Sponsors (4)
The bill strengthens equity-focused oversight, data collection, interagency coordination, and transparency for veterans—especially underserved groups—while increasing administrative complexity and costs that may strain budgets and implementation capacity.
Veterans from minority and historically underserved groups (including MENA and multiracial veterans) will receive improved, equity-focused outreach, services, and data-driven recommendations addressing healthcare, homelessness, and suicide prevention.
Veterans will benefit from the restoration of the Office of Equity Assurance and reinstatement of its staff, preserving oversight, research, and institutional knowledge on equity in disability compensation.
Veterans (particularly low-income and those facing non-health barriers) will gain better access to housing, education, legal, small-business, and substance-use resources through expanded interagency coordination on the advisory committee (HUD, Education, DOJ, SBA, ONDCP added).
Taxpayers may face higher costs due to expanded reviews, reporting, restoring OEA positions, rehiring staff, and ongoing operating expenses.
The bill creates expectations for expanded services and implementation of Committee recommendations without specifying dedicated funding, which could produce unfunded mandates or gaps between obligations and resources.
Expanding advisory committee membership and imposing frequent mandated briefings and reporting will increase bureaucratic complexity and administrative burden, which could slow decision-making and implementation of changes.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Broadens VA equity programs to cover minority and historically underserved veterans, requires biennial disparity reviews and reports, and restores the VBA Office of Equity Assurance with staffing protections.
Introduced December 10, 2025 by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick · Last progress December 10, 2025
Expands VA equity work by renaming and broadening an existing VA center and advisory committee to cover "minority and historically underserved veterans," adds new demographic categories and interagency members, and requires regular reviews and reports on disparities in benefit receipt. Immediately restores and protects the Veterans Benefits Administration's Office of Equity Assurance (OEA), reinstates staff terminated after January 20, 2025, bars elimination of OEA positions via reduction in force, and requires regular briefings to congressional veterans committees on OEA data and implementation of a recent GAO report.