September 23, 2020

House Unanimously Passes 5 Bills for Veterans including Chairman Takano’s Veterans’ COMPACT Act

Bills would work to reduce veteran suicide, reform VA debt collection, & support homeless veterans

Press Contact

Jenni Geurink (202-819-4684)

Miguel R. Salazar 

WASHINGTON, D.C— Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed all five bills brought to the floor by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. This legislation will reform VA’s debt collection process and support homeless veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as help reduce veteran suicide through Chairman Takano’s Veterans’ COMPACT Act and the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019.  

 

A full list of bills passed can be found below: 

 

  1. S. 785- Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Tester, Moran): provides additional tools and reporting that will inform continued efforts to address the multifaceted and complex challenge of veteran suicide.
  2. H.R. 5245 -SHIELD for Veterans Act, as amended (Pappas): reforms VA’s debt collection process to remedy the gross inefficiencies revealed in VA’s process and the financial hardship such issues have created for veterans.
  3. H.R. 7105 – the Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for Veterans’ Economic Recovery (DELIVER) Act, as amended (Levin): includes six provisions to help ensure we can support our most vulnerable veterans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by providing food, safe shelter, and access to VA telehealth services.
  4. H.R. 8247 – Veterans’ COMPACT Act, as amended (Takano): contains nine provisions to further enhance veterans’ mental health and well-being, and prevent deaths by suicide by supporting women veterans, eliminating cost for emergency mental health care, and providing critical support during the transition from servicemember to veteran.
  5. H.R. 3798 - Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, as amended (Brownley): ensures all women veterans have access to the same no-cost contraceptive care as their non-veteran counterparts. 

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