[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s announcement it would begin implementing one section of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21^st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act to definitively give a veteran and their referring Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinician the final decision regarding eligibility for community care. The Trump VA was mandated by Congress to begin implementing this provision more than a month ago, and has failed to implement more than a dozen other time-sensitive provisions from the law.

“Collins and the Trump VA are trying to take a victory lap for finally implementing a provision from the Elizabeth Dole Act they were required by law to put in place more than a month ago. Their delay is not a win—it’s a warning sign. Dozens of other critical, time-sensitive provisions from this comprehensive, bipartisan law remain unaddressed. Whether Secretary Collins is willfully ignoring them or flagrantly failing to act, the result is the same: veterans are being shortchanged, and the law is not being upheld. This Administration’s half-hearted approach to implementing laws passed by Congress is unacceptable. Veterans deserve better.” 

As soon as possible after taking office, this Administration was expected, and in some cases required by law, to start implementing this community care provision and more than a dozen others—making Collins’ implementation of the comprehensive Elizabeth Dole Act incomplete and more than a month late for this particular provision.

Among these time-sensitive provisions, Collins has failed to implement the following provisions from the Dole Act:

• Section 120. Increase of Expenditure Cap for Noninstitutional Care Alternatives to Nursing Home Care: expands home and community-based care access for veterans with ALS or spinal cord injuries.
• Section 402. Per Diem Payments Provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Services Furnished to Homeless Veterans: increases the reimbursement rates for organizations providing housing and case management services to homeless veterans.
• Section 403. Authorization for Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Use Certain Funds for Improved Flexibility in Assistance to Homeless Veterans: reauthorizes extremely popular and effective direct care and services authorities initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic for the Department to support homeless veterans through ride share for health care appointments, landlord incentives for permanent housing, and more.