Chairman Takano Calls On Treasury and IRS to Automatically Distribute Stimulus Checks to the Most Vulnerable Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, following reporting in CNBC that as many as 2 million veterans could miss out on the federal stimulus payments, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) strengthened his call for U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig to automatically distribute COVID-19 stimulus checks to our most vulnerable veterans- including homeless veterans and those relying primarily on VA benefits, who typically are not required to file a tax return.

“By requiring a tax return to receive a stimulus check, this policy creates an unnecessary hurdle that threatens to leave some of the most vulnerable veterans behind.” said Chairman Takano. “Veterans that rely primarily on VA benefits have no reason to file taxes and many haven’t filed a tax return in years. During this unprecedented crisis, it is unacceptable to ask veterans and their families to take on the burden of filing taxes when the federal government can get this relief into vulnerable veterans’ pocketbooks automatically.”

Background: 

Most recently, the IRS launched a new web tool to help non tax filers more rapidly qualify for stimulus checks but still requires each veteran to go online and fill out the form before they receive anything. However, this solution fails to go far enough to alleviate burdensome red tape for America’s veterans and will likely result in many low income veterans missing out on their stimulus checks. Earlier this month, Chairman Takano joined Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), along with Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL), in signing a letter to administration officials pressing for automatic payments of this stimulus check-- without requiring a tax return. Following the passage of the CARES Act, and in response to the joint effort by Chairman Takano and Neal,  the Treasury Department and IRS complied and announced that Social Security beneficiaries and citizens who file taxes will automatically receive stimulus checks. There is no reason veterans should not receive these benefits automatically.

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