The Take Care of America's Veterans Act, a sweeping package aimed at expanding veterans' health care and benefits, is expected to return to the House floor when lawmakers reconvene after the July recess.
The legislation, which combines roughly 60 veterans bills into a single package, would dramatically expand veterans' access to community care outside the VA, increase benefits for combat-wounded veterans, caregivers and Gold Star families, and enact dozens of additional reforms.
House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., intends to bring the Take Care of America's Veterans Act back for a vote as soon as the House reconvenes next week, despite concerns that the legislation could become collateral damage in the Republican standoff over the SAVE America Act.
The bill was held up last month after a group of House Republicans joined Democrats to defeat a procedural vote, stopping the House from taking up the bill. Bost accused the holdouts of effectively putting veterans legislation on hold, arguing that they are holding all bills hostage.
With 23 legislative days left in the Congressional session, Concerned Veterans for America Strategic Director John Byrnes warned that time is of the essence. "There are lots and lots of things that have to get done," Byrnes said. "Every procedural delay pushes other legislation further down the calendar."
However, some Republicans have expressed concerns about the bill's financing. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, pointed to provisions offsetting new spending through changes affecting other veterans, warning that this could tax certain veterans to provide benefits to others.
Veterans of Foreign Wars has also taken issue with Section 108 of the bill, warning that it would codify changes to future disability ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea to help finance other veterans priorities. Bost disputed this claim, assuring that no veteran's benefits would be reduced.
The Senate's failure to act on the SAVE America Act has also been cited as a reason for the holdup. Bost argued that the House should not stop its work because the Senate isn't doing its job.
With the clock ticking, Byrnes emphasized that the Take Care of America's Veterans Act will save lives if it is passed. "If we lose veterans because they could have had faster, better access to health care, we're never going to get those veterans back," Byrnes said.
