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Federal Response to COVID-19: Department of Veterans Affairs [May 1, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a range of benefits to eligible veterans and their dependents. The department carries out its programs nationwide through three administrations and the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA). [1]The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for health care services and medical and prosthetic research programs. [2] The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is responsible for, among other things, providing disability compensation, pensions, and education assistance. [3] The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is responsible for maintaining national veterans cemeteries; providing grants to states for establishing, expanding, or improving state veterans cemeteries; and providing headstones and markers for the graves of eligible persons, among other things. With a vast integrated health care delivery system spread across the United States, the VHA is statutorily required to serve as a contingency backup to the Department of Defense (DOD) medical system during a national security emergency and to provide support to the National Disaster Medical System and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as necessary, in support of national emergencies. These functions are known as VA's 'Fourth Mission.' Since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Congress has passed a number of relief measures affecting the VA and its Fourth Mission."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Sussman, Jared S.; Dortch, Cassandria . . .
2020-05-01
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CARES Act Economic Impact Payments for Veterans Not Required to File Tax Returns [May 1, 2020]
From the Overview: "The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), offers two cash benefit programs for disabled or low-income veterans and their dependents: disability compensation and pension. The monetary benefits provided by both of these programs are 'not' counted as income for tax purposes and hence are not subject to the federal income tax. As a result, some VA beneficiaries are not required to file federal income tax returns because their income for tax purposes is below the minimum filing threshold. These veterans and their beneficiaries generally qualify for the Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136), but their lack of an income tax return has raised complications for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in determining how to distribute these payments. [...] Some have questioned how EIPs will impact veterans and survivors receiving disability compensation or a VA pension. The disability compensation and pension programs differ in terms of eligibility and how the benefit amounts are determined. [...] Many veterans have expressed concern that receipt of the EIP will result in them either losing their pension benefit or having it reduced."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.
2020-05-01
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Department of Veterans Affairs FY2021 Appropriations [Updated December 14, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers numerous programs that provide benefits and services to eligible veterans and their families. These benefits include medical care; disability compensation and pensions; education; vocational rehabilitation and employment services; assistance to homeless veterans; home loan guarantees; administration of life insurance, as well as traumatic injury protection insurance for servicemembers; and death benefits that cover burial expenses. President Trump submitted his budget proposal for FY2021 on February 10, 2020. The President's budget is requesting $240.2 billion for the VA. This amount includes $135.4 billion in mandatory benefits funding and $104.8 billion in discretionary funding. When compared with the FY2020-enacted amount for the VA of $237.5 billion--which includes regular appropriations provided by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94), and supplemental funding provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (P.L. 116-136)--this is an increase of $2.752 billion. Additionally, the budget request includes an advance appropriation request of $239.5 billion for FY2022 to fund the seven advance appropriations accounts--compensation and pensions, readjustment benefits, insurance and indemnities, medical services, medical community care, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Sussman, Jared S.; Salazar, Heather M.
2020-12-14
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Expansion of Benefits to Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans [November 20, 2019]
From the Document: "The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-23) is the most recent action taken by Congress to grant disability compensation benefits to veterans exposed to Agent Orange, a combination of tactical herbicides used by the U.S. military in Vietnam. Earlier legislation directed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide some veterans with VA benefits for specific disabilities without requiring proof of actual exposure to Agent Orange."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.
2019-11-20
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Benefits for Service-Disabled Veterans [Updated January 22, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers programs and provides benefits to qualified former U.S. servicemembers with service-connected disabilities (i.e., service-disabled veterans). These benefits can compensate a veteran for an injury or provide assistance to enable a veteran to have a higher quality of life. To qualify for benefits discussed in this report, a veteran must have a physical or mental condition that was 'incurred or aggravated' in the line of military duty that resulted in a disability. Service-connected disabilities are rated on a scale from 0% to 100%, in 10% increments, using a VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). Disability ratings are used to determine eligibility for various types of benefits and the amount of disability compensation benefits a veteran can receive. This report describes major VA benefit programs that are limited to veterans with service-connected disabilities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; Perl, Libby; Collins, Benjamin
2020-01-22
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CARES Act Economic Impact Payments for Veterans Not Required to File Tax Returns [Updated August 19, 2020]
From the Overview: "The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), offers two cash benefit programs for disabled or low-income veterans and their dependents: disability compensation and pension. The monetary benefits provided by both of these programs are not counted as income for tax purposes and hence are not subject to the federal income tax. As a result, some VA beneficiaries are not required to file federal income tax returns because their income for tax purposes is below the minimum filing threshold. These veterans and their beneficiaries generally qualify for the Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136), but their lack of an income tax return has raised complications for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in determining how to distribute these payments. (The IRS refers to the direct payments enacted under the CARES Act and issued in 2020 as economic impact payments. The statute refers to them as 2020 recovery rebates. Some media reports call them 'stimulus payments.')"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.
2020-08-19
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Department of Veterans Affairs FY2021 Appropriations [July 21, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers numerous programs that provide benefits and services to eligible veterans and their families. These benefits include medical care; disability compensation and pensions; education; vocational rehabilitation and employment services; assistance to homeless veterans; home loan guarantees; administration of life insurance, as well as traumatic injury protection insurance for servicemembers; and death benefits that cover burial expenses. President Trump submitted his budget proposal for FY2021 on February 10, 2020. The President's budget is requesting $240.2 billion for the VA. This amount includes $135.4 billion in mandatory benefits funding and $104.8 billion in discretionary funding. When compared with the FY2020-enacted amount for the VA of $237.5 billion--which includes regular appropriations provided by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94), and supplemental funding provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (P.L. 116-136)--this is an increase of $2.752 billion."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Sussman, Jared S.; Salazar, Heather M.
2020-07-21
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Department of Veterans Affairs' Potential Role in Addressing the COVID-19 Outbreak [March 20, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a range of benefits to eligible veterans and their dependents. [...] Based on limited information from VA, this report provides an overview of VA's response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that is affecting communities throughout the United States. It also discusses recent congressional action as it pertains to the veterans' benefits and services, as well as the supplemental appropriations for the department."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Sussman, Jared S.; Dortch, Cassandria . . .
2020-03-20
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National Cemetery Administration and Department of Defense Response to COVID-19 Regarding Funerals and Military Honors [April 3, 2020]
From the Overview: "The National Cemetery Administration (NCA), part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is responsible for providing interment benefits to eligible veterans and dependents and for administering America's national veterans' cemeteries. Veteran benefits for interment in a national cemetery include the gravesite and grave liner, opening and closing of the grave, government headstone or marker, U.S. burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate, and the perpetual care of the gravesite. These benefits are provided at no cost to the family. NCA operates 142 national cemeteries and 133 soldiers' lots and monuments sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico. Over 4 million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in one of NCA's sites. As localities grapple with the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), NCA has temporarily adjusted its procedures regarding burials scheduled to take place in a national cemetery."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; Torreon, Barbara Salazar
2020-04-03
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Confederate Symbols: Relation to Federal Lands and Programs [Updated July 28, 2020]
From the Introduction: "The iconography of the Confederate states in the U.S. Civil War is a contested part of American historical memory. [...] Congress is considering the role of Confederate symbols on federal lands and in federal programs. While no comprehensive inventory of such symbols exists, numerous federal agencies administer assets or fund activities in which Confederate memorials and references to Confederate history are present. The National Park Service (NPS, within the Department of the Interior), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of the Army within the Department of Defense (DOD) all administer national cemeteries that may display the Confederate flag at certain times. [...] This report focuses primarily on Confederate symbols administered by three federal entities-- NPS, VA, and DOD. Each of these entities manages multiple sites or programs that involve Confederate symbols. The report begins with a discussion of recent legislative proposals, and then discusses the agencies' current policies with respect to Confederate symbols, along with issues for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Comay, Laura B.; DeSantis, Mark K.; Salazar, Heather M. . . .
2020-07-28
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National Cemetery Administration and Department of Defense Response to COVID-19 Regarding Funerals and Military Honors [Updated April 15, 2020]
From the Document: "The National Cemetery Administration (NCA), part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is responsible for providing interment benefits to eligible veterans and dependents and for administering America's national veterans' cemeteries. Veteran benefits for interment in a national cemetery include the gravesite and grave liner, opening and closing of the grave, government headstone or marker, U.S. burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate, and the perpetual care of the gravesite. These benefits are provided at no cost to the family."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Torreon, Barbara Salazar; Salazar, Heather M.
2020-04-15
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Removal of Nazi Symbols and Inscriptions on Headstones of Prisoners of War in VA National Cemeteries [June 26, 2020]
From the Overview: "On May 12, 2020, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation's Founder and President, Michael L. Weinstein, called on Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), Robert Wilkie, to immediately remove three World War II-era headstones located in two VA national cemeteries. These prisoner-of-war (POW) headstones each bear the Iron Cross insignia, representing a Prussian and German military honor that included a swastika when awarded by Nazi Germany. Two of these headstones also have a German-language inscription that translates to 'He died far from his home for Führer, people and Fatherland.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; DeSantis, Mark K.; Torreon, Barbara Salazar . . .
2020-06-26
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Veterans Accredited Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions [June 25, 2020]
From the Summary: "Veterans accredited representatives are individuals accredited by the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help veterans, their survivors, and their dependents ('claimants') submit benefits claims to VA. Accredited representatives also may assist claimants in appeals to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. To be accredited, individuals must file a formal application with VA's OGC, accompanied by evidence that the representative has successfully completed a VA-approved training process."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; Breslauer, Tamar B.
2020-06-25
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Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA): Pension Programs [September 3, 2020]
From the Overview: "Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) administers pension programs for certain low-income veterans, their surviving spouses, and dependent children. This report focuses on VA's two main VBA pension programs: (1) the Veterans Pension (also known as the Improved Disability Pension), which makes payments to certain disabled, low-income veterans, and (2) the Survivors Pension (also known as the Improved Death Pension), which makes payments to certain low-income surviving spouses and dependent children of deceased veterans. To qualify for either program, a veteran must have become eligible for payments on or after January 1, 1979, served during wartime, discharged under 'other than dishonorable' conditions, and meet net worth limits. The Veterans and Survivors Pension Improvement Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-588) created both pension programs. The third VBA-administered pension program discussed in this report is for Medal of Honor recipients. To receive this benefit, a veteran must have been awarded the Medal of Honor from a U.S. President. It is not an income or needs-based program."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.
2020-09-03
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Benefits for Service-Disabled Veterans [Updated October 5, 2020]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers programs and provides benefits to qualified former U.S. servicemembers with service-connected disabilities (i.e., service-disabled veterans). These benefits can compensate a veteran for an injury or provide assistance to enable a veteran to have a higher quality of life. To qualify for benefits discussed in this report, a veteran must have a physical or mental condition that was 'incurred or aggravated' in the line of military duty that resulted in a disability. Service-connected disabilities are rated on a scale from 0% to 100%, in 10% increments, using a VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). Disability ratings are used to determine eligibility for various types of benefits and the amount of disability compensation benefits a veteran can receive. This report describes major VA benefit programs that are limited to veterans with service-connected disabilities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; Perl, Libby; Collins, Benjamin
2020-10-05
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Removal of Nazi Symbols and Inscriptions on Headstones of Prisoners of War in VA National Cemeteries [Updated February 12, 2021]
From the Overview: "During World War II, hundreds of thousands of German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners of war (POWs) were held in the United States at various military installations. During this time, the U.S. military standardized gravestones for its servicemembers but not for POWs. Under article 120 of the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the United States must 'ensure that prisoners of war who have died in captivity are honourably buried ... and that their graves are respected, suitably maintained and marked so as to be found at any time.' [...] In 2020, three of these POW headstones became a topic of controversy. [...] On May 12, 2020, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation's Founder and President, Michael L. Weinstein, called on then-Secretary of VA [Department of Veterans Affairs], Robert Wilkie, to immediately remove the three World War II-era headstones located in the two VA national cemeteries. VA said it appears that these three headstones are the only ones bearing a swastika or a Nazi Germany-related inscription, and proceeded with the Section 106 Review process under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). On December 23, 2020, the VA cemetery director and workers at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery removed and replaced the two controversial headstones. As of February 2021, it is unknown whether the third headstone, located in Utah, has been removed or replaced."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; DeSantis, Mark K.; Torreon, Barbara Salazar . . .
2021-02-12
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Veteran Involvement in the U.S. Capitol Breach: Possible Effects on VA Benefits [February 5, 2021]
From the Overview: "On January 6, 2021, a crowd gathered on the U.S. Capitol grounds, breached security, entered and occupied portions of the Capitol building, and damaged federal property. The breach resulted in injuries to nearly 140 District of Columbia Metropolitan and U.S. Capitol Police officers. In addition, the breach led to at least five deaths. According to some media reports' analysis of the Department of Justice's list of individuals charged, approximately 20% of those involved in the disturbances at the U.S. Capitol have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. This In Focus discusses how a veteran's involvement in the events of January 6 could affect, terminate, or ultimately bar a veteran from access to benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Department of Defense (DOD)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salazar, Heather M.; Gaffney, Jonathan M.; Kamarck, Kristy N.
2021-02-05
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