Gottheimer announces new strategy to support veterans following dangerous layoffs at VA
Administration fires 1,000 employees at VA, threatening veterans' access to critical services
NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Friday joined local Jersey veterans at the Hackensack VFW to announce new legislation aimed at improving services for veterans.
This announcement comes in the wake of the Administration firing more than 1,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, threatening access to the critical services that veterans depend on.
Gottheimer’s “Support Our Veterans Strategy” includes legislation to improve the quality and accessibility of housing for veterans, streamline the benefits appeal process, and connect service members with vital resources to combat food insecurity as they transition to civilian life.
Barriers that Veterans Face
- The average VA appeals process can take up to a year and a half just to reach a decision — and in some cases, it can take even longer.
- Each year, approximately 200,000 VA appeals are backlogged, while only around 90,000 cases are resolved.
- An estimated 200,000 service members transition to civilian life annually, with one in five non-active-duty military and veteran families facing food insecurity.
Gottheimer’s Support Our Veterans Strategy
- Gottheimer is introducing the No Veteran Should Go Hungry Act to help connect our service members and their families with access to nutrition assistance programs, including SNAP and WIC, during their transition from military to civilian life.
- Gottheimer is introducing the VA Appeals Reform Act to help streamline the appeals process for veterans. This legislation will require the VA to provide veterans with access to key documents related to their claims, create an electronic filing system to further improve access to case records, and give the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims more power to review decisions.
- Gottheimer is introducing the Veterans Emergency and Timely Support Act, or VETS Act. This legislation will require a resident advocate at every veteran’s home in New Jersey and across the country. This advocate will be a direct line of contact and a voice for our veterans and their families, ensuring that every day they have access to someone who can immediately help with any concerns and respond and elevate their needs to the necessary levels.
- Gottheimer helped introduce new bipartisan legislation, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA), which passed the House unanimously earlier this week. This legislation will amend the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of annual income to exclude disability payments, giving our veterans greater eligibility for housing through the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.
“Just last night, the Administration announced it was laying off one thousand employees at the VA who work so hard to help our veterans. After sacrificing so much, our veterans and active-duty military should never struggle to get the care, recognition, and respect they have rightfully earned,” said Gottheimer. “I’ve been proud, since my first days in Congress, to lead both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to care for and protect our veterans. It is our duty as Americans not only to honor all soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen and women — but to do everything we can to fight for them when they return. Here in the greatest country in the world, we will always take care of our own.”
