The U.S. House of Representatives recently advanced several bills focused on expanding access, improving clarity, and streamlining applications for veterans’ benefits. The bills vary in scope, covering topics like survivors’ benefits, job training, health research, tuition, and more. Yet they are united in their efforts to improve veterans’ access to key benefits. 

Survivor Benefits

The Prioritizing Veterans’ Survivors Act focuses on minimizing the paperwork and benefits challenges families face after the death of a veteran loved one. Grief is a huge challenge; receiving the benefits you need shouldn’t be. 

If passed, the Prioritizing Veterans’ Survivors Act would change the placement of the VA Office of Survivors Assistance within the VA hierarchy. By raising the profile of the office, lawmakers hope to raise the urgency and importance of survivors’ needs as well – improving assistance and communication for families facing challenges with Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. 

Job Training

The Veterans Education Transparency and Training (VETT) Act, would create a single online portal for veterans seeking job training and vocational programs. Veterans interested in these programs can log into a single portal to learn about opportunities in truck driving, police academies, skilled trades, and any other programs participating in job training. 

The bill will also eliminate the two-year waiting period to use GI Bill benefits for commercial driver’s license (CDL) training. By doing so, the bill hopes to assist veterans and address nationwide truck driver shortages.

Health Research

Decades after the end of the Vietnam conflict, research continues on the unique health risks faced by servicemembers there. The Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act, requires the VA to launch research on a specific type of liver cancer, called cholangiocarcinoma, among Vietnam veterans. The cancer may be connected to liver flukes – small parasites that live in some freshwater sources in Vietnam. Drinking untreated water or eating fresh or undercooked fish from these sources can cause the flukes to invade the human body.

Liver fluke infections are a known risk factor for developing bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma. The bill would produce additional research on these connections, which could lead to better screening or new avenues for treatment. More research will also help the VA establish the connection between military service and developing bile duct cancer – which could help more Vietnam veterans get the health benefits they need. 

Clarification on Disability Claims

Disability notification letters from the VA often leave veterans more confused than informed. Current claims letters are often filled with legal and administrative jargon, which makes little sense outside the specialized world of VA disability claims. The Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act seeks to require the VA to revise its communication letters, making them easier to read and understand. 

The goal is simple: Give veterans the information they need to make an informed choice about their claims. Tell them what is happening in clear, precise terms and what they can do next. The bill’s supporters state that this simple change could make the disability claims process much easier for veterans and their families – and for their benefits attorneys as well. 

Tuition for Reservists

Compare the day to day work of active-duty personnel with the work of the National Guard and Reservists, and you may see few differences. Both groups make significant contributions to the nation’s defense. When it comes to tuition benefits, however, active-duty servicemembers and National Guard/Reservist members often face significant differences.

The Montgomery GI BIll Selected Reserves Tuition Fairness Act seeks to level this playing field. Currently, public colleges and universities can charge reservists higher out of state tuition fees, even though vets from other branches can receive lower in-state fees. The bill would require colleges and universities to stick to the lower rate, no matter whether someone served as active-duty personnel or in the National Guard. Its goal is equal access to educational opportunities for everyone who contributes to the defense of the United States. 

Next Steps for These Proposed Changes

These bills have passed through the U.S. House of Representatives. Next, they must pass the Senate, then proceed to the President’s desk for signature. 

The process isn’t over yet for any of these proposed changes. Making it through a House vote represents a significant victory for any piece of legislation, however – and it increases the chances that at least some of these bills will become law. 

As these bills proceed through Congress, changes may be coming to your benefits. For help understanding these changes and how they affect you, talk to an experienced Tampa veterans benefits attorney today.