Here’s a summary of the latest developments on Capitol Hill, where PVA is watching when it comes to issues that can affect the lives of veterans with SCI/D.
Congress Approves Temporary Funding Measure
Unlike in recent years, lawmakers did not wait until the last minute to approve legislation to keep the government running beyond Sept. 30. On Sept. 1, the House passed the Senate’s Continuing Resolution (CR). The president signed it into law the following day. For the most part, HR 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, extends the current year’s funding levels through Dec. 11 or until applicable appropriations acts are passed to fund the government through fiscal year 2027 – whichever comes first.
A separate provision in the CR delays the implementation of an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Rule overhauling Uniform Guidance, which governs how federal grants can be administered, until Dec. 11. The rule could fundamentally change how federal research grants are managed, making studies on conditions like spinal cord injury and disease much harder for researchers to conduct. PVA has registered concerns with OMB’s proposal.
Another provision in the CR extended the 2021 Surface Transportation Reauthorization until Dec. 11. The most recent authorization was set to expire on Sept. 30. The surface bill authorizes funding, sets policy and creates programs that address roads, bridges, transit and other transportation projects. PVA has worked to ensure the next reauthorization includes provisions that improve transportation options for people with disabilities.
Senate Roundtable Puts Spotlight on Veteran-Directed Care
In early September, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a roundtable on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) program, which allows eligible veterans to take charge of how their long-term care needs are met at home and in the community.
The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (Public Law 118–210) wrote VDC into law, requiring it be reflected at every VA medical center within two years. The law also reinforced veterans’ right to direct their own services, authorized the VA to partner with groups like Area Agencies on Aging and Centers for Independent Living and required the VA to address the program’s staffing and administrative needs.
Participants, including the VA, the Administration for Community Living, advocates and veterans organizations like Paralyzed Veterans of America, discussed access, consistency across facilities, staffing and funding, oversight and implementation of the Dole Act.
VA’s progress report: About 15,000 veterans are enrolled, and only two sites don’t yet offer VDC, but both are expected to come online soon. The VA has also cut the number of underperforming sites (fewer than 10 participants) in half, though about 22 still fall short.
What veterans organizations are seeing: PVA and others described a program that varies widely from one medical center to the next. Differences in staffing, capacity, funding and local leadership have led to uneven enrollment and eligibility decisions. Some sites have waitlists, while others can barely offer the program at all. And many eligible veterans are being turned away verbally rather than in writing, leaving service officers with nothing to appeal.
VA’s response: VA acknowledged the inconsistencies and pledged a system-wide review. Officials said the ongoing reorganization may fix some problems, confirmed that denials should be in writing and said they’re reviewing eligibility tools and processes, including coordination with other support programs.
New Executive Order Targets Veteran Benefits and Jobs
On Sept. 8, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) aimed at smoothing the benefits process and improving job prospects for transitioning service members.
Section 2, “Requiring Prompt Sharing of Military Personnel and Medical Records,” gives the VA and the Department of Defense (DOD) 180 days to update their IT systems and policy guidance so records move more easily between the two departments. The EO also calls for a new digital tool to streamline benefits applications and serve as a one-stop source for Department of Labor (DOL) job training and opportunities.
Section 3, “Accelerating Veterans’ Access to Quality Employment,” directs DOL, DOD and the VA to ensure that, to the extent practicable, every service member leaving active duty is connected to jobs matching their skills and interests, enrolled in career or technical education such as an apprenticeship or paired with a veteran representative to help apply for VA and DOL health care, disability benefits and other services.
The EO provides no new funding to carry any of this out.
DOD, VA and DOL already partner on transition support, but gaps in those services have been a concern for years.
Read the executive order in full here.
HUD Narrows Window for Fair Housing Accessibility Complaints
On Aug. 31, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity issued an internal memorandum that shortens the time people have to file administrative complaints over housing built without required Fair Housing Act (FHA) accessibility features.
Under 2013 guidance from HUD and the Department of Justice, the FHA’s one-year deadline for administrative claims started when a person was actually harmed by an inaccessible design. The new memo rescinds that interpretation. Now the clock starts when construction is finished, marked by the certificate of occupancy. HUD treats a design and construction failure as a one-time violation, so an inaccessible feature that stays in place doesn’t restart or extend the deadline.
This sharply limits the ability of people with disabilities to get relief from HUD for these violations. Miss the one-year mark after the certificate of occupancy, and it’s too late, even if you moved in long after or only discovered the problem later.
The change took effect immediately on Aug. 31, 2026. It isn’t new law; it’s read as a direction to HUD staff on how to handle FHA complaints.
Amtrak Launches Tracker for Station Accessibility Upgrades
Amtrak has launched a website with an interactive map and dashboard tracking its progress on bringing stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The multi-year ADA Stations Program covers only the stations, or parts of stations, that Amtrak fully or partly owns. Depending on ownership, that may include the station building, the platform and/or parking.
Amtrak is responsible for 382 stations, with 15 more being handled by a third party. As of Sept. 8, 163 are fully compliant, with 35 more expected to finish in fiscal year 2026. Amtrak aims for 100% compliance by 2029. The total investment is $1.8 billion.
Search or click any station on the site to see its status, whether completed, in design, under construction, awaiting final verification or if it’s not Amtrak’s responsibility.
Other News:
DOT Unveils New National Strategy for Autonomous Vehicles
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released “America Leads: DOT’s National Strategy for Automated Vehicles (AV 5.0),” its updated roadmap for bringing driverless cars and robotaxis to roads nationwide.
The strategy lays out the federal rules that must be in place before nationwide deployment and directs multiple agencies to take the needed regulatory steps. Its four priorities are safety, regulatory certainty, American innovation and interoperable corridors. A key principle: AVs must prove they can operate safely before they go commercial.
The strategy isn’t binding, but it sets the framework for federal action through fiscal year 2030.
House Democrats Press VA on Denied Accommodations for Disabled Employees
On Sept. 9, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and his minority colleagues sent a letter to the VA secretary raising concerns that the department is denying reasonable accommodations to disabled employees, many of them veterans.
The lawmakers questioned whether the VA is consistently meeting the individualized, effective-accommodation standards required by Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – the VA’s own policy and applicable collective bargaining agreements. They also cited several grievances that labor unions have filed against the VA.
