Pappas Helps Pass Bipartisan Package of Veterans Legislation

On Monday, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Ranking Member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) Subcommittee of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, voted to pass the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. This legislation passed with strong, bipartisan support and implements a number of provisions championed by Rep. Pappas.

“There is no more sacred promise than the one we make as Americans to those who have worn the uniform of our country,” said Congressman Pappas. “This legislative package helps make good on our promise to support veterans and military families by addressing a number of key issues, including strengthening home- and community-based care, fighting veteran homelessness, and bolstering mental health and substance use disorder treatment. I’m pleased that this package also includes a number of provisions I have helped lead, including improving outreach and increasing awareness of VA programs, expanding access to long-term care, and breaking down barriers to veterans transitioning into civilian careers. I remain committed to fighting for New Hampshire veterans and meeting their needs, and I urge the Senate to take up this legislation and pass it at once.”

The legislation addresses a number of pressing issues facing veterans, military families, and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), including:

• Expanding access to Home- and Community-Based Services at every VA medical center, which would provide severely ill and aging veterans with more and better options to receive their care at home rather than in institutions. 
• Ensuring veterans can get the resources they need to be lifted out of homelessness.
• Creating mental health care grants for certain caregivers who become strained by the demands of providing help and support to veterans with heightened needs. 
• Providing a pathway to advocacy for organizations to provide veteran families support navigating VAs caregiver and long-term care services. 
• Helping ensure that decisions between veterans and their VA providers about seeking care in the community are honored. 
• Enhancing access to critical Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs for mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
• Removing limits on how VA can support the home-based care needs of veterans who don't pursue nursing home care. 
• Ensuring all VA medical centers can support critical programs like Veteran Directed Care and Purchased Skilled Home Care. 
• Expanding education benefits for surviving families. 
• Eliminating archaic language that penalizes surviving spouses from moving forward after their loss.

The package also includes a number of provisions that Congressman Pappas helped lead and supported, including: 

• H.R. 2830, the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act of 2023 - Eliminates red tape that excludes veterans from accessing commercial driver-education programs using their GI Bill benefits.
• H.R. 984, the Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act - Helps states implement programs that improve outreach and assistance to veterans and their families to ensure that such individuals are fully informed about veterans' benefits and programs.
• H.R. 1815, the Expanding Veterans Options for Long-Term Care Act - Requires VA to implement a three-year pilot program to assess the effectiveness of providing assisted living services to eligible veterans.
• H.R. 3651, the Love Lives On Act - Allows spouses of deceased military servicemembers to retain survivor benefits upon remarriage.