Summary
Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act
This bill addresses various programs, benefits, and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including those related to health care, educational assistance, home loans, homelessness, and disability and memorial affairs.
Among other elements, the bill
- modifies the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program, including by providing protections for care agreements between veterans and clinicians;
- increases the expenditure cap for non-institutional care alternatives to nursing home care;
- provides certain support to family caregivers under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers;
- modifies the administration of certain educational assistance programs and benefits, including by removing the expiration on a surviving spouse’s entitlement under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship;
- expands the Native American Direct Loan program by allowing Native American veterans to refinance other existing mortgage loans on the same property if certain conditions are met;
- requires the VA to provide a burial and funeral allowance for certain veterans who die prior to October 1, 2026, in a home or other setting at which the veteran was receiving VA hospice care (if such care was directly preceded by VA hospital or nursing home care);
- temporarily increases the maximum rate of per diem payments provided by the VA to entities that furnish services and transitional housing to homeless veterans;
- authorizes a program to modernize the electronic health record and other relevant health information technology systems of the VA; and
- addresses various oversight and reporting matters.
Lifecycle of the Bill
Nov 18, 2024
HousePassed
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
389 Yes
9 No
VoteSuspensionHouseBipartisan
The House of Representatives passed the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act with a massive bipartisan majority. The bill, H.R. 8371, aims to reform and modernize the delivery of healthcare and benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because the vote was held under a suspension of the rules, it required a two-thirds majority to pass, which it easily cleared with 389 members voting in favor. This legislation represents a significant effort to update veterans' services for the modern era, focusing on expanding access to care and streamlining the bureaucracy involved in receiving earned benefits. The bill is named in honor of Senator Elizabeth Dole, recognizing her long-standing advocacy for veterans and their caregivers. The near-unanimous support from Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans underscores the high level of consensus regarding veteran-related policy. By passing the House, the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate passes the legislation in the same form, it will head to the President's desk to be signed into law. This vote marks a major step forward in the legislative process for one of the most comprehensive veterans' affairs packages of the current session.
Nov 18, 2024
HousePassed
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
389 Yes
9 No
VoteSuspensionHouseBipartisan
The House of Representatives passed the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act with a massive bipartisan majority. The bill, H.R. 8371, aims to reform and modernize the delivery of healthcare and benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because the vote was held under a suspension of the rules, it required a two-thirds majority to pass, which it easily cleared with 389 members voting in favor. This legislation represents a significant effort to update veterans' services for the modern era, focusing on expanding access to care and streamlining the bureaucracy involved in receiving earned benefits. The bill is named in honor of Senator Elizabeth Dole, recognizing her long-standing advocacy for veterans and their caregivers. The near-unanimous support from Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans underscores the high level of consensus regarding veteran-related policy. By passing the House, the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate passes the legislation in the same form, it will head to the President's desk to be signed into law. This vote marks a major step forward in the legislative process for one of the most comprehensive veterans' affairs packages of the current session.
Congress
118th Congress
Introduced
May 14, 2024
