Press Releases

Today, legislation introduced by Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA) passed the House with broad bipartisan support. The bill, H.R. 542, the “Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act of 2023,” is a monumental victory for our Nation’s Veterans.

The legislation will transform the landscape of long-term care for Veterans by improving and expanding the VA Home and Community-Based Services program. The bipartisan bill is tailored to older Veterans, requiring VA to ensure those entering their later years have access to the long-term care option that meets their specific needs and desires.

Rep. Bergman stated, “As studies show and as many of the older Veterans throughout our Nation will attest, care in home settings is often preferable to care in a clinical facility. This is especially true for those disabled and elderly Veterans living in rural and remote communities like Michigan’s First Congressional District. The Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act recognizes this reality, and I’m proud to join Rep. Julia Brownley, to comprehensively expand access, options, and programs for these Veterans who deserve care in the comfort of their home."

By enhancing VA’s non-institutional long-term care services through Rep. Bergman and Brownley’s bill, more aging and disabled Veterans would be extended the option of staying in their homes for treatment, and institutional care could be reserved for Veterans who truly need intensive, round-the-clock assistance and services. This would help address shortages and waitlists that come from limited admissions at long-term care facilities.

Read the full text of the bill here.