Washington, D.C. — House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC) passed in votes Wednesday 11 bills addressing various Veterans’ issues, including two bills Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata cosponsored. The next legislative step will be consideration by the whole House of Representatives.

“We are persistently working to address issues in Veterans’ services, as brought forward in hearing testimony and other reports before the Committee,” said HVAC Vice Chairman Amata.

Vice Chairman Amata is a cosponsor of the Restore Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability Act, H.R. 4278, sponsored by Chairman Mike Bost. She is also a cosponsor of the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act of 2023, H.R. 542, sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA).

The Restore Accountability Act would plug holes that courts have punctured in the 2017 Accountability Act by restoring Congresses intent to give VA the authority it needs to quickly remove, demote, or suspend employees who are a disservice to veterans.

The Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act states that the cost of providing noninstitutional alternatives to nursing home care may not exceed 100 percent of the cost that would have been incurred if a veteran had been furnished VA nursing home care, promotes certain noninstitutional alternatives to nursing home care, expands access to home- and community-based services, and provides specified support and benefits to caregivers of certain disabled veterans.

Chairman Bost said, “To close out the summer session, our Committee reported eleven bills out to effectively address veteran homelessness, continue our commitment to improving TAP, expand access to home based care for aging veterans, increase access to mental health resources for caregivers, protect deployed servicemembers USERRA rights, and more. Each of these bills would have a direct impact on veterans, Reservists and National Guardsmen, veteran caregivers, and their families,” said Chairman Bost. “I am especially proud to see my Restore VA Accountability Act reported out of our Committee (Wednesday).”

In addition, the following bills of interest to Veterans were also passed by HVAC:

H.R. 3848, Housing our Military Veterans Effectively (HOME) Act;

H.R. 3943, Servicemember Employment Protection Act of 2023;

H.R. 3874, Veterans Education Assistance Improvement Act;

H.R. 3933, TAP (Transition Assistance Program) Promotion Act;

H.R. 4461, Modernizing Department of Veteran Affairs Disability Benefit Questionnaires Act;

H.R. 3581, COPE Act; which authorizes the VA to award grants to implement, coordinate, improve, or enhance mental health counseling, treatment, or support for family caregivers of veterans participating in the family caregiver program.

H.R. 1767, To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide that educational assistance paid under Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance programs to an individual who pursued a program or course of education that was suspended or terminated for certain reasons shall not be charged against the entitlement of the individual, and for other purposes;

H.R. 3981, Veterans Education Oversight Expansion Act;

H.R. 984, Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act.