| 11/20/25 |
To Secretary Collins: Immediately Reactivate Whistleblower Protection and Harassment Prevention Trainings Ranking Member Blumenthal writes VA Secretary Doug Collins after learning that two required trainings, the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation (No FEAR) Act Training and the Harassment Prevention & Accountability Training, have been inactivated due to President Trump’s Executive Order 14151, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, leaving new and current VA employees unable to be properly trained on anti-discrimination and whistleblower protection laws, as well as on how to report and address harassment and sexual assault. Ranking Member Blumenthal requests VA immediately reactivate both trainings and ensure all new and current employees complete the mandatory trainings. |
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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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| 10/23/25 |
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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| 07/03/25 |
To Secretary Collins: VA Under Your Leadership Has Been Secretive, Partisan, and Adversarial; It's Time for Transparency and Accountability Ranking Member Blumenthal and Senator Patty Murray sent a letter to Secretary Collins calling out Collins' specific actions that are disrupting communication with Congress. Since his confirmation, VA has provided responses that lack adequate information, reduced or cancelled regular briefings on numerous topics, and refused to allow members of Congress and staff to conduct proper oversight of VA facilities and staff. The letter asked VA to commit to specific timeliness and oversight parameters. |
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Awaiting Response
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| 06/24/25 |
To Secretary Collins: New Changes in Medical Bylaws Could Allow for Discrimination in Treating Patients and Hiring Medical Professionals Ranking Member Blumenthal and his Democratic colleagues wrote to Secretary Collins about changes to patient and staff policies governing medical facilities that VA made in secret and without notification to veterans or to Congress. These changes could allow for discrimination in treating and hiring medical professionals, causing concern and prompted a request for proper justification and clarification from VA. |
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Satisfactory Response
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