U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) is supporting a comprehensive, bipartisan legislative package that includes several bills he proposed to help strengthen benefits for United States military veterans.
“Those who sacrifice to protect our nation should never have to fight for the benefits they earned,” Rep. Ciscomani said on June 18. “This legislation is a major step forward for our veterans, bringing together more than 60 bipartisan priorities, including my own, to deliver real, lasting improvements in care, benefits, and support for those who served.”
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, H.R. 9237, would advance numerous veterans’ priorities negotiated between both houses of Congress, and would honor America’s veterans by bolstering benefits, enhancing access to care, and providing long-overdue support for veterans, caregivers, and families, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Ciscomani’s staff.
The package, which U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) sponsored on June 10 alongside 20 original cosponsors, includes provisions from four bills introduced by Rep. Ciscomani: the Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act, H.R. 3951; the VETS Opportunity Act, H.R. 1458; the Expanding Access for Online Veterans Students Act, H.R. 5702; and the Coordinating Care for Senior Veterans and Wounded Warriors Act, H.R. 668.
Two of the measures, H.R. 3951 and H.R. 1458, have already passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support, staff said.
The package, H.R. 9237, includes more than 60 bipartisan bills that improve resources for veterans facing unique challenges, with key provisions including improvements to GI Bill access, mental health care, VA contracting reforms, and expanded support for veterans with brain injuries and other service-connected conditions.
A central priority of the legislative package is the Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102, which would ensure that combat-injured veterans medically retired before 20 years of service could receive both their full military retirement pay and their VA disability compensation, closing a critical gap affecting some 54,000 wounded veterans nationwide, the summary says.
The Warrior Healing Center and several members of the congressman’s Veterans Advisory Council endorsed the package, which is pending action by both the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.