Sponsors (4)
The bill strengthens VA accessibility oversight and temporarily protects certain veterans' pension rules, but does so at modest taxpayer cost and through a time-limited advisory committee that will need reauthorization to sustain improvements.
Veterans with disabilities will see more accessible VA services, facilities, and benefits because of targeted accessibility assessments, regular consultations with senior VA officials, and input into VA procurement and IT purchases.
Veterans in nursing facilities retain eligibility for existing pension payment rules for an additional two months, preventing an abrupt loss of benefits.
The VA must publicly post biennial accessibility reports and transmit them to congressional committees within 90 days, increasing transparency and congressional oversight of VA accessibility efforts.
The advisory committee and its activities will require VA staff time and other resources, imposing additional costs on taxpayers to create and support the Committee.
The Advisory Committee sunsets after seven years, meaning accessibility improvements could be time-limited unless Congress reauthorizes the committee.
Vacancies on the Committee could go unfilled for up to 180 days, creating temporary gaps in stakeholder representation and delaying some inputs or decisions.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a VA advisory committee on accessibility for veterans with disabilities and delays a pension-related statutory date by two months.
Introduced February 7, 2025 by David G. Valadao · Last progress May 20, 2025
Creates a new Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access to advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on accessibility for people with disabilities across VA information, services, benefits, facilities, acquisitions, and legal compliance. The committee will have 15 voting members appointed by the Secretary, four ex officio members, two-year terms, meet at least twice a year, produce biennial reports, and automatically sunsets after seven years. Also delays a statutory date tied to veterans' pension payment limits for nursing facility admission by moving the referenced cutoff from November 30, 2031 to January 31, 2032. The bill directs the VA to eliminate or consolidate inactive VA advisory committees within 180 days before setting up the new committee and requires the Secretary to transmit the committee's report and comments to Congress and post them publicly within 90 days.