The second edition of the Washington Update for June, 2026
Each edition of the Update provides important information on the activities of PVA Government Relations and actions in Washington of interest to the veterans and disability communities.
House Delays Action on Major Veterans Omnibus
The House Rules Committee voted June 23 on a rule to advance an amended version of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (H.R. 9237), a sweeping bill that includes provisions to increase Special Monthly Compensation for severely disabled veterans, improve survivor benefits and codify the VA’s Bowel and Bladder program. The bill also contains a version of the Major Richard Star Act, which would allow combat-injured veterans to receive their full military retirement and disability benefits concurrently.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would cost nearly $20 billion. To offset that cost, the bill’s pay-for provision would codify proposed changes to the VA’s rating schedule for tinnitus and sleep apnea — changes that critics argue would reduce future benefits for veterans with those conditions. The proposal has divided the veterans community, and the bill was pulled from the House floor late last week after votes were canceled. It remains unclear whether it will reach the floor before the July 4 recess.
Separately, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) made a sixth attempt June 17 to advance the standalone Major Richard Star Act, only to be blocked again by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) over the absence of a funding offset. Blumenthal proposed drawing from unspent Department of Defense funds to cover the cost, but the effort was rejected.
Disabled Veterans Now Eligible for Free TSA PreCheck
The Transportation Security Administration and VA announced June 18 the implementation of the Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act, signed into law in January 2025. The law allows eligible veterans to enroll in TSA PreCheck at no cost.
To qualify, veterans must have a service-connected disability requiring a VA-issued wheelchair or prosthetic limb due to loss or loss of use of an extremity, full or partial paralysis, or permanent blindness, and must be enrolled in the VA health care system. Eligible veterans were sent a TSA PreCheck enrollment letter from the VA, which can also be downloaded. The letter must be presented during the enrollment process.
Bipartisan Bill Would Expand Air Travel Rights for Passengers with Disabilities
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) introduced the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act (H.R. 9373/S. 4829) on June 18. The bill would strengthen enforcement of existing disability rights law by requiring the Department of Transportation to levy civil penalties for mishandled wheelchairs, physical harm to passengers with disabilities and other violations. It would also grant individuals with disabilities the right to file suit in civil court and require DOT to refer egregious or recurring violations to the Department of Justice.
Senate Passes Bipartisan Housing Affordability Bill
The Senate passed H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, on June 22 by a vote of 85-5. The legislation contains more than 45 provisions aimed at increasing housing availability and affordability, several of which directly benefit veterans.
Key veteran-focused provisions include disclosure requirements that inform loan applicants of their potential VA Home Loan eligibility, enhanced FHA mortgage disclosures to help veterans compare loan options, and a permanent exclusion of disability benefits from income calculations for the HUD-VA Supportive Housing program. The bill subsequently passed the House and was sent to the President. Whether he will sign it remains uncertain due to unrelated policy concerns.
House Appropriations Committee Recommends Research Funding Increases
The House Appropriations Committee approved, on June 24, significant funding increases for several Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. Under the proposal, funding for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program would double from $40 million in fiscal year 2026 to $80 million in fiscal year 2027. The Spinal Cord Injury Research Program would increase from $33 million to $40 million, and the Multiple Sclerosis Research Program would rise from $15 million to $20 million.
Both the Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis programs went without funding in fiscal year 2025, making the proposed increases a significant step toward restoring momentum in research for veterans and others living with these conditions.
Defense Policy Bills Address Military Health Care
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees each marked up their versions of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act earlier this month. Both measures focus in part on military health care access and oversight.
The House version would halt planned reductions at 41 military treatment facilities and require a comprehensive review of the Defense Health Agency’s restructuring plans before further changes can be made. The Senate version similarly requires certification that a comprehensive review has been conducted before any facility is downsized or reduced in scope, and calls for a digital system that allows TRICARE beneficiaries to report complaints or access barriers electronically. The Senate bill also directs the Defense Department and the VA to establish a pilot program to explore expanded reciprocal access to health care facilities between the two agencies.
Both chambers must pass identical legislation before a bill can be sent to the President. A conference committee is expected to reconcile differences in late fall.
OIG Audits Reveal Widespread Delays in VA Care Referrals
A recent VA Office of Inspector General audit found that the Veterans Health Administration was not consistently meeting timeliness standards for processing care referrals. Reviewing data from the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, auditors found that 14% of VA consults and 21% of community care consults were not acted upon within the required two-business-day window. Forty-five percent of VA consults and 60% of community care consults were not scheduled within required timeframes, and roughly half of all consults failed to meet standards for the timing of when veterans actually received care.
Community care consult volume grew approximately 41% between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. VHA leadership acknowledged that many of the delays remained unresolved as of late 2025 and early 2026. The OIG issued two recommendations, and VHA concurred with both, submitting corrective action plans.
OIG Flags Eligibility Errors in Community Care Program
A separate OIG audit found significant problems in how VHA determined veterans’ eligibility for community care. Approximately 25% of the 1.4 million veterans referred to community care during the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 did not meet eligibility requirements. Among veterans receiving VA-direct care, 38% lacked documentation showing they had been assessed for community care eligibility, and 58% of veterans eligible for community care but scheduled for VA care had no record showing they voluntarily opted out.
The OIG estimated VA could have avoided approximately $440 million in community care spending during the review period — roughly $1.7 billion annually — had eligibility determinations been made accurately. The agency issued six recommendations, with VHA concurring on five and concurring in principle on the sixth.
OIG Examines Safety for Women Veterans in Mental Health Programs
An OIG report released in early June assessed how VHA’s mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs are meeting the environmental and safety needs of women veterans. While 79% of surveyed participants reported feeling physically safe and 84% said their privacy was adequate, roughly one in five reported feeling emotionally unsafe, and nearly one in four said they did not feel respected by program staff.
Transportation also emerged as a significant challenge: two in five participants needed assistance with transportation for admission or after discharge, and of those needing help, one in three were dissatisfied with what they received. The OIG also found that one in three facilities with more than 40 beds — which are required to maintain a separate, secure unit for women veterans — were not in compliance with that policy. More than 60% of program managers reported that women veterans in their programs had experienced sexual harassment while enrolled. Given ongoing restructuring within VHA, the OIG did not issue specific recommendations but said it will continue monitoring the programs.
OIG Reviews VA Use of Generative AI in Clinical Settings
The VA OIG reviewed VHA’s use of generative AI chat tools, including VA GPT and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, for clinical care and documentation. The report found that while clinicians are actively using these tools for medical documentation and decision support, VA has not established adequate governance, oversight or patient safety safeguards for their use. Auditors also found limited coordination between VA’s AI leadership and the National Center for Patient Safety and no formal process for identifying or responding to AI-related patient safety events.
The OIG warned that generative AI tools can produce inaccurate or fabricated information that could affect diagnoses, treatment decisions or medical records. Three recommendations were issued, calling on VA to establish clear governance for AI use in clinical settings, determine whether existing high-impact AI safeguards should apply to these tools and integrate AI risk monitoring into existing patient safety programs.
