The first edition of the Washington Update for July 2026
Each edition of the Washington Update provides important information on the activities of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Government Relations and actions in Washington, D.C., of interest to the veterans and disability communities.
Bill Package Stalls Over Tinnitus and Apnea Concerns
Currently stalled in the House is H.R. 9237, aka The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, a consolidation of 62 different vet-related bills. Within the bill are quite a few PVA priorities, set to increase Special Monthly Compensation for veterans with severe disabilities, codify the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Bowel and Bladder program and improve survivor benefits. Also included is a variation of the Major Richard Star Act, meant to fix an issue keeping combat-injured veterans from their full military benefits.
However, H.R. 9237’s pay-for would also codify a potential change to VA’s rating schedule for tinnitus and sleep apnea. This has been a dividing issue in getting the bill through. Before the bill was set to go to vote July 16, the House held a vote on a motion that would send the bill back where it could be redesigned to get around the controversial stopping block. This motion was narrowly defeated, and consideration of the bill was halted. H.R. 9237 will most likely return for a vote until fall.
HVAC Subcommittee Meets on Veterans’ Health Care Bill Package
On June 30, the House Committee of Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC), Subcommittee on Health met for a legislative hearing focused on a broad package of bills designed to improve veterans’ health care access, accountability and system oversight. Among the issues addressed by the package:
- Reducing delays in veteran burials.
- Expanding access to new spinal cord injuries and disorders technologies.
- Studying the effects of neurological injuries from blast exposure and G-force stress.
- Improving care for veterans living in medical deserts.
- Strengthening oversight of the Foreign Medical Program and Medicare coordination.
- Establishing a national task force on caregiving youth.
- Codifying the Coaching into Care program.
- Increasing transparency in VA staffing.
- Improving personal accountability.
- Greater public access to Veterans Health Administration policies.
You can watch the hearing here.
House Committee Reviews VA IT Systems After PACT Act
On July 13, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Technology
Modernization, held an oversight hearing on the VA’s implementation of The Seargeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 and whether its disability claims systems can quickly and efficiently process benefits for current and future veterans.
PVA Associate Legislative Director Jeremy Villanueva testified that the VA’s technology modernization efforts have not delivered the promised improvements and, in some cases, have made the claims process less efficient. He highlighted persistent system gaps, including the inability to automatically stop payments when a veteran returns to military service or promptly remove dependents from an award, often resulting in overpayments that veterans must repay.
Mr. Villanueva also pointed to an April 2026 VA Office of Inspector General report finding that nearly 99 percent of automated Dependency and Indemnity Compensation claims contained errors, resulting in more than $2.7 million in improper payments.
Subcommittee members thanked PVA for its testimony and expressed interest in working with the organization on legislative solutions to address these issues.
PVA Appointed to DOT Air Travel Advisory Committee
On June 3, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy appointed PVA Chief Policy Officer Heather Ansley, Esq., MSW, to the Air Carrier Access Act Advisory Committee as the representative for national veterans’ organizations serving disabled veterans and as the committee’s co-chair.
Established under the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Reauthorization Act of 2018, the Committee advises the Department of Transportation on the air travel needs of passengers with disabilities. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 extended the Committee’s authorization through Sept. 30, 2028. PVA drafted the original legislation creating the Committee and played a key role in securing its passage.
VA Expands Emergency Community Care Notification Options
Beginning Aug. 10, veterans will have a new way to notify the VA after receiving emergency care at a non-VA hospital. While veterans or providers must still notify the VA within 72 hours for care to be considered under the Veterans Community Care Program, they can now use the VA’s centralized Emergency Care Reporting process instead of contacting the nearest VA medical facility.
Veterans and providers may continue notifying their local VA facility if they prefer. The new process does not change eligibility, notification deadlines or payment criteria — it simply streamlines and standardizes how emergency care is reported nationwide. The new reporting portal will be available beginning Aug.10.
ED Finalizes New Higher Education Accountability Framework
The Department of Education has finalized the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS), a new accountability framework that replaces the Gainful Employment (GE) rule. Earlier this year, PVA participated in the department’s Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) negotiated rulemaking process, which helped shape the new framework.
STATS is designed to hold colleges accountable by limiting federal funding for programs that leave graduates with low earnings. Programs whose graduates fail to earn more than a typical high school graduate for two consecutive years will lose access to Title IV federal student aid, including direct loans. After a third consecutive year, those programs will also lose eligibility for Pell Grants. Unlike the previous GE rule, STATS applies to both undergraduate and graduate programs.
DOE Extends Effective Date of Nondiscrimination Rule
On June 29, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a fifth extension of the effective date for its direct final rule rescinding certain nondiscrimination regulations for federally-assisted programs. Originally published in May 2025, the rule has been repeatedly delayed after the DOE received significant adverse public comments. The effective date is now set for Dec. 28, 2026.
21st Century Road to Housing Act Becomes Law
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act became law on July 11 after passing both the House and Senate and taking effect without the President’s signature. The legislation includes nearly 60 provisions aimed at addressing housing affordability, increasing housing availability and improving access to housing opportunities across the country.
The law includes measures to reduce regulatory barriers for community lenders, support the development of manufactured homes to help increase the nation’s housing supply and establish new limits on Wall Street and private equity ownership of single-family homes.
For veterans, a significant provision clarifies that VA disability compensation cannot be considered earned income when determining eligibility for local housing assistance programs. This change could help more veterans who are at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness access needed housing support by ensuring their VA disability benefits do not negatively affect their eligibility.
DOJ Memo Challenges Olmstead Integration Mandate
The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel has issued a memorandum arguing that the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. did not establish that the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires states to provide services in the most integrated setting appropriate for individuals with mental health disabilities.
The memo contends that courts have misinterpreted Olmstead and that neither law imposes an integration mandate or requires states to prioritize community-based services over institutional care. If adopted by the courts, this interpretation could reduce states’ obligations to provide alternatives to institutionalization for people with serious mental health conditions.
The memorandum is not legally binding, and its impact on future litigation — and on individuals with physical disabilities — remains uncertain.
HUD Announces Planned Changes to Fair Housing Office
On July 3, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced plans to reshape the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). In an internal email to employees, HUD leadership outlined the intent to transform the office but did not provide specific details about potential policy or operational changes.
FHEO is responsible for enforcing federal fair housing laws, investigating housing discrimination complaints, developing policies to promote equal housing access and supporting state and local fair housing efforts. The announcement also referenced a return to FHEO’s “original goals” for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which provides funding to nonprofit organizations that help enforce and promote housing civil rights protections.
