Meeting Minnesota's Veterans

I recently got to spend time with 200 veterans and volunteers from North Dakota and Minnesota in town for an Honor Flight. It was also great to be joined by Alexandria's Mayor Bobbie Osterberg.

With the help of some wonderful volunteers, these veterans have the red carpet rolled out for their time in D.C. They toured the memorials on the National Mall, saw the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, and toured the Navy Memorial.

Thank you all for your service! I had such a great time talking with all of you and hearing some of your stories. Our nation is forever grateful for the sacrifices you have made.

Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act

While some benefits, Social Security, are automatically adjusted each year, veterans' disability compensation is not. Congress has to pass legislation to make sure those benefits can keep up with inflation. I am happy to say that this year's bill has now passed in the House and Senate.

The Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Act of 2024 ensures the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits are adjusted by the same percentage as those for Social Security benefits. It includes additional compensation for dependents as well as clothing allowances for certain disabled veterans. With today's inflation forcing families across the country to made difficult financial choices, it's as important as ever that these benefits reach our veterans and their families and I look forward to it being signed into law.

Restoring Benefits to Defrauded Veterans

As the law stands now, if a veteran is working through a case where they've been targeted by fraud and are trying to reclaim their funds, but then pass away during the process, family members have no right to be reimbursed when the case is resolved. According to the Federal Trade Commission, fraud cost military personnel and their families $477 million in 2023. These are benefits that were earned through the sacrifice of a military servicemember, and would have been passed down to family members. The Restoring Benefits to Defrauded Veterans Act would require the VA to pay reissued benefits misused by a financial advisor or other fiduciary should a veteran pass before the payments are made. These payments would be made by the VA to an inheritor designated by the veteran or determined by a court.

I am glad to say this legislation is on its way to the White House to be signed into law.

Protecting Coverage and Care for 7 Million Vets

Earlier this year, Congress became aware that the VA was not going to be able to process payments scheduled for October 1. So, Congress had to step in and pass supplemental funding for the 7 million veterans who were at risk of losing access to their benefits. The House acted quickly and the bill passed unanimously through Congress and the Senate and was signed into law on September 20.

The Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act ensures these veterans will receive their benefits without any gap in coverage. It also includes provisions to get to the bottom of what went wrong and make sure the VA better manages their budget to keep this problem from happening again. 

Thank you for reading!

fischbach.house.gov

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