, I know what is possible when our nation comes together for those who served—and this package carries that same historic promise. Senator Dole's vision for what is possible for caregiving families in America is written into the heart of this bill, and as America approaches its 250th anniversary, we have the chance to honor the full and lasting price of service for veterans and families.” 

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS): “The Take Care of America's Veterans Act represents our nation's sacred promise to those who serve and those they leave behind,” said Bonnie Carroll, President and Founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). “We are grateful to Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) for sponsoring this life changing legislation, which addresses long-standing gaps in benefits and ensures that those who have sacrificed in service to our nation, and their loved ones, are honored with the support they have earned. Passing the Love Lives On Act and increasing Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) have been TAPS's top legislative priorities for many years and we appreciate this common sense pathway to finally seeing them passed into law."

Vietnam Veterans of America: "Taken as a whole, this package includes meaningful reforms that will reduce suffering, improve access to healthcare, modernize benefits, strengthen support for caregivers and survivors, and address challenges facing veterans and military families. Vietnam Veterans of America will not be drawn into partisan talking points. Our responsibility is to veterans. We evaluate legislation based on whether it improves the lives of those who served and the families who shared in that sacrifice. For too long, veterans, survivors, caregivers, and family members have waited while critical needs remained unmet. Legislation that delivers meaningful benefits to millions of veterans should move forward, even as Congress continues working to address areas that warrant further improvement. For these reasons, Vietnam Veterans of America supports passage of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act and looks forward to working with Congress to ensure it delivers meaningful results for veterans and their families," said Thomas Burke, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America.

Wounded Warrior Project: “After conducting a thorough review, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) supports S. 4744 and H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, and urges Congress to continue advancing this critical legislation on behalf of veterans, service members, families, survivors, and caregivers. This comprehensive package reflects years of bipartisan, bicameral work and includes more than 60 provisions to strengthen veterans’ benefits, health care, education, transition assistance, caregiver support, and survivor services. Taken together, these reforms would deliver meaningful, long-term improvements for millions in the veteran community — both today and in the future,” said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Walt Piatt, CEO, Wounded Warrior Project. “WWP is especially encouraged by the inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act, our top legislative priority. This long-overdue reform would finally address the unjust offset that forces more than 59,000 medically retired, combat-injured veterans to forfeit a portion of their earned military retirement pay in order to receive disability compensation. Correcting this injustice would have a meaningful and lasting impact on some of the most severely wounded veterans we represent. The bill also includes important provisions to expand mental health services, improve spinal cord injury care and prosthetics, strengthen support for survivors and families, enhance caregiver programs, and advance services for women veterans — delivering long-sought improvements across the community.”

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA): “The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act bundles more than 60 individual bicameral and bipartisan provisions addressing veterans’ benefits, health care, education, transition assistance, caregiver support, and survivor benefits. Among the included provisions are 23 pieces of MOAA-supported legislation, including three of MOAA’s longest-standing legislative priorities. It includes our top MOAA enduring priority, the Major Richard Star Act, which provides meaningful relief to combat-injured Chapter 61 retirees who currently lose military retired pay because of the offset with VA disability compensation. It includes our tier one veterans’ priority for this Congress, the Veteran Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement (3R) Act, which would support family caregivers who sacrifice careers and retirement security to care for severely wounded veterans. And it contains the Love Lives On Act, critical legislation for our surviving spouse members that would eliminate the penalty that terminates survivor benefits for spouses who remarry before age 55. The package also carries 20 other additional bills MOAA has supported individually,” said Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), President and Chief Executive Officer, MOAA. “Given these realities, the practical choice before Congress is not whether these VASRD changes occur but rather whether the resulting savings are reinvested in veterans, caregivers, survivors, and families or simply revert to the Treasury. We believe veterans should be the ones who benefit, and we believe the opportunity to enact so many key legislative priorities might not appear again for a very long time.”

Mission Roll Call: "After reviewing the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, Mission Roll Call supports the overall direction and intent of this legislation. Over the past several years, Mission Roll Call has collected feedback from tens of thousands of veterans and family members on issues including Community Care, suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury, brain health, innovative treatments, caregiver support, service dogs, transition assistance, VA performance, and workforce challenges. Many of those same priorities are reflected throughout this legislation,” said Jim Whaley, CEO, Mission Roll Call. "We are encouraged by the inclusion of significant portions of the ACCESS Act, continued support for the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, new investments in traumatic brain injury and brain health initiatives, provisions supporting service dogs and caregivers, improvements to transition assistance programs, and efforts to improve transparency and accountability across the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We are also encouraged by the inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act and the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Act. For years, veterans have voiced support for addressing longstanding inequities affecting combat-disabled retirees and for expanding access to innovative approaches that may improve quality of life for veterans living with the invisible wounds of service."

Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH): "On behalf of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), we support the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act. This legislation contains numerous provisions that will provide meaningful support to veterans, survivors, caregivers, military families, and combat-wounded veterans. We particularly support the inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, and the many reforms that improve benefits, health care access, caregiver support, survivor programs, traumatic brain injury research, suicide prevention efforts, and quality of life for those who have served. Taken as a whole, this legislation represents one of the most comprehensive veterans’ legislative packages considered in recent years," said Tracey L. Brown, National Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Concerned Veterans for America: “CVA has long fought to ensure our nation keeps its promise to veterans by delivering the care they need and deserve in recognition of their service and sacrifice,” said John Vick, Executive Director, CVA. “Veterans often face unique health care challenges; they should never have to choose between waiting for care and getting the care that best meets their needs. We're encouraged to see the promise of greater access and choice move from a policy objective to an everyday reality.” 

Gold Star Spouses of America: “No surviving spouse should ever have to choose between rebuilding their life and retaining the benefits earned through their loved one’s service and sacrifice,” said Tamra Sipes, National President, Gold Star Spouses of America. “The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act includes two critical provisions that address longstanding inequities affecting surviving military families: the Love Lives On Act, which protects survivors from losing benefits when they remarry, and the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026, which provides a long-overdue increase in Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) after more than three decades without meaningful adjustments. For Gold Star Spouses of America, this legislation is deeply personal. Sharri Briley is a Charter, Founding Member of our organization, and her advocacy, along with the dedication of so many survivors, has helped bring attention to the challenges faced by surviving military spouses. This legislation represents more than policy, it reflects dignity, fairness, and recognition of the sacrifices made by those left behind. It is a step towards ensuring surviving families receive the support they have earned through their loved one's service to our nation. Gold Star Spouses of America proudly supports the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act and urges Congress to advance these important provisions on behalf of America’s surviving military families.”