Press Releases

On Monday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8371, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. This legislation includes a number of bipartisan and bicameral proposals – including multiple bills introduced by Rep. Jack Bergman (MI-01) – to modernize and improve the delivery of healthcare, benefits, and services ensuring that the men and women who have served our Nation have access to modern, high-caliber care and services that they deserve.

H.R. 8371 includes bipartisan proposals that would enhance and reform the delivery of services at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by ultimately putting all Veterans, their families, and their survivors – not bureaucracy – first.

“H.R. 8371 is the culmination of months of work, negotiation, and fine tuning on behalf of our Nation’s Veterans. This bipartisan package makes dozens of key reforms to improve VA, including multiple bills I have been honored to lead in the House like Gerald’s Law and the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act. I’m grateful to my colleague for helping get this important legislation over the finish line,” Rep. Bergman stated.

Provisions in H.R. 8371 include:

• Gerald’s Law – originally introduced by Rep. Bergman as H.R. 234.

  • Provides VA burial and funeral benefits for Veterans who choose to pass away at home while receiving VA hospice care.

• The Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act – introduced as H.R. 542 and co-led by Reps. Bergman and Julia Brownley (CA-26).

  • Improves and expands VA support for aging Veterans and their caregivers.

• Strengthening VA Community Care – ensuring Veterans can avoid long-distance travel and wait times to receive care.

• Requiring VA to reimburse the cost of rural veterans transported by ambulance to receive emergency care.

• Fully funding the VET-TEC educational assistance program to expand high-tech career opportunities for veterans and transitioning servicemembers.

• Streamlining the VA disability benefits process by updating IT and claims processing systems.

Rep. Bergman urged his colleagues to pass the bill, stating in part, “This important bill package will strengthen VA Community Care, streamline the disability benefits process, and improve oversight and accountability at VA.”

You can watch the full speech here or read the full text of the bill here.