PVA has learned that a Senate vote on legislation to greatly improve access to VA’s home and community-based services (HCBS) is imminent.In mid-February, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee advanced all but one provision of S. 141, the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, which...

Nearly 40 years ago, President Ronald Reagan signed the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) into law. The ACAA prohibits disability-based discrimination in air travel. Four years after the passage of the ACAA, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although...

The majority of service members who are medically retired from military service due to combat-related injuries are not allowed to collect their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation. Currently, only veterans who have served 20 or more years and have VA...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to qualified survivors of service members and veterans. The DIC rate paid to survivors has been minimally adjusted since it was first established in 1993. H.R. 1083/S. 414, the...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is currently restricted from paying room and board fees at assisted living facilities—a policy that precludes veterans from utilizing this long-term care option. The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act (H.R. 1815/S...

More than nine million veterans and their families receive retirement, disability, or survivor benefits from Social Security, and together, they comprise approximately 35 percent of the Social Security beneficiary population. Social Security trust funds will face a modest...

Caring for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) requires sharp assessment, time- and labor-intensive physical skills, and genuine empathy. Despite aggressive hiring practices during the pandemic and recent congressional approval to raise pay caps...

Individuals whose eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) has already been approved, often after a lengthy process, remain barred from any compensation for five months after that approval. In addition to this five-month waiting period for SSDI...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) lacks sufficient facilities to provide acute and long-term care for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D).The Build, Utilize, Invest, Learn, and Deliver (BUILD) for Veterans Act of 2023 would streamline the...

Thousands of service members have suffered a genitourinary injury, resulting in the loss of, or compromised ability, to have a child. Among those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, genital injuries, most of which were a result of ground-based explosive mechanisms, were...

Veterans with significant disabilities, like spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), require specialized and long-term services and supports throughout their lives. Unfortunately, the number of veterans requiring this level of care greatly exceeds VA’s existing capacity...

Over 35 years ago, the Air Carrier Access Act banned disability-based discrimination in air travel. Despite this ban, paralyzed and disabled Veterans and other people with disabilities – particularly wheelchair users – face significant air travel challenges, including...