Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to improve the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) caregiver program now has received approval from both chambers of Congress and is on the president’s desk to be signed into law.
“As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I will continue to fight for our veterans and conduct oversight on the VA Caregiver Program, put in place for severely disabled veterans with visible and invisible wounds,” Sen. Blackburn said on Monday.
Sen. Blackburn in July 2019 cosponsored the Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures for (TEAM) Veteran Caregivers Act, S. 2216, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI).
Specifically, the measure requires the VA to formally recognize caregivers of veterans by identifying any caregiver in the electronic health record of the veteran, according to the congressional record bill summary, which noted that such caregivers include those approved as a provider of personal care services under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and those participating in the Program of General Caregiver Support Services.
The U.S. Senate on Nov. 17 approved the measure, which the U.S. House of Representatives then passed unanimously on Dec. 16 with a vote of 380-0 before presenting it to President Donald Trump on Dec. 21 to be signed into law.
“Veteran caregivers are often forced to put their lives on hold to take care of their loved ones,” said Sen. Blackburn. “Many veterans who called my office for assistance stated that the VA wrongly evicted them and their caregivers from the program without justification or notice. Once signed by President Trump, this legislation will put the necessary guidelines into law to prevent this from occurring.”