| 12/18/25 |
To Comptroller General Dodaro: The Big Beautiful Bill Will Hurt Veterans' Access to Essential Health Care and Supportive Services Ranking Member Blumenthal and his Democratic colleagues sent a letter to Comptroller General Dodaro requesting a review on dangerous cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill on SNAP, Medicaid and ACA coverage provisions for veterans, servicemembers, and their families. Currently, 20,000 military families and 1.2 million veteran households rely on SNAP benefits and up to 1.75 million veterans and active duty servicemember households rely on Medicaid. These reductions will cause more veterans to rely on the Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits, which are already being threatened due to the VA workforce and resources cuts. |
- Trump Admin Harm
- Health Care
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Awaiting Response
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| 11/20/25 |
To Secretary Collins: Immediately Reactivate Whistleblower Protection and Harassment Prevention Trainings Ranking Member Blumenthal sent a letter to Secretary Collins about a staggering increase in reports of sexual harassment and assault since the Department began reporting these metrics to Congress. This fragmentation can often force individuals to navigate multiple offices to file a single report, creating delays and requiring these individuals to retell their experiences. Ranking Member Blumenthal asks VA to better protect those who have served our nation, as well as the employees who have chosen to serve them. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 11/13/25 |
To Secretary Collins: Increased Mental Health Appointment Wait Times Will Harm Veterans Ranking Member Blumenthal sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins to raise awareness of the drastic increase in wait times for veteran patients scheduling a mental health appointment in Connecticut. Most VA facilities in Connecticut had wait times under 50 days at the beginning of the year. However, now, most are above 50 days, and some are well above a 100 day wait. Such delays are not only inconsistent with VA’s stated access-to-care standards but also pose serious risks to the health and safety of those who served our nation. |
- Mental Health
- Health Care
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Awaiting Response
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| 10/28/25 |
To VA Inspector General Mason: Request to Investigate VA's Teleradiology Services Ranking Member Blumenthal sent a letter to the VA Inspector General, Ms. Mason, requesting an investigation into VA’s teleradiology services. The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs minority staff has received multiple reports from whistleblowers of severe delays in teleradiology processing times, resulting in reduced quality of care for veterans and increased costs for the Department. This is due to the loss of onsite radiologists as well as other challenges that are causing potentially life threatening delays. Since January 2025, there has been a ninety-five percent loss of onsite radiologists and interventional radiologists. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 10/23/25 |
To Comptroller General Dodaro: Staff Shortages within the VA SCI/D Workforce Are a Cause for Concern Ranking Member Blumenthal sent a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro asking the Government Accountability Office to conduct an independent audit on the state of the VA spinal care injury and disorder (SCI/D) workforce. Staff shortages continue to cause concerns for patients who receive SCI/D treatment at VA. Despite the concerns raised by veterans and caregivers experiencing these shortages firsthand, VA witnesses at a hearing on September 17 refused to answer even the simplest of questions regarding SCI/D staffing – obstructing Congressional oversight and reneging on promises of transparency. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 10/09/25 |
To Secretary Collins: Thousands of Veteran Students' Critical Education and Housing Payments Delayed Ranking Members Blumenthal and Takano sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins demanding that he immediately process and disburse critical educational and housing benefits to student veterans provided under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31), and the Dependents Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35). These payments are essential, mandatory funds that veterans and their families rely on for food, rent or mortgage payments, immediate needs, and financial stability. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 10/07/25 |
To Secretary Collins: Your Weaponization of Funding is Unfair to Veterans Who Rely on VA Care Ranking Member Blumenthal and twelve of his colleagues sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins to reverse his weaponization of the lapse in appropriations and restore vital congressional communications to ensure our veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve. The lack of communication about veteran casework issues and the suspension of programs during the federal shutdown is a dangerous practice by the Department and delays outreach to veterans who need help and care. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 10/01/25 |
To Acting General Counsel Runyan: The Weaponization of the Federal Shutdown by VA Secretary Collins is Dangerous Ranking Members Blumenthal and Takano sent a letter to Acting General Counsel Danielle Runyan calling out the leadership at VA for violating the Hatch Act by using the federal shutdown as a way to convey political and partisan messages. The Hatch Act requires that federal programs be administered non-partisanly and that federal employees be protected from political coercion in the workplace. At a time when veterans and their families are vulnerable, VA is shirking its duty to inform veterans of VA’s contingency plan and which operations are impacted by a lapse in appropriations. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 09/02/25 |
To Secretary Collins: You Are Putting the Lives of Women Veterans In Danger With Proposed Near-Total Ban on Abortions Ranking Member Blumenthal and 230 of his Senate and House colleagues sent a letter to Secretary Collins calling out the Trump Administration for a dangerous and reckless rule change that will reinstate a near-total ban on abortions and abortion counseling from VA’s medical benefits package. This proposed rule calls into question whether the Department is putting political allegiances ahead of its obligation to deliver quality, life-saving health care to veterans, including the more than 462,000 women veterans of reproductive age enrolled in VA health care. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 07/18/25 |
To Secretary Collins: Setbacks to Medical Research at VA are Damaging Veterans' Access to Clinical Trials and Cutting-Edge Treatments Ranking Member Blumenthal, with Senator Patty Murray and Senator Ruben Gallego, sent a letter to Secretary Collins to express their his deep concerns with the setbacks to medical research at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that have occurred under the Secretary’s leadership. The Senators call on him to rehire VA researchers whose terms were not extended due to the hiring freeze, address the backlog of research positions that were frozen but are now able to be hired again, coordinate with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to restore cancelled grants for VA researchers, and allow researchers to publish their findings without the unprecedented step of preapproval by political appointees. |
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Satisfactory Response
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