S.Amdt. 2079

As folks looking out for the everyday people, we need to keep an eye on how our elected officials handle the budget for those who served our country. Mr. Moran submitted amendment SA 2079, which aims to set up a deficit-neutral reserve fund dedicated to putting veterans first.

To put it in plain English, this amendment allows the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget to change budget allocations and adjust the pay-as-you-go ledger for legislation related to veterans. This covers a wide range of specific changes meant to support our veterans without increasing the deficit between fiscal years 2025 and 2034.

Here is what the amendment aims to allow or change regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs:

• Strengthening health care, benefits, and services for veterans, their caregivers, survivors, and beneficiaries.

• Supporting veteran choice so veterans can seek health care outside of the Department direct care system from community care partners.

• Improving accessibility to mental health and substance use disorder services for high-risk veteran patients.

• Preventing the Department from automatically sending the names of veterans who have a fiduciary to help manage their benefits to the Department of Justice for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System.

• Making it easier for the Department to hold poor performing employees accountable.

• Ensuring the timely adjudication and quality of disability claims and appeals.

• Protecting benefits for the surviving family members of certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans.

• Strengthening the workforce by reducing the time to hire and onboard employees, improving recruitment and retention of veterans and military family members, and creating a long-term human capital plan based on demand to ensure proper staffing levels.