Latest news with #ElizabethDole
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
VA Announces Expansion of Benefits
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a temporary expansion of burial benefits for certain veterans and their families. Recipients will see a temporary expansion of burial benefits thanks to the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, known as the Dole Act. The department has been contacted via email for comment. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins pictured in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins pictured in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images Why It Matters The VA is the second-largest U.S. government department, employing about 470,000 people, a quarter of whom are veterans. Some 6.2 million veterans in the United States receive disability benefits from the VA. Veterans who received VA healthcare were not always eligible for a VA-covered burial, resulting in families having to cover the costs after their deaths. This benefit from the Dole Act will mean eligible veterans will have their full burial costs covered. This temporary expansion of burial benefits comes as the department reduces its headcount as part of the Trump administration's program to downsize the federal government - although by much less than originally planned. The VA had planned to reduce its workforce to 400,000, but after much criticism last week announced it would shed fewer than 30,000 jobs this year. Some 12,000 staff will leave their roles by the end of September, after 17,000 job cuts were made between January and June. The department says it has "multiple safeguards in place to ensure these staff reductions do not impact veteran care or benefits." What To Know "The new law specifies eligible Veterans are those who are discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care to receive VA-provided hospice care at their home and who pass away between July 1, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2026," said the VA in a statement. "Previously, Veterans who died at home under VA hospice care after discharge from VA-provided medical or nursing care were not always eligible for a full VA burial allowance. The Dole Act addresses that gap." The Dole Act was signed into law in January 2025 by then-President Joe Biden. Following its passage, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Republican Illinois Representative Mike Bost said: "The men and women who have served have earned access to a VA that puts them – not government bureaucracy – at the center of its operations. The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act will do exactly that." The act includes several increases and changes to veterans' benefits, including changing the definition of "surviving spouse" to "someone who lived continuously with the veteran until their death and who has not remarried," and requiring the VA to create a plan for creating transitional housing grants for homeless veterans. Trump administration changes to the VA include barring transgender veterans from getting their fertility treatment covered by the VA, and increasing the VA budget by $83 billion through the recent budget. What People Are Saying VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a press release: "VA is working hard to fully implement the many provisions of the Dole Act. We're excited to offer this expanded benefit, which better supports Veterans who choose to spend their final days at home, surrounded by their loved ones." What Happens Next Families and caregivers are encouraged to contact their local VA office to determine eligibility and to apply for the expanded burial benefits. Additional details are available on the VA burial benefits website or by calling 800-827-1000.
Associated Press
01-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Senator Elizabeth Dole to Receive Military Times Foundation Chairman's Award
Recognizing a Lifetime of Public Service and Transformative Support for Military Caregivers ARLINGTON, VA / ACCESS Newswire / July 1, 2025 / Military Times and the Military Times Foundation are proud to announce that Senator Elizabeth Dole will receive the Chairman's Award at the 2025 Service Members of the Year Awards Ceremony, held on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. This prestigious award recognizes an individual whose character, spirit, and exceptional public service have made a profound and lasting difference in their community and in raising awareness of essential military and veteran Times 2025 Service Members of the Year Chairman's Award Awarded to Senator Elizabeth Dole The Chairman's Award honors a person who has selflessly dedicated themselves to public service and uplifted the lives of others through their example and impact. Senator Dole's extraordinary career and her tireless advocacy for military and veteran caregivers make her an ideal recipient. Senator Dole was the first woman to lead two presidential Cabinet departments-serving as Secretary of Transportation under President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Labor under President George H.W. Bush. As Secretary of Transportation, she was also the first woman to lead a military branch, the U.S. Coast Guard. She later served as president of the American Red Cross for eight years and represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Her commitment to those who serve our nation deepened through personal experience. After her husband, Senator Bob Dole, was hospitalized at Walter Reed, she witnessed firsthand the critical, often invisible role of military and veteran caregivers. In response, she founded the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012, launching a national movement to support and empower the more than 14 million Americans caring for wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. Under her leadership, the Foundation has launched transformative initiatives including: 'Senator Elizabeth Dole's work has given voice to the families behind our wounded warriors and inspired a movement of national support,' said Michael Reinstein, Chairman of the Military Times Foundation. 'Her leadership has brought visibility, resources, and hope to millions. It is our great honor to present her with this year's Chairman's Award.' 'Senator Dole's life has been defined by public service, but her work on behalf of military and veteran caregivers is among her most personal,' said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. 'Through her vision and unyielding commitment, she transformed a once-invisible community into a national movement. This recognition from the Military Times Foundation honors not only her extraordinary career, but the millions of caregivers whose courage and sacrifice she has brought to light.' The Military Times Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to honoring exemplary service and advancing causes that support military personnel, veterans, and their families. Proceeds from the Service Members of the Year Awards benefit nonprofit organizations serving these communities across the country. About Military Times is a trusted, independent source of military news and information. It is part of the Sightline Media Group, publisher of Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, Air Force Times, and Defense News. Contact Information Kelly Facer [email protected] 703-585-9523 SOURCE: Military Times Foundation press release
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Veterans' VA Referrals to Private Medical Care Will No Longer Require Additional Doctor Review
The Department of Veterans Affairs has changed its process for veterans to get medical care from non-VA providers, removing a requirement that a referral to community care be reviewed by another VA doctor. The VA announced Monday that it is enacting a provision of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act that will help ease veterans' access to medical services from private providers. The law, signed in December by then-President Joe Biden, prohibits VA administrators from overriding a VA doctor's referral for a patient to get outside care. Read Next: VA to Expand Online Memorial Website to Include Veterans Buried Overseas "Now, we're making it even easier for veterans to get their health care when and where it's most convenient for them," VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement Monday. "We are putting veterans first at the department, and that means placing a premium on customer service and convenience. This important change will help us do just that." The VA Choice Act of 2014, passed in the wake of a scandal over medical appointment wait times at VA medical centers nationwide, gave veterans broader access to medical care at non-VA facilities if they faced long waits for care at a VA hospital or clinic. The Mission Act, signed by President Donald Trump in 2019, expanded the benefit to include veterans who face more than a 30-minute drive for primary care or an hour or more for specialty care, or those who can't get an appointment within 20 days for primary care and 28 days for specialty care. Under the Mission Act, eligible veterans could consult with their VA physicians to receive referrals to community care. The VA required these referrals to be reviewed internally by an administrative staff member. During congressional debate over the Elizabeth Dole Act, Republicans said the review process intentionally hampered access to community care, while Democrats argued that it was proper government oversight and that removing it was part of an overall effort to privatize VA health care. According to the law, the ban on the administrative review will remain in place for two years, after which the VA must report on its effects to Congress. An investigation last year by into the challenges faced by veterans seeking mental health treatment found that VA schedulers were pressured by hospital administrators to keep veterans at VA facilities rather than send them to community care. The Elizabeth Dole Act, first introduced in 2023, largely addressed at-home care for senior veterans and programs for the homeless. It also made changes to several VA education programs and health services. It was hotly contested, however, for the efforts to change the referral approval process and another provision that would have established new access standards for veterans to go to non-VA residential mental health and substance abuse programs. That provision was dropped during the final bill deliberations. During a hearing March 25, however, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, said a change is needed to ensure that veterans can access private residential substance abuse treatment centers. Miller-Meeks said that, in some cases, veterans who decide they need to go to a rehab facility have been told to wait because the VA can get them into a VA facility within the 20-day mental health treatment requirement set by the Mission Act. In another case, a veteran experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms wanted to go to a rehab in his community but was denied the referral because the VA had a bed available at a facility 100 miles away, she said. "VA claims that there is no wrong door for veterans seeking care, yet we continue to hear about doors locked, doors hidden, and doors that simply do not exist," Miller-Meeks said in a hearing of the House Veterans Affairs health subcommittee, which she chairs. Rep. Julia Brownley of California, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, said during the hearing that any veteran who seeks residential treatment should get it, but she added that the VA has not developed a fee schedule for community treatment centers and, in at least one case, the department was charged up to $6,000 a day for one patient. Brownley also said the VA doesn't track the timeliness or quality of medical care in community residential treatment facilities. "We have no way of knowing the level of treatment or support they are getting," Brownley said. "I have said before, we must find a balance between community care and VA direct care. In my opinion, we have not found that balance when it comes to residential rehabilitation treatment facilities." In Monday's announcement, the VA said it would begin training employees to ensure that the community care referral process is followed in compliance with the Dole Act. Related: 'Disturbing' Number of VA Mental Health Appointment Cancellations Prompt Lawmakers to Call for Reforms
