Breaking: Following Brown’s Bipartisan Push, Senate Passes Bill To Ensure Veterans Get The Benefits They’ve Earned

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Senate passed legislation based on U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown's (D-OH) bipartisan bill to protect veterans' earned benefits and ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is able to continue to pay disability compensation, surviving spouses and dependent compensation, pension, and education benefits to veterans. The U.S. House of Representatives passedthe legislation on Tuesday.

With more veterans than ever receiving care and benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs faced a $3 billion shortfall. If this gap wasn't filled by September 20, there could have been a delay in compensation and pension payments scheduled on October 1 to more than seven million veterans, including more than 200,000 Ohioans. With the passage of this legislation, this bill now goes to the President to be signed into law and avoid the budget shortfall.

"This bipartisan legislation will ensure that the brave veterans who sacrificed to protect our country get the benefits and care they earned," said Brown. "We worked together to quickly pass this to prevent any delay in benefits and ensure that Ohio veterans and their families get what they deserve."

BACKGROUND:

This year, VA has served more veterans than ever before and provided more care and benefits to veterans that were exposed to toxins during their time in the military because of Brown's bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022. Brown's PACT Act legislation, which was signed into law in 2022, provided a record expansion of care and benefits for veterans. As a result, more veterans are filing claims and receiving their long overdue earned benefits, including disability compensation and GI Bill benefits.

Without additional funding to mirror the increased number of claims received, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) was at risk of leaving 7 million veterans and survivors without access to the benefits they have earned. Delaying this funding would have postponed benefit payments that veterans, caregivers, and survivors count on, forcing them to make tough choices when their bills come due at the beginning of October, to avoid overdraft fees, or the potential of services being shut off. In July, Brown introduced bipartisan legislation to address the funding shortfall and ensure the VA can continue to provide veterans with the benefits they have earned.

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