Garbarino Bills In Support of Veterans Pass House Veterans Affairs Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs recently held a full committee markup for several bills to strengthen benefits for veterans across America. Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) is proud to announce that three bills he helped introduce were passed out of the committeeand are awaiting a full vote before the House of Representatives. They includeH.R. 8260 - the Faster Payments to Veterans’ Survivors Act, H.R. 7299 - the Strengthening VA Cybersecurity Act of 2022, and H.R. 5606 – the Return to Home Housing Act.  

“Our Veterans have made incredible sacrifices to protect this great nation, and it is a moral imperative to ensure they are taken care of when they return home,” said Rep. Garbarino. “These bills would expand and streamline veterans’ access to benefits and make sure that their personal information is protected from cyber criminals. I am pleased that my bills were passed by the Committee, and I will continue to push for critical reforms like those offered in this legislation on behalf of our veterans.”

Faster Payments to Veterans’ Survivors Act

Would streamline the process by which the families of our fallen heroes are able to receive benefits. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to strengthen its processes for identifying, locating, and paying hard-to-find survivors and other beneficiaries after the death of a veteran. The bill shortens the timeframe for the VA to contact beneficiaries, setting a 2-year goal to get the funds disbursed.

Strengthening VA Cybersecurity Act of 2022

Would require the VA to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to provide a cybersecurity assessment of high-impact VA information systems and the effectiveness of the VA’s information security program and information security management system. The bill will help protect the aging veteran population from cyber threats by educating our veterans and defending against attacks from malicious actors.

Return to Home Housing Act

Would adjust the rate of per diem payments provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to grantees that provide services to homeless veterans. The bill will increase the reimbursement maximum from 115% to 200%, which will ensure providers in a majority of regions can get adequately reimbursed for their costs of supplying transitional housing to unhoused veterans and make sure our heroes returning home always have a roof over their heads.

###