☑️ 6 DAMA Bills Move On to the Full HVAC

Improving VA Training for MST Claims Act, ACES Act, and other bills move out of the DAMA Subcommittee to full Committee consideration.

April 09, 2025

Markup on Pending Legislation

House Veterans Affairs Committee, Disability Assistance & Memorial Affairs Subcommittee

April 9, 2025 (recording here)

BILLS CONSIDERED IN MARKUP

  • H.R. 530, ACES Act (Rep. Pfluger)

  • H.R. 647, Ensuring Veterans’ Final Resting Place Act of 2025 (Rep. Yakym III)

  • H.R. 1286, Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act (Rep. Bresnehan)

  • H.R. 1578, Veterans Claims Education Act of 2025 (Rep. Peters)

  • H.R. 2201, Improving VA Training for Military Sexual Trauma Claims Act (Rep. Kim)

  • H.R. 2303, Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act (Rep. McGarvey)

OPENING STATEMENTS FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEE

  • Chairman Morgan Luttrell announced that the Subcommittee was considering six bills during the markup. He emphasized the need for fiscal responsibility and expressed willingness to work with the Ranking Member and others to identify reasonable offsets.

  • Ranking Member Morgan McGarvey highlighted that the included bills addressed a range of veterans’ issues, including burial benefits, military sexual trauma (MST) training, aviator cancer compensation, form simplification, “claim sharks,” and the VA claims backlog. He supported several of the bills under consideration, underscoring their significance for veterans and their families.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

  • The Subcommittee considered the following bills en bloc: the ACES Act (H.R. 530), the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act (H.R. 1286), the Veterans Claims Education Act of 2025 (H.R. 1578), and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act (H.R. 2303).

  • The Chairman briefly spoke in support of all bills considered in the en bloc. The bills were favorably reported to the full Committee.

  • The Subcommittee then considered two bills with amendments in the nature of a substitute (ANS) en bloc: the Ensuring Veterans’ Final Resting Place Act of 2025 (H.R. 647) and the Improving VA Training for Military Sexual Trauma Claims Act (H.R. 2201).

  • Chairman Luttrell briefly spoke in support of these bills, as well, saying they would ensure veterans can be buried with their loved ones and improve MST claim training to prevent retraumatization. The bills as amended were favorably reported to the full Committee.

SPECIAL TOPICS

⭐ Surviving spouses:

  • H.R. 647 aimed to ensure that service members and veterans can be buried and mourned together with their loved ones.

♀️ Women veterans:

  • H.R. 2201 focused on improving VA training related to MST claims, which disproportionately affect women veterans. The bill sought to ensure claims are handled sensitively and accurately and that veterans are not re-traumatized during the process.

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