Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
Jun 11, 2026
Introduced: Jun 10, 2026
Last updated: Jun 11, 2026
Jun 11, 2026
Introduced: Jun 10, 2026
Last updated: Jun 11, 2026
Summary
Makes many changes to veteran benefits, including pay, school help, healthcare, and how the Department of Veterans Affairs is run.
What problem does this solve?
Veterans often struggle with getting their benefits because of complicated rules and slow processes at the VA. This bill aims to fix these issues by expanding benefits, improving access to healthcare, and making the VA work more efficiently.
What does this bill do?
Allows concurrent receipt of retirement and disability pay
Lets combat-disabled military retirees with 20 or more years of service receive both their full retirement pay and their VA disability compensation without any reduction.
Protects benefits for remarried surviving spouses
Allows surviving spouses of veterans to keep their Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and Survivor Benefit Plan annuity payments even if they remarry.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 108
Header:
Reforms relating to Department of Veterans Affairs disability ratings
Changes disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus
Revises the disability rating schedule for sleep apnea and tinnitus. Tinnitus will only be compensable if associated with non-compensable hearing loss.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 601
Header:
Codification of requirements for eligibility standards for access to community care from Department of Veterans Affairs
Codifies community care access standards
Makes the current wait time and drive time standards for veterans to be eligible for community care part of the law, such as a 20-day wait or 30-minute drive for primary care.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 111
Header:
Improvements to processing and outreach regarding claims involving military sexual trauma
Improves processing of military sexual trauma (MST) claims
Requires specialized teams to review all MST claims and mandates that veterans be told what evidence is needed before a claim can be denied.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 105(a)
Header:
Prohibition on denial of claims for benefits under laws administered by Secretary of Veterans Affairs on sole basis that veteran failed to appear for certain medical examination
Prohibits claim denial for missed medical exams
Prevents the VA from denying a veteran's benefit claim for the sole reason that the veteran failed to show up for a medical examination.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 330
Header:
Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program to award grants for the provision of service dogs to veterans
Establishes a pilot program for service dogs
Creates a grant program for nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans with certain disabilities like blindness, mobility issues, PTSD, or TBI.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 305
Header:
Inclusion of adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and other recreational activities in medical services furnished to eligible veterans by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Includes adaptive sports prosthetics in medical services
Adds adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and recreational activities to the list of medical services the VA can provide to eligible veterans.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 306
Header:
Modifications to and reauthorization of Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of Department of Veterans Affairs
Reauthorizes suicide prevention grants
Extends and modifies the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which funds community-based suicide prevention services for veterans.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 402
Header:
Establishment of Under Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer
Creates new Under Secretary and Chief Financial Officer position
Establishes the position of Under Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer to be the principal management and financial officer of the VA.
Expands housing loan eligibility for Guard and Reserve members
Makes it easier for members of the National Guard and Reserves to qualify for VA-guaranteed home loans by expanding the definition of 'active duty' for this purpose.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 103
Header:
Extension of increased dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses of veterans who die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Extends increased compensation for ALS-related deaths
Provides increased Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to surviving spouses of veterans who die from ALS, no matter how long the veteran had the disease before death.
Who does this affect?
- Veterans
- Surviving spouses of veterans
- Families of veterans
What is the real world impact?
•
Improves veteran benefits
Provides a wide range of improvements to veteran compensation, healthcare, education, and other benefits to better support former service members and their families.
•
Streamlines VA operations
Reorganizes parts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and updates processes for claims and community care to make the system more efficient and easier for veterans to use.
When does this start?
This bill has several different start dates for its various parts, with many changes taking effect in 2026 and 2027.
Major Richard Star Act effective date
The changes allowing concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability pay will apply to payments for months beginning on or after January 1, 2027.
Increased disability compensation effective date
The supplemental monthly allowance for veterans eligible for aid and attendance will take effect on December 1, 2026, and apply to months after that date.
Post-9/11 educational assistance changes
Changes to the repayment of contributions and housing stipends for certain programs under the Post-9/11 GI Bill will take effect on August 1, 2027.
ALS survivor benefits applicability
Increased compensation for surviving spouses of veterans who died from ALS applies to veterans who passed away on or after October 1, 2022.