Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) today supported House passage of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, a comprehensive package of more than 60 bills to modernize, enhance, and reform veterans’ health care, benefits, and services. H.R. 9237 includes major reforms to improve access to care, strengthen benefits for disabled veterans and surviving spouses, expand caregiver support, and streamline VA operations.
“Through my many conversations with North Dakota veterans, I’ve heard tremendous praise for the professionals at the Fargo VA and other VA facilities who work every day to serve those who served our country. I’ve also heard about opportunities to improve the delivery of benefits and services, and this legislation advances many of the priorities veterans have asked us to address,” Fedorchak said. “I was proud to cosponsor the Major Richard Star Act, which finally ends the unfair policy that prevents many combat-injured veterans from receiving both their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation. Veterans across North Dakota consistently told me this was one of their top priorities, and its inclusion in this package is a significant victory for those who have sacrificed so much for our country. Along with dozens of other reforms, this legislation strengthens care, expands benefits, and reinforces our commitment to the men and women who have served our nation.”
The legislation is fully offset through an update to the Department of Veterans Affairs disability ratings schedule for tinnitus and sleep apnea. The revised rating schedule applies only to claims filed on or after October 1, 2026, and reflects changes the Department of Veterans Affairs first proposed through its regulatory process in 2022. H.R. 9237 does not reduce disability ratings or compensation for veterans who are already receiving benefits for tinnitus and sleep apnea. Importantly, the underlying VA regulation will move forward regardless of congressional action.
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act includes:
H.R. 740: The Veterans’ ACCESS Act – helps make sure veterans can access the healthcare they have earned, inside or outside VA by establishing maximum wait times.
Major Richard Star Act – ends the wounded veteran tax by permitting eligible combat-injured veterans to concurrently receive their full military retirement pay alongside their VA disability compensation benefits.
H.R. 6047: The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act – increases monthly VA benefits for severely disabled veterans and their families as well as veterans’ survivors and Gold Star families.
H.R. 1004: Love Lives On Act – allows surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers and veterans to retain the VA survivor benefits their spouse earned in service, even if they remarry.
S. 879: Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act – would make several reforms to caregiver programs by extending medical coverage by six months to caregivers after the veteran passes away or otherwise is discharged from the caregiver program and expands access to economic opportunity support and employment programs for caregivers, including Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS) programs.
H.R. 6835: Veterans STAND Act – would require VA to conduct preventative health evaluations for veterans with spinal cord injuries and assess them for eligibility for modern assistive mobility devices.
H.R. 9438, H.R. 2283, H.R. 6993: Fox Grant Reauthorization + Mental Health Access – ensures veterans can continue to access mental health care support services in the communities where they live nationwide by expanding grant eligibility.
H.R. 5702, H.R. 7103, H.R. 982, H.R. 1872: GI Bill Benefits Expansion – increases the monthly housing allowance for student veterans going to school online or in apprenticeship training programs, expands access to in-demand technology career opportunities, and reimburses servicemembers for paid-into GI Bill benefits.
H.R. 2137: VA Disability Benefits and Appeals Modernization – implements needed reforms to ensure veterans have all the answers when it comes to their VA appeal for disability benefits, adds better tracking for claims filing, continues to study toxic exposure-related illnesses, and prohibits VA from denying claims solely because of a missed medical exam.
H.R. 3482 and S. 607: VA Information Technology Modernization – provides significant investment in non-electronic health record (non-EHR) information technology systems at VA.
H.R. 1845 and H.R. 3387: TAP Expansion and TAP Promotion Act – expands access to Transition Assistance Program (TAP) services for transitioning servicemembers across the ranks.
H.R. 8115 and H.R. 6444: Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Care Improvements – improves access to healthcare and research for veterans living with traumatic brain injuries.
H.R. 217, H.R. 6599, H.R. 6833, H.R. 7683, and H.R. 6549: VA Operations and Accountability Reforms – makes needed changes to VA contracting and procurement, budget practices, and facility construction and leasing processes to reduce waste, fraud, and unnecessary delays.