⚡NIMITZ NEWS FLASH⚡

“Legislative Presentation of The American Legion & Multi VSOs: Paralyzed Veterans of America, AMVETS, National Association of State Directors of Veteran Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, National Guard Association of the United States, Mission Roll Call”

Joint House & Senate Veterans Affairs Committees Hearing

March 4, 2026 (recording here)

HEARING INFORMATION

Witnesses & Written Testimony (linked) (Panel One):

• Dan Wiley: National Commander, American Legion

• Joe Sharpe: Veterans’ Employment and Education Director, American Legion

• Paul Espinoza: Veterans’ Employment and Education Chair, American Legion

• Mario Marquez: Executive Director, American Legion

• Cole Lyle: Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Director, American Legion

• Linden Dixon: Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Chair, American Legion

• Mathew Jabut: Legislative Commission Chair, American Legion

Witnesses & Written Testimony (linked) (Panel Two):

• Robert Thomas: National President, Paralyzed Veterans of America

• Paul Shipley: National Commander, AMVETS

• Terry Prince: President, National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs

• Lieutenant General Walter E. Piatt (Ret.): Chief Executive Officer, Wounded Warrior Project

• Anita Sullivan: Surviving spouse of U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Michael Sullivan, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

• Major General Frank McGinn (Ret.): President, National Guard Association of the United States

• Jim Whaley: CEO, Mission Roll Call

TOP-LINES TO SHOW YOU ARE IN THE KNOW

1. Lawmakers and veteran groups agreed that suicide prevention remains the most urgent challenge, with calls to expand community-based programs and earlier mental health intervention.

2. Witnesses repeatedly underlined that traumatic brain injury is still underdiagnosed and difficult to treat, and they urged Congress to accelerate research and access to innovative therapies.

3. Survivors and advocates pressed Congress to increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and eliminate remarriage penalties, arguing that current benefits leave many families financially vulnerable.

4. Several organizations warned that VA staffing shortages and aging facilities, especially in specialty care like spinal cord injury treatment, are already affecting veterans’ access to care.

5. Speakers also stressed that the transition from active duty to civilian life remains one of the riskiest periods for veterans, and called for earlier enrollment in VA care and stronger employment and transition programs.

PARTY LINE PERSPECTIVES

OPENING STATEMENTS FROM THE COMMITTEES

• Chairman Jerry Moran reflected on witnessing the treatment of Vietnam veterans when he was younger and said that experience shaped his lifelong commitment to honoring and supporting those who served. He stated that Congress must keep its promises to veterans by ensuring access to the care and benefits they earned.

• Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal spotlighted his continued efforts to pass the Major Richard Star Act, noting that a small minority of senators had blocked its passage despite broad bipartisan support. He argued that combat-injured veterans were being denied full military benefits and that Congress must honor its promises to them. He also expressed concern about reductions in VA medical staffing and urged veterans groups to continue advocating for a strong VA workforce.

• Ranking Member Takano criticized a recently proposed VA rule that would have reduced disability compensation for veterans whose conditions improved with medication, claiming that public pressure forced the department to rescind it. He also raised concerns about staffing cuts and structural changes within the Veterans Health Administration, arguing that the VA should not be run like a for-profit healthcare system. He urged Congress to fully fund veterans’ care and pass legislation, including the Major Richard Star Act and other bills supporting veterans and survivors.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS (PANEL ONE)

• Mr. Dan Wiley spoke on behalf of the American Legion’s 2.5 million members, outlining the organization’s legislative priorities. He underlined that the Legion’s top priority was ending veteran suicide and called for stronger transition programs, innovative treatments, and expanded research into new therapies. Mr. Wiley also stressed the importance of maintaining strong VA healthcare while ensuring veterans retain access to community care when it serves their best interests. He urged Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act and ensure that veterans receive the benefits and support they earned through their service.

• Chairman Moran asked for a real-world example of how a veteran and their family would benefit from the passage of the Major Richard Star Act. Mr. Wiley described a medically retired service member who received disability compensation for severe burn injuries but was forced to waive retirement pay dollar-for-dollar because the veteran had not reached 20 years of service. He said the offset reduced lifetime financial support for the veteran’s family and argued that Congress needed to bring the bill to a floor vote so veterans could see where lawmakers stood.

• The Chairman then asked Mr. Wiley to elaborate on community care and explain why the American Legion supported the ACCESS Act. Mr. Wiley stated that community care matters because many veterans live far from VA hospitals and face transportation barriers and limited access to specialists. He confirmed that most veterans preferred VA care but still needed community care when it served their best interests. He believed the ACCESS Act would strengthen oversight while preserving the option of community care.

• Ranking Member Blumenthal asserted that the Major Richard Star Act required leadership-level persuasion and urged members to press House and Senate leadership to act. He asked what specific measures would expand services for women veterans. Mr. Wiley agreed that VA care for women veterans had improved but needed further work. Mr. Cole Lyle added that the American Legion supported measures to strengthen disability claims evidence standards and improve women-veteran-specific infrastructure, including secure and dedicated spaces and residential rehabilitation programs. He also mentioned expanding research on issues affecting women veterans and promoting services designed around safety and access, including military sexual trauma and intimate partner violence.

• Ranking Member Takano asked whether the American Legion had received advance notice or an opportunity to weigh in before the VA issued changes related to how medication effects would be treated in disability evaluations. Mr. Wiley said the American Legion had not received advance notice and described the lack of consultation as unusual compared with other interactions with the VA. He said the Legion would have opposed the policy earlier if consulted and expressed relief that the rule was rescinded. Ranking Member Takano then asked whether VSOs should be included early in policymaking to prevent surprises and loss of trust, and Mr. Wiley agreed they should.

• The Ranking Member inquired whether Congress should avoid forcing veterans or survivors into tradeoffs where one group’s earned benefits were funded by cutting another group’s benefits. Mr. Wiley agreed and said veterans’ benefit increases should not be paid for by reducing other veterans’ benefits. He asserted that the obligation to pay benefits was incurred when service members were placed in harm’s way and should be borne by the government and the American people rather than shifted onto other veterans.

• Ranking Member Takano asked where Congress should push next after the PACT Act and what exposures or cohorts were most urgent to address. Mr. Wiley said the PACT Act included a mechanism to identify future toxic exposures but said it had not been adequately used. Mr. Lyle added that the future-presumptives process had been slow and opaque and recommended mandatory timelines, external review, and stronger safeguards around removing presumptives. He said the VA could move faster on certain exposure groups, including K2 and Red Hill, and that better transparency, faster presumptive decisions, and improved exposure records from the Department of Defense would all help.

• Sen. Thom Tillis asked broadly for a candid approach to passing legislation in ways that were realistic about resources and effective in execution, wanting to avoid passing bills that later failed in implementation. He shared that he had voted against the PACT Act because he feared execution problems and argued those concerns had materialized. He intended to convene a meeting with VSOs during his remaining time in office to focus on implementation and accountability. Mr. Wiley articulated that he and his staff were willing to work with Senator Tillis’s staff to support that effort.

• Rep. Chris Pappas questioned how the VA was doing at expanding access to alternative therapies that could reduce reliance on opioids and improve quality of life. Mr. Wiley claimed that opioid prescribing harms veterans and that the American Legion supported alternative therapies, including research enabled by cannabis rescheduling. Mr. Lyle added that the VA often treated non-opioid pain management options as non-formulary, creating extra administrative barriers and higher out-of-pocket costs, and he said the bill would require the VA to add these options to the formulary to make prescribing easier. He advocated for better alternatives to reduce self-medication risks for veterans managing chronic pain.

• Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds asked what the single biggest systemic failure was in how benefits were delivered and what legislative action should be prioritized. Mr. Lyle pointed to the high remand rate from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals caused by poor-quality Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams and inadequate Disability Benefits Questionnaires, often produced by contractors. He said legislation should strengthen contractor oversight and exam quality to reduce delays and appeals.

• Rep. King-Hinds then asked where the widest gap was between enacted legislation and actual delivery of benefits. Mr. Lyle listed education and advocacy as the biggest gaps, because many veterans feared that applying for disability compensation would take resources away from other veterans. He believed that improving understanding and trust in the benefits system would help ensure veterans accessed the benefits they had earned.

• Sen. Maggie Hassan asked what additional steps Congress could take to ensure women veterans had reliable access to gender-specific care. Mr. Wiley responded that VA facilities needed better infrastructure and staffing to support women veterans, including more women physicians and specialists such as OB-GYN providers. He also suggested that facilities provide separate entrances and spaces for women veterans to improve safety and accessibility.

• Sen. Hassan inquired about ways in which Congress could support families of veterans after a veteran’s death, particularly when surviving family members faced a sudden drop in income. Mr. Lyle stated that the Legion supported the Caring for Survivors Act and the Love Lives On Act to increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). He explained that raising DIC payments would help surviving families maintain financial stability after losing a veteran’s disability income.

• Sen. Tim Sheehy underscored that veterans had earned their benefits and should be supported in building successful careers after military service. He asked how Congress could help veterans transition into meaningful employment in fields such as skilled trades, agriculture, and public safety. Mr. Joe Sharpe replied that expanding the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and developing a centralized transition application with AI support could help connect separating service members to employment resources and opportunities.

• Sen. Sheehy also suggested that service members should automatically be enrolled in the VA system before discharge, including transferring health records and completing disability evaluations prior to separation. He argued that this would prevent veterans from falling into gaps in care and benefits after leaving active duty.

• Sen. Angus King asserted that the government should invest as much effort into helping service members transition out of the military as it does recruiting them. He asked whether giving VSOs access to service members during the TAP process would improve transitions. Mr. Sharpe agreed and said that direct VSO engagement would help provide information and support to service members preparing to enter civilian life.

• Sen. King also discussed firearm safety measures to reduce veteran suicide, including providing free firearm lock boxes to veterans. Mr. Wiley replied that the American Legion supported the proposal as part of broader efforts to prevent suicide. Sen. King also asked for feedback from the field about whether staffing reductions at the VA were affecting care, underscoring the need for real-world reports from veterans.

• Sen. John Boozman asked about the effectiveness of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program and what improvements might be needed. Mr. Wiley advocated for additional resources and programs addressing mental health and homelessness, as they are critical in combating veteran suicide. Mr. Lyle explained that the program helped expand outreach through trusted community organizations and addressed upstream issues such as financial stress, transportation challenges, and relationship problems before crises developed.

• Sen. Patty Murray voiced her concern about the United States entering a new conflict with Iran and warned that Congress must consider the long-term costs of war, including the obligation to care for returning veterans. She criticized the administration for potentially sending service members into conflict without adequately preparing the VA system to support them afterward, particularly given staffing shortages and wait times. She then briefly shifted to a question related to women veterans and referenced legislation she had introduced to expand VA research on menopause among women veterans, calling for more research and a better understanding of women veterans’ health issues.

• Rep. Morgan McGarvey asked how the VA could better use its large patient population and data resources to support innovation and faster development of new care models. Mr. Wiley said new treatment approaches were essential for improving outcomes, particularly in addressing veteran suicide. Mr. Lyle suggested innovations such as digital caregiver-matching tools, expanded telehealth systems, wearable monitoring technologies, and remote care models for rural veterans to reduce hospital visits and wait times.

• Rep. Herb Conaway questioned the main barriers veterans faced when trying to access mental health services at VA facilities, particularly given staffing shortages and growing needs. Mr. Lyle responded that outreach remained a major challenge and noted that VA spending on mental health outreach represented a very small portion of the department’s overall budget. He recommended expanding programs such as the Fox Grant Program and increasing funding for local organizations that connect veterans with mental health support.

• Sen. Elissa Slotkin raised concerns about the potential use of artificial intelligence in VA decision-making related to veterans’ benefits. She asked whether the American Legion had developed a position on the issue. Mr. Wiley responded that AI could assist with administrative tasks such as organizing records but emphasized that final decisions about benefits must remain with human reviewers rather than automated systems.

• Ranking Member Takano asked whether American Legion members were experiencing longer wait times or delayed care due to staffing shortages at VA facilities. Mr. Wiley responded that anecdotal reports suggested this was occurring. The Ranking Member then asked audience members to raise their hands if they had experienced delays, and several attendees indicated they had.

• Sen. Jim Banks questioned the purpose of the Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act and why the American Legion supported it. Mr. Lyle replied that the bill would increase transparency and reporting requirements within the VA appeals process and could help address the high remand rates in veterans’ claims. He added that the Legion wanted to work with the Senator’s office to refine language to ensure veterans retained control of their individual representation during appeals.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS (PANEL TWO)

• Mr. Robert Thomas testified on behalf of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders and claimed that the VA provides the best and most comprehensive system of care for these catastrophic disabilities. He warned that staffing shortages and infrastructure problems continue to undermine specialized VA services, noting that eliminating unfilled positions created the false appearance of adequate staffing. Mr. Thomas urged Congress to strengthen support for lifelong services, including transportation assistance, caregiver programs, and special monthly compensation for severely disabled veterans. He also called for updates to survivor benefits and urged the passage of the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act.

• Mr. Paul Shipley outlined AMVETS’ legislative priorities and underlined that mental wellness and suicide prevention remained the organization’s top concern. He argued that current approaches had not significantly reduced suicide rates and called for outcome-driven programs and earlier interventions throughout service members’ careers. Mr. Shipley also highlighted the need for innovative treatments for traumatic brain injury and supported legislation expanding research and patient-centered care. He urged Congress to modernize survivor benefits, ensure the successful deployment of the VA electronic health record (EHR) system, and pass the Major Richard Star Act.

• Mr. Terry Prince spoke on behalf of state veterans affairs leaders and emphasized that state agencies are the second-largest provider of veterans services after the federal VA. He urged increased funding for state veterans homes, improved reimbursement for high-cost medications, and continued investment in the National Veterans Cemetery Grants Program. Mr. Prince also stressed the importance of better coordination during the transition from military service and called for greater involvement of state veterans agencies in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). He called for stronger collaboration across government to address veteran suicide and improve access to care.

• Mr. Walter Piatt testified on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project and spoke on the organization’s commitment to supporting wounded service members and their families. He called on Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act, expand access to advanced treatments such as psychedelic-assisted therapies for PTSD and traumatic brain injury, and continue efforts to end veteran homelessness. Mr. Piatt stressed that a successful transition from military service required long-term support addressing both physical and mental health challenges. He urged Congress to uphold the nation’s promise to care for veterans throughout their lives.

• Ms. Anita Sullivan shared the story of her husband, who died by suicide after years of serious physical and mental health struggles following his military service. She described the financial and emotional challenges her family faced after his death, including the loss of disability compensation and the long wait for survivor benefits. Ms. Sullivan urged Congress to pass legislation such as the Caring for Survivors Act, increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and extend CHAMPVA coverage for children. She also advocated ending remarriage penalties that force surviving spouses to choose between financial security and rebuilding their lives.

• Mr. Frank McGinn testified about the evolving role of the National Guard as both an operational military force abroad and a first responder at home. He argued that current policies had not kept pace with expanded missions and called for reforms to duty status classifications to ensure Guard members receive fair pay and benefits. Mr. McGinn also urged passage of legislation providing GI Bill parity for Guard and Reserve service members and emphasized the need for a transition assistance track tailored specifically to reserve components. He concluded that these reforms were essential for readiness, retention, and long-term well-being of Guard members.

• Mr. Jim Whaley explained that Mission Roll Call gathers data directly from veterans and uses those insights to guide policy recommendations. Survey responses identified four key priorities: access to quality health care, treatment for service-connected injuries such as traumatic brain injury, suicide prevention, and housing stability. Mr. Whaley shared that many veterans supported expanded access to community care options to reduce travel burdens and wait times. He claimed that addressing these interconnected issues early, before crises develop, was critical to improving veteran health and stability.

• Sen. King asked whether Wounded Warrior Project supported legislation to pre-register service members for VA health care before they left active duty. Mr. Piatt said Wounded Warrior Project strongly supported early registration and noted the organization was already doing transition-related registration work with some members while they were still on active duty. He agreed that earlier registration improves the likelihood of successful transition outcomes.

• Sen. King turned to Mission Roll Call, inquiring whether the organization supported providing free firearm lock boxes to veterans as a suicide prevention measure, underlining that it was a safety initiative rather than gun control. Mr. Whaley replied that Mission Roll Call supported safe storage efforts and indicated that reducing suicide required supporting practical steps that veterans and families could accept.

• Sen. King described a change in defense legislation that shifted departing service members’ contact-information sharing from opt-in to opt-out so state veterans offices would receive far more contact data. He urged Mr. Prince to ensure state agencies actively reached out to veterans rather than letting names sit unused and encouraged coordination with VSOs to connect veterans to benefits immediately upon separation. Mr. Prince responded that state directors were preparing to use the additional information and emphasized that earlier engagement helped connect service members to services. He said NASDVA intended to be proactive and work with the VA, VSOs, and local communities to act quickly on the information.

• Ranking Member Takano questioned why Congress needed to pass the Major Richard Star Act immediately and what created urgency. Mr. Piatt answered that combat-injured service members had sacrificed and bled in defense of the country and should not be penalized for injuries that forced them into medical retirement. He argued many were young and had to rebuild their lives around disabilities they never expected, and he said Congress should not treat their sacrifice as a reason to reduce earned benefits. The Ranking Member agreed and stated that leadership should be held accountable to pass the bill in the current Congress.

• Ranking Member Takano asked whether passing the Major Richard Star Act was a matter of fairness and whether it should not be funded by reducing other earned veterans benefits. Mr. Piatt repeatedly said that veterans deserved the benefits they earned through service and combat and suggested those obligations should be met rather than shifted onto other veterans. Ranking Member Takano pressed the point that Congress and the American people should bear responsibility for earned benefits rather than forcing one veterans’ group to pay for another.

• The Ranking Member then asked Ms. Sullivan to explain why Congress needed to enact a full increase in DIC and why it was urgent. Ms. Sullivan said that survivors typically received only 43% of what a 100% disabled veteran received and sought parity with other federal survivor programs at 55%. She claimed the increase would materially affect families’ ability to remain financially stable, including keeping homes and supporting grieving children. Ranking Member Takano agreed that the need was urgent and agreed that the increase should happen promptly.

• Rep. Morgan McGarvey asked what VA medical centers should do immediately to fill spinal cord injury and disorder staffing gaps and keep beds open for veterans who depended on those units. Mr. Thomas asserted that the VA should prioritize hiring for the spinal cord injury system of care and other specialty services because comparable community capacity did not exist. He also said the VA should prioritize infrastructure upgrades and modern equipment to meet the unique needs of spinal cord–injured veterans.

• Rep. McGarvey questioned where Congress should focus first to modernize spinal cord injury and disorder facilities, given the age of the buildings and delays. Mr. Thomas emphasized the need for more long-term care capacity, noting limited availability in certain regions and the lack of community nursing homes able to meet spinal cord injury needs. He indicated that expanding long-term care facilities was essential as the population aged.

• Rep. McGarvey then asked where to focus first to ensure timely access to effective VA mental health treatment, not just private-sector care. Mr. Piatt said the VA needed more residential rehabilitation treatment program beds and broader geographic availability. He also urged research, trials, and the pursuit of promising alternative treatments so veterans did not have to travel abroad to obtain therapies they believed could help.

• Rep. Kelly Morrison asked how Congress could help the VA meet the needs of a growing women veteran population, including menopause and infertility care. Mr. Piatt replied that women veterans faced the same risks in service but had gender-specific medical needs that required tailored care. He believed women veterans should be able to choose providers and access care through options such as telehealth, and he supported expanding menopause-related research to address long-term health outcomes.

• Rep. Morrison inquired about eliminating the remarriage penalty and what that would mean for surviving spouses. Ms. Sullivan responded that ending the penalty would mean the government kept its promise to families and removed the forced choice between rebuilding one’s life and maintaining financial security. She said remarriage did not replace the deceased service member and should not trigger loss of critical benefits. She added that the change would allow survivors to move forward without fear of losing the support earned through service and sacrifice.

• Sen. Ruben Gallego referenced efforts to exclude disability compensation from HUD-VASH income calculations and indicated the issue was being addressed in pending legislation. He then asked about the importance of expanding access to innovative therapies such as MDMA-assisted therapy and why Centers of Excellence mattered. Mr. Piatt agreed that veterans were sometimes seeking therapies overseas or paying out of pocket and said regulated, evidence-based access within the United States would reduce risks and improve safety.

• Sen. Gallego pressed the point that some veterans were so desperate they sought unregulated programs that could expose them to fraud or harm, and he argued VA-approved pathways could protect veterans and expand equitable access. Mr. Whaley replied that innovative therapies were important given the scope of traumatic brain injury and the broader family impacts and emphasized partnering with leading civilian institutions for cutting-edge care. Mr. Piatt added that Wounded Warrior Project had seen promising results when MDMA was integrated with evidence-based therapies and supported expanding trials and establishing Centers of Excellence to coordinate science and scale access appropriately.

• Ranking Member Takano asked how urgent it was to pass the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act, given that Guard and Reserve members faced the same risks as active-duty forces. Mr. McGinn said that passing the bill was imperative and argued that a day in uniform should count toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility regardless of duty status (excluding state active duty). He underlined that Guard members performed the same missions and accepted the same risks as active-duty personnel.

• The Ranking Member inquired whether the Guard and Reserve had evolved into a force that was deployed frequently and was no longer a “safe haven,” making the inequity more urgent. Mr. McGinn agreed and said that he had witnessed the transformation over decades, noting that Guard members often cycled on and off active duty and deployed multiple times. He also linked this operational reality to the need for better transition support tailored to Guard and Reserve experiences.

• Ranking Member Takano closed the hearing by asking Mr. Shipley about DIC parity and the Caring for Survivors Act. He asked if the American people would likely be willing to pay for the full DIC increase. Mr. Shipley agreed that they would and that it would be fulfilling the promise made to American servicemembers and their survivors.

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