Washington, D.C. – Leading up to Memorial Day, Congresswoman Stefanik helped the House pass seven pieces of bipartisan legislation to improve the lives of veterans this week.
“We are truly blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth, the land of the free and the home of the brave,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “In honor of our fallen heroes, the House came together to pass seven significant bills to help better the lives of veterans this week. Despite our differences, much of what Congress does is bipartisan and has a meaningful impact on so many Americans. I’m proud that my colleagues and I worked together to pass this legislation, which will expand physical and mental health care access for veterans, equip the VA with the resources they need to prevent suicide, increase disability compensation, and promote education and employment programs for veterans.”
The 7 pieces of legislation include:
- H.R. 2359 - Whole Veteran Act, which will require the VA to provide Congress with information regarding their Whole Health Program, an integral component to suicide prevention efforts, ensuring all necessary tools are available to veterans for their individual mental health needs.
- H.R. 1812 - Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act, which will expand the eligibility to receive counseling from VA Vet Centers to members of the National Guard and Reserves or Coast Guard who served during emergency situations.
- H.R. 2333 - Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act, which will ensure the suicide prevention coordinators at the VA have the tools they need to provide veterans with critical mental health resources.
- H.R. 2340 - FIGHT Veteran Suicide Act, which will require the VA to provide notice to Congress of the suicide or attempted suicide and the name of the facility and location where the suicide or attempted suicide occurred no later than seven days after the incident.
- H.R. 1200 - Veterans Compensation Cost-of-living Adjustment Act, which will provide cost-of-living increases for wartime disability compensation; compensation for dependents; clothing allowance; dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses; and dependency and indemnity compensation to children.
- H.R. 2372 - Veterans’ Care Quality Transparency Act, which will ensure both the VA and outside providers are offering veterans high-quality mental health and suicide prevention services through a review of their practices.
- H.R. 2045 - Veterans’ Education, Transition, and Opportunity Prioritization Plan Act, which will realign transition, education, and employment programs at the VA under a new administration, the Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration, in order to fix the lack of attention to other Veterans Benefit Administration services, such as the Forever GI Bill and the Transition Assistance Program.
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