Veterans

I was honored to serve on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee (HVAC) during the 116th United States Congress, where I was able to impact policy in a positive way for those who have served us in uniform and protected our freedoms. Since my time on the Committee, I have continued to advocate on behalf of our veterans:
  • Voting in favor of the Honoring Our PACT Act: which was one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation to provide health benefits to veterans who were exposed to burn pits or other toxins while serving our country.
  • Voting for the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The bill fully funds the Department of Veterans Affairs for Fiscal Year 2024 by appropriating $137.755 billion in discretionary funding in addition to the $20.268 billion included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund.
    • This legislation honors our commitment to veterans by:
      • Fully funding veterans’ health care programs; and
      • Fully funding veterans’ benefits and VA programs, including the electronic health record modernization initiative.
  • Voting for and the House passed, Senate Passed and President Biden signed into law the Veterans' COLA Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation will increase compensation benefits for veterans with service-connected disabilities and military survivors under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill increases certain VA benefits including disability compensation, clothing allowances, and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses and children to reflect increases in the cost of living. It will directly benefit millions of disabled veterans and military survivors nationwide.
  • Introducing and securing enactment into law amendments to the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship as part of the Forever GI Bill. These
  • amendments lowered the credit hour requirement in the scholarship that made it more accessible to student veterans across the country. My legislation unanimously passed in the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Trump in 2019. Kentucky veterans have benefitted from this legislation by being able to take the classes needed to complete their education after their service. Employees looking to fill in demand jobs also benefit from well-educated veterans trained in STEM fields.
  • Leading the bipartisan Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act to passage in the House of Representatives. This bill protects veterans by requiring the VA to restore online forms used by veterans applying for disability benefits and cuts down on red tape making it easier for veterans to get the benefits they deserve.
  • Spearheading historic equine assisted therapy (EAT) provisions in the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act. This legislation works to better serve veterans by connecting them with mental health services in the community to prevent veteran suicide. A longtime supporter of EAT as an innovative alternative therapy, I succeeded in including my language authorizing EAT as an eligible service in this landmark veterans suicide prevention bill. I also pushed several amendments to the VA/Military appropriations bill to increase funding for EAT.
  • Formed the Sixth District Veterans Coalition to receive constituent input on veterans affairs related issues and legislation, and to intake casework for veterans in our district.

Should any constituent veteran have issues with the VA or need help with other issues involving a federal agency, please contact Congressman Barr’s office at 859-219-1366.