Three of Pappas’s Bipartisan Bills to Support Veterans, Improve VA Included in Government Funding Package

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Chair of the Oversight and Investigations (O&I) Subcommittee for the House Veterans' Affairs Committee (HVAC), announced three of his bipartisan veterans' bills to support veterans and improve key functions of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have been included in the government funding package that will be considered by Congress this week. 

“We always must ensure that VA provides our veterans with the highest level of care and service,” said Congressman Pappas. “These bills will make much-needed improvements across the department so our veterans are not subject to undue financial strain, receive the best possible medical care, and can trust VA to properly address systemic issues of sexual harassment and discrimination. I’m proud of the bipartisan effort we have made on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to investigate these failures and propose common-sense solutions to protect our veterans. The inclusion of these bills in this year’s government funding legislation will take important steps toward fulfilling the promise made to our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country, freedom, and security.”

Pappas introduced the bipartisan VA Beneficiary Debt Collection Improvement Act alongside Congressman Nehls in May 2021 following his work as HVAC O&I Chair to investigate the failures of VA’s current debt collection system. This legislation will improve VA's debt collection process and remedy the issue of overpayments which are often the results of mistakes in disability payouts, changes in eligibility, or simple accounting errors and can lead to financial difficulties for hundreds of thousands of veterans, especially for those living on fixed incomes. The American Legion and Paralyzed Veterans of America are supportive of this legislation.

Pappas introduced the VA Supply Chain Resiliency Act alongside Congressmen Bost and Mann in March 2021 after chairing HVAC O&I hearings that revealed VA failure to implement known best practices to secure their supply chains during their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation will include VA in the Warstopper program, a proven program that helped the Department of Defense (DoD) respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and will strengthen VA supply chains moving forward. The American Legion is supportive of this legislation. 

Pappas introduced the Improving VA Accountability to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Act alongside Congresswoman Hinson in April 2021 after a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed VA’s failures to combat sexual harassment and discrimination. This legislation will drastically improve policies and oversight to crack down on sexual harassment and discrimination within VA based on recommendations from the GAO report that revealed VA does not require reporting of all sexual harassment complaints, has an improper leadership structure for overseeing their sexual harassment process, and has incomplete and outdated policies, information, and training.  This legislation is led by Senators Ernst and Hassan in the Senate. The American Legion and Paralyzed Veterans of America are supportive of this legislation.