By: René Campos
MAY 28, 2024
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MOAA and other veterans’ organizations have called on House and Senate leaders to move a comprehensive, bipartisan bill designed to help veterans and caregivers across generations through both chambers before members leave for the July 4 holiday.
Advocates were disappointed to learn the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R. 8371) did not advance to the House floor before Memorial Day. MOAA and our advocacy partners have been working on this bill’s passage over many months alongside House and Senate members and staffs on the Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Hearings, committee briefings, roundtables, and informal discussions have resulted in a compromise package addressing several of MOAA’s highest legislative priorities for those we represent and serve.
[ACT NOW: Urge Your Elected Officials to Support Comprehensive VA Health Care]
In response to the House’s inaction, more than two dozen groups (including MOAA) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders, including the respective leaders of the Veterans’ Affairs Committees, urging them to “put aside politics, work together in good faith to find a path forward through the House and the Senate, and enact this critical legislation before the Fourth of July.”
The Senate will be out of session June 22-July 7, while the House will be out June 29-July 7.
Once lawmakers return from their Memorial Day break, they face a growing number of bills and priorities competing for their attention before the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year. As critical deadlines approach, growing political pressures can impede the legislative process and stall important bills.
A Bill for the Entire Veteran Community
The bipartisan package offers a wide range of improvements to help veterans, caregivers, families, and survivors, including improved access to mental health and long-term care for the veterans who need it. MOAA, like other groups, has been patient and collaborative as proposals were reviewed and negotiated to fit into a legislative package that would benefit the entire veteran community.
MOAA recognizes the difficulty inherent in finding bipartisan, bicameral agreement. The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act reflects congressional intent to represent, in the broadest way possible, the interest of the entire veteran community. That’s why MOAA and our partners are pressing lawmakers to pass this vital legislation as soon as possible ... and why your voice is needed now more than ever.
While the path forward is uncertain, inaction is unacceptable. Congress must do its job by passing this important legislation and remain focused on getting the package signed into law before the July 4 holiday. Doing so would prove to the veteran community that these lawmakers care and recognize their service and sacrifice.
Click here to contact your legislators and ask them to pass the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act.