S. 410 - Love Lives On Act of 2025

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Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

Mar 11, 2025

HearingSenateMeeting

Mar 11, 2025 · 14:30

Hearings to examine S.124, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for disciplinary procedures for supervisors and managers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and to modify the procedures of personnel actions against employees of the Department, S.201, to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, S.275, to improve the provision of care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.410, to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for surviving spouses, S.478, to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from transmitting certain information to the Department of Justice for use by the national instant criminal background check system, S.607, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an integrated project team to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.610, to expand the VetSuccess on Campus program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.611, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve and to expand eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation paid to certain survivors of certain veterans, S.654, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, S.702, to require a study on the quality of care difference between mental health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department providers, S.787, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a commission to review operations at the Veterans Health Administration and submit to Congress reports with respect to that review, and for other programs, S.831, to amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve telephone communication by the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.892, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the repayment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary, an original bill entitled, "Veterans' Claims Act of 2025", and an original bill entitled, "Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act".

Committee

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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Summary

The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing on March 11, 2025 to examine 12 bills aimed at improving Department of Veterans Affairs operations and services. The bills covered a broad range of veterans' issues, including VA employee accountability, fraud reimbursement, mental health care quality, healthcare access, telephone communications, and benefits for survivors and specific veteran populations. Key bills examined included S.124, the Restore VA Accountability Act, which would modify disciplinary procedures for VA supervisors and managers while protecting whistleblowers; S.892, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, which would expedite reimbursement to veterans whose benefits were misused by fiduciaries; S.275, the Veterans' ACCESS Act, which would establish standardized eligibility standards for community care and require the VA to notify veterans of their eligibility within two business days; S.702, which would require a study comparing mental health care quality between VA and non-VA providers; and S.831, the REP VA Act, which would require the VA to use a single telephone number and proper caller identification for outgoing calls to veterans. The hearing also examined bills addressing cancer studies for military aircrew, expanding the VetSuccess on Campus program, improving survivor benefits, protecting veterans' privacy regarding background checks, improving appointment scheduling, establishing an external provider scheduling program, and creating a commission to review Veterans Health Administration operations. The committee heard testimony from VA officials and representatives of veterans service organizations, including the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The hearing represents the committee's initial consideration of these proposals. While the hearing allows the committee to gather information and assess the bills' merits, it does not guarantee that any of the legislation will advance. The committee may choose to mark up, amend, or reject any of these bills in subsequent proceedings.

Video

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Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Mar 18, 2026

HearingSenateMeeting

Mar 18, 2026 · 16:00

Business meeting to consider S.342, to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize an individual who is awarded the Purple Heart for service in the Armed Forces to transfer unused Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to a family member, S.410, to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for surviving spouses, S.649, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to members of the National Guard who perform certain full-time duty, S.1116, to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the provision of certain additional burial benefits for individuals for whom an urn or plaque is furnished, S.1657, to amend title 38, United States Code, to limit the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to deny the claim of a veteran for benefits under the laws administered by such Secretary on the sole basis that such veteran failed to appear for a medical examination associated with such claim, S.1665, to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure veterans of secrecy oath programs receive the full benefits they have earned, S.1726, to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify that the Department of Veterans Affairs definition of "medical services" includes medically necessary automobile adaptations, S.1868, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access by veterans to critical access hospitals and affiliated clinics under the Veterans Community Care Program, S.2061, to require the Interagency Working Group on Toxic Exposure to conduct research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of descendants of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces, S.2220, to expand presumptions of exposure by members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances, S.2264, to improve the emergency management capabilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.2309, to direct a physician or nurse practitioner employed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to certify the death of a veteran not later than 48 hours after such physician or nurse practitioner learns of such death, S.2328, to authorize the use of veterans educational assistance for examinations and assessments to receive credit toward degrees awarded by institutions of higher learning, S.2333, to require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to permit supplementation of health records of deceased veterans, S.2397, to require implementation by the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs of certain recommendations relating to the provision of health care through community care providers, S.2683, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer, S.2807, to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the applicability of the authority to reconsider decisions of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or the Secretary of the Army to inter remains or honor the memory of a person in a national cemetery, S.2981, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of prosthetic and rehabilitative items and services by the Department of Veterans Affairs, S.3033, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish partnerships between medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and medical facilities in rural areas, S.3119, to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make temporary lodging facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs available for members of the Armed Forces, other individuals on active duty, and family members of such individuals on a space-available basis, S.3138, to amend title 38, United States Code, to include adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and other recreational activities in the medical services furnished to eligible veterans by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, S.3303, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to establish or enhance a community integration platform for services for veterans, to require the collection from veterans of information related to social determinants of health, S.3758, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make opioid overdose rescue medications available to veterans and their caregivers, and a committee resolution.

Committee

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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Summary

On March 18, 2026, the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a business meeting to consider a wide-ranging slate of legislation designed to improve the lives of veterans, their survivors, and their families. The meeting focused on more than 20 individual bills addressing critical gaps in current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services. Key proposals included S.342, which would allow Purple Heart recipients to transfer unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to family members, and S.649, which seeks to expand education eligibility for National Guard members. Other significant measures, such as the Molly R. Loomis Research for Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act, aimed to fund research into the health conditions of children whose parents were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The committee also reviewed administrative and healthcare reforms, such as S.1657, which prevents the VA from denying benefit claims solely because a veteran missed a medical exam, and S.3138, which would provide specialized prosthetics for veterans participating in sports and recreation. Additional bills addressed rural healthcare access, emergency management capabilities, and the timely certification of death certificates by VA medical staff. By bundling these diverse issues into a single business meeting, the committee signaled an effort to streamline legislative improvements across the VA's educational, medical, and cemetery administrations. Because this was a business meeting to consider the legislation, the committee's primary goal was to discuss the merits of the bills and potentially vote on whether to report them to the full Senate for further consideration. While the meeting represents a significant step in the legislative process, it does not guarantee that any of the bills will become law. Each measure must still pass the full Senate and the House of Representatives before being sent to the President for a signature.