On November 19, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted to send to the Senate floor, a bill that would ensure VA benefits and services to veterans would not be interrupted in the event of future government shutdowns.
As amended by the committee, S. 932 would ensure that veterans benefits are not used as pawns in future budget negotiations by providing VA with advance funding for disability benefits and claims processing. In 2009, President Obama signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act (Public Law 111-81), which provided VA with a one-year advance budget for healthcare. The advance funding provided by S. 932 would extend the protections currently in place for VA health care to all other VA benefits.
VetsFirst continues to support S. 932, which is a bipartisan legislative solution, and we are encouraged to see this legislation advance to the Senate floor. Veterans should not have to worry whether the VA services they depend on will be there for them in the event of a government shutdown.
We will continue to advocate and push for the passage of this legislation.