VFW Action Corps Weekly
Congress Approves Emergency VA Funding: The Senate passed the House-introduced emergency appropriations bill to cover the VA’s $3 billion-dollar budgetary shortfall. If a spending bill had not passed by the end of the week, the results would have been financially devastating to millions of veterans. It’s worth noting that this bill would not have passed with bipartisan support if not for veteran advocates within Congress and the veteran community. The nearly 7 million veterans who rely on VA benefits, to include disability compensation and even the GI Bill, can now have peace of mind that benefits will be delivered on time, October 1.
VFW Testifies at House Subcommittee Oversight Hearing: VFW Washington Office Executive Director Ryan Gallucci testified at a House Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs oversight hearing on how the VA can improve the quality of contracted disability compensation examinations. In this fiscal year alone, VA reported that more than 217,000 exams were returned to VA as “no-shows.” Gallucci commented, “At a time when VA is processing more benefits than ever before, we have the responsibility to make this process as user-friendly as possible.” Read the testimony or watch the hearing, which begins at the 17:12 mark.
VFW Addresses Food Insecurity: VFW Assistant Director of Field Operations Cindy Noel traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with the For Country Caucus (FCC) for a discussion on how food insecurity impacts service members and veterans. According to the FCC, their focus is to provide its military veteran members the opportunity to work together across party lines to pass comprehensive legislation regarding national security, veterans affairs, and national service. Noel's remarks emphasized the challenges involved during the periods of active duty, transition, and after separation from the Armed Forces.
Massage Therapy Fraud Warning: The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) is asking veterans to assist in stopping billing fraud for massage therapy. Because VA provides coverage that many other insurers do not, massage therapy is an area that bad actors are exploiting. According to OIG, the most common type of fraud entails billing for services not rendered or upcharging for therapy received. Learn how you can help.