Recent VFW Congressional Testimony

VFW National Legislation Priorities 

• Community Care Reform - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Pass H.R.740 / S.275, Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025, to ensure veterans receive clear information and timely health care by improving the efficiency, oversight, and coordination of VA’s community care program.
  2. Pass H.R.467, Foreign Medical Program Modernization Act of 2025, to expand access to health care for veterans living abroad by modernizing reimbursement systems and strengthening global care options.

• Exploring Alternative PTSD Treatments - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Pass H.R.4837, Written Informed Consent Act, to expand informed consent requirements to include five additional medication categories to ensure veterans are fully aware of the risks and benefits of these medications.
  2. Pass H.R.2623, Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act of 2025, to designate five VA medical centers as specialized hubs focusing on cutting-edge PTSD treatments for veterans.

• Retirement and Military Personnel - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Pass S.1032 / H.R.2102, Major Richard Star Act, either as a standalone bill or via the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (proposed Senate Amendment 2968) to enable Chapter 61 retirees who sustained combat-related injuries to receive their vested DOD retirement pay and VA disability compensation without offset.
  2. Pass legislation to eliminate any offset of DOD military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.

• Transition from Service (TAP) - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Pass H.R.1845, TAP Promotion Act, either as a standalone bill or via the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (Section 551 of the House NDAA) to codify VA’s practice of including accredited claims representatives from national, state, and local organizations in TAP classes.

• Unaddressed Toxic Exposures - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Conduct oversight hearings to ensure VA’s transparency and compliance in administering the PACT Act’s presumption decision process.

• Cracking Down on Predatory Claims Companies - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Pass legislation to truly prohibit the exploitation of veterans by unscrupulous Claim Sharks and strengthen the VA accreditation system, and to oppose legislation like H.R.3132, CHOICE for Veterans Act of 2025, that would put veterans seeking their earned benefits into debt.

 

• GI Bill Improvements - The VFW Urges Congress to:
  1. Pass H.R.1423 / S.649, Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2025, to create equity for National Guard and Reserve members by allowing any day in uniform for which military pay is received to count toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility; H.R.1965, Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act, to increase the book stipend from $1,000 to $1,400 for veterans using Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits, and include annual increases for the stipend based on the Consumer Price Index; and H.R.3753, Expanding Access for Online Veteran Students Act, to increase the monthly housing stipend to the full national average rate for students in approved online courses of study.