HR 7042, the Heroes Home Energy Savings Act, allocates specific funding to enhance weatherization services for military households under the existing Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). It authorizes $350 million annually (2026-2030) for general WAP services and sets aside $2.1 million each year specifically for weatherization improvements to homes of active duty and reserve military members. The bill requires that no more than 6% of the general WAP funding can be used for program enhancements, while the dedicated $2.1 million must be spent solely on military households. This directly affects active duty and reserve military personnel and their households by providing targeted energy efficiency upgrades to their homes.
This bill allows military departments to reconsider awards of decorations (like medals) that weren't given on time because service records were classified or restricted for national security reasons. It directly affects service members (in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Space Force) who served on active duty from 1940 onward and whose records were withheld due to classification. The bill requires military departments to begin reviewing such requests within 30 days and complete the review within one year, waiving standard time limits for these specific cases. It also mandates detailed reports to Congress and the President (for Medal of Honor requests) on each review's findings and recommendations.
S 3691 establishes a 15-member Commission to investigate historical discrimination against LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Commission will gather testimonies from affected individuals, review military records from World War II onward, and analyze impacts on health, benefits, employment, and mental wellbeing caused by past discharge policies. It will propose specific remedies, including record corrections, compensation for lost benefits, improved gender-affirming healthcare access, and updated diversity policies for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. The Commission must submit a final report to Congress within one year, outlining findings and actionable recommendations to address historical injustices.
Automotive Support Services to Improve Safe Transportation Act of 2025 or the ASSIST Act of 2025 This bill expands the definition of medical services for purposes of veterans’ benefits to include additional medically necessary automobile adaptations. Under the bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs may provide funding for the following medically necessary automobile adaptations for driver or passenger use: ramp and kneeling systems, lowered floors, occupied and unoccupied mobility lifts, ingress or egress accessibility modifications, and adapted seating. The bill also extends the limitation on pension amounts for certain hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through September 30, 2032.
The MIL FMLA Act expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to provide military families with additional leave options. It allows eligible employees to take up to 26 workweeks of leave during a 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember (active duty member or veteran), regardless of the employee's family relationship to the servicemember. The bill adds new definitions to include domestic partners, grandparents, siblings, and other extended family members as eligible caregivers, and creates a new "veteran leave" provision for employees who are covered servicemembers needing leave due to service-related serious injury or illness. These changes aim to better support military families by providing more comprehensive leave options for caregiving needs related to military service.
This bill creates a new system for recognizing and regulating individuals who help veterans file benefit claims. It requires the VA to provide veterans with information about free assistance options and maintain a public list of accredited representatives. The bill sets a maximum fee limit of $12,500 or 5 times the monthly benefit increase for representatives, and establishes penalties for unaccredited representatives who charge improper fees. The law aims to protect veterans from unscrupulous representatives while ensuring they have access to quality assistance with their benefit claims.
Veterans' Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers Act of 2025 or the Veterans' ACCESS Act of 2025 This bill addresses the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) and other Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care matters. Among other provisions regarding the VCCP, the bill establishes in statute access standards that determine when a veteran is eligible to receive non-VA care through the VCCP, requires the VA to notify veterans regarding their eligibility for care within two business days after the VA is aware the veteran is seeking care, and extends the deadline for the submittal of claims under the VCCP by health care entities and providers. The VA must address its mental health treatment programs by establishing a standardized screening process to determine whether a veteran satisfies criteria for priority or routine admission to a mental health residential rehabilitation treatment program or a program for residential care for mental health and substance abuse disorders, tracking the performance of medical facilities and Veterans Integrated Service Networks in meeting the requirements for mental health treatment screenings and timely admission to treatment programs under such screenings, and establishing an appeal process for when a veteran is denied admission to a covered treatment program or is accepted into a program but not offered bed placement in a timely manner. Additionally, the VA must establish an online self-service module for veterans to request and manage appointments, track referrals, and appeal and track decisions related to requests for care.
HR 5949, the Rural Veterans Dental Care Act, establishes a pilot program to provide dental care to veterans living in rural areas lacking nearby dental clinics. Starting October 1, 2026, and ending September 30, 2029, the program will use mobile dental units - like vans, modular clinics at community centers, and temporary structures at outreach events - to deliver care directly to veterans residing more than 75 miles from existing VA dental facilities. Priority is given to rural areas with high veteran populations and significant unmet dental needs. The program requires annual reports on participants, locations, costs, and recommendations for potential expansion or permanence.
HR 3753, the Expanding Access for Online Veteran Students Act, would increase housing stipends for veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to take fully online courses. Currently, veterans enrolled solely in distance learning programs receive only 50% of the standard housing allowance; this bill removes that restriction, providing full housing stipends for online students attending more than half-time. The change applies to all veterans pursuing online degrees under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, ensuring they receive the same housing support as on-campus students. The policy takes effect for terms beginning August 1, 2025.
HR 965, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, amends the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 to exclude certain disability benefits from income calculations for housing assistance. Specifically, it removes benefits received under Chapters 11 or 15 of Title 38 (veterans' disability compensation) from income counts for the Section 8 supported housing program and eligibility for other housing assistance. This change directly helps disabled veterans receiving these benefits by making them more likely to qualify for HUD-administered housing programs. The bill applies to veterans renting residential units on Department property under HUD housing assistance programs established after the bill's enactment.
