Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Andy Barr’s legislation improving veteran access to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims system and enhancing opportunities for veterans pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives after inclusion in H.R 7105, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020. This comprehensive veterans’ legislation passed both chambers of Congress and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law. Versions of the Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020 (VBFTA) and the Veteran STEM Scholarship Enhancement Act, which Congressman Barr led to passage in the House, were included in the final veterans’ package.
Congressman Barr introduced the VBFTA in July and led it to unanimous passage in House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC) with Democrat Congresswoman Elaine Luria (D-VA). The bill protects veterans filing for disability claims by requiring the VA to restore the availability of disability benefit questionnaires (DBQs) to their publicly available website. This allows veterans to use their own personal healthcare provider when filling out their DBQs outside the VA. Furthermore, the bill cuts red tape and bureaucracy by preventing a veteran’s claim from being rejected just because the VA updated the DBQ form. The idea for this legislation came from a member of the Sixth District Veterans Coalition, a veterans’ advisory group that regularly advises the Congressman on veterans’ issues.
Additionally, the Veteran STEM Scholarship Enhancement Act allows the VA to improve processing times for veteran scholarship applications for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM scholarship. The bill achieves this by lifting the requirement for priority groups among eligible veterans applying for the scholarship unless the VA determines that it is nearing the scholarship’s yearly funding limit. This bill also prevents the Rogers STEM scholarship from counting toward the 48-month limit a veteran can receive GI Bill benefits. This builds upon legislation the Congressman previously introduced that expanded access to the Rogers STEM scholarship for veterans that was signed into law in 2019.
“With the passage of this comprehensive veterans’ package, we have pushed expanding access for veterans to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational opportunities and important fixes to our VA disability claims system across the finish line,” said Congressman Barr. “These initiatives have been priorities of mine since joining the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee at the beginning of the 116th Congress. I want to thank the Sixth District Veterans Coalition for their invaluable input on veterans’ issues, including the Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020. I look forward to continuing our work to help veterans in the Sixth District and throughout the country.”
In addition to Congressman Barr’s legislation, H.R. 7105 expands access to education and training for transitioning servicemembers, improves care and benefits for women veterans, modernizes the Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance Program, supports veterans who are homeless, and addresses the needs of veterans across the VA system.
For a section-by-section summary of H.R. 7105, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, click here.
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