The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for
1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, or their
respective designees.
  The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.

                             General Leave

  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 9237.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 9237,
the Take Care of America's Veterans Act.

  As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, for me, this bill is
personal. When a young man or woman raises their right hand and agrees
to serve this country, America makes a promise. That promise does not
end when a servicemember is wounded. It is my goal--and the goal of my
friend, Senator Jerry Moran--to deliver on that promise.
  This bill would be one of the most comprehensive veteran packages
considered by Congress in a decade. This bill includes more than 60
bipartisan provisions that would improve healthcare, benefits,
operations, and accountability across the VA.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell you more about some of those
important provisions. One is the Major Richard Star Act. For decades,
medically retired, combat-injured veterans have had their military
retirement offset dollar-for-dollar by their VA disability. While some
disabled veterans who served 20 years receive both, there are tens of
thousands of combat-injured veterans who currently do not. Many combat-
injured veterans would have served longer if their injuries had not
taken that opportunity from them.
  H.R. 9237 would help end that injustice. It would end that offset for
combat-injured veterans, allowing them to receive both benefits up to
what a 20-year retiree with the same disabilities would receive.
  Members on both sides of the aisle and veterans service organizations
support this and have for years. A press release, a handshake, or a
discharge petition does not end the wounded warrior tax. This bill
will.
  The Love Lives On Act is another important provision included in this
bill. Currently, surviving spouses lose their benefits if they remarry
before age 55, but those benefits were earned by their spouse's
sacrifice for this country. The Love Lives On Act would allow surviving
spouses to remarry at any age.
  Another important provision in this bill is the Sharri Briley and
Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act. This bill would provide
long-awaited increases to catastrophically disabled veterans and
surviving spouses.
  Eric was 25 years old when an IED left him with a fractured spine and
a traumatic brain injury. H.R. 9237 would increase benefits for
catastrophically disabled veterans like Eric by $10,000 a year.
  It would also increase benefits for surviving spouses. These American
families have not seen a meaningful increase in decades.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill also includes the Veterans' ACCESS Act.
Veterans should be able to access healthcare in their own communities.
Too many veterans still face delays, confusion, and barriers when
trying to use VA community care.
  This bill would also improve mental health care and community-based
suicide prevention. A veteran's healthcare should be driven by the
veteran's needs, not by government control.
  H.R. 9237 would improve education benefits and vocational training to
help veterans transition into civilian life. It would modernize the
VA's claims and appeals process so veterans have a system that works
for them. It would streamline the way VA handles construction, leasing,
contracting, IT, and finances.
  The Take Care of America's Veterans Act would expand benefits and
push VA to do better.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to address how this bill is funded, as I
have heard a lot of misinformation about this point. H.R. 9237 would
codify VA's own pending regulation on how to evaluate sleep apnea and
tinnitus' effect on a veteran's workplace earnings. This regulation was
proposed by the Biden-era VA in 2022, created by VA's team of doctors
and researchers. It was part of VA's efforts to modernize its
disability rating schedule created in the 1940s.
  President Biden's Under Secretary for Benefits, Josh Jacobs,
testified in favor of these changes at his confirmation hearing.
  Earlier this year, VA's executive director of compensation confirmed
plans to finalize these changes this year. These are not new ideas, and
there is nothing unprecedented about this. This bill would not
eliminate disability ratings for sleep apnea or tinnitus. It would not
automatically reduce any veteran's current disability rating. Future
veterans with sleep apnea will still get treatment through VA
healthcare, but if a CPAP eliminates your symptoms, VA would compensate
you less.
  Currently, the amount of compensation for sleep apnea is often more
than the amount that a veteran receives if they lose a limb.
  This change is just common sense. It is why VA has worked hard to
propose changes like these, which reflect modern medicine. For
tinnitus, VA has found it is best understood as a symptom of another
condition such as hearing loss or TBI.
  Under the proposed change, tinnitus would still be rated as part of
another underlying condition. This is not about denying these
conditions exist. Let's be clear. This is not cutting benefits. No one
will lose their benefits who are receiving them.

                              {time}  0920

  It is about making sure the VA rating schedule follows modern science
and using those savings to fund the expansion of benefits and other VA
programs.
  Mr. Speaker, if we don't pass H.R. 9237 today, VA can make these
rating changes as planned but the savings would go back to one place:
Big Government. I want those savings to go instead into the pockets and
the benefits for millions of veterans and their families.
  Mr. Speaker, as a United States Marine Corps veteran, you can bet
your bottom dollar that I believe that this bill would not harm a
single veteran, and I would not bring it forward to this floor if I
thought it would. Veterans do not need a bill that makes Members feel
good for a day and then dies in the Senate. They need legislation that
can pass.
  Mr. Speaker, veterans groups agree. I include in the Record a letter
from 20 different veterans organizations in support of this
legislation.
       Richard Star Act would be funded through the defense
     authorizing committees and fu11y end the unjust wounded
     veteran tax on combat-injured warriors. Pay-as-you-go rules
     would be waived for these earned benefits. There would be
     complete clarity from the Administration and VA about whether
     long-anticipated VASRD changes will proceed independently of
     this bill. Unfortunately, the current environment is far from
     ideal, and veterans, families, survivors, and caregivers have
     already waited years across multiple Congresses and
     administrations for action on provisions that maintain strong
     bipartisan support.
       The Administration must also provide immediate clarity on
     whether these rating-schedule changes are intended to proceed
     independently of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act
     through VA regulation, White House direction, or other
     administrative action. That clarity is essential because the
     bill's financing rests on assumptions that remain unresolved.
     If similar VASRD changes are implemented outside this
     legislation, the resulting savings could revert to the
     Treasury rather than be reinvested in veterans, families,
     survivors, and caregivers.
       Given that reality, we believe the practical question
     before Congress is whether this process should continue so
     these resources can be reinvested in veterans, caregivers,
     families, and survivors, or whether the opportunity to enact
     this package is lost while unresolved funding questions
     remain. We support advancing the Take Care of America's
     Veterans Act because the bill represents a net expansion of
     benefits and support for the veteran community and contains
     protections intended to prevent reductions for current
     beneficiaries. The goodness and positive impact of this
     package should not be lost in the debate over its financing.
       As Congress continues its consideration of this
     legislation, we urge Members to preserve and strengthen key
     protections: no retroactive harm to veterans currently
     receiving compensation; prospective application only to
     future claims or future requests for increased ratings; full
     transparency from VA, the White House, and the Administration
     regarding any independent regulatory or policy action; and a
     final package that ensures expanded benefits are delivered
     responsibly and effectively. We are committed to working with
     Congress, VA, the Administration, coalition partners, and the
     broader veteran community to improve the pay-for, identify
     any credible alternative path forward, and secure the
     strongest possible outcome.
       This moment presents a clear test of whether Congress can
     translate long-standing bipartisan agreement into meaningful
     action. We support the Take Care of America's Veterans Act so
     the process can continue and so Congress can deliver lasting
     results for veterans, their families, caregivers, and
     survivors. We urge swift action to advance this legislation
     and stand ready to work with lawmakers in both chambers to
     honor our commitments to all who have served.
           Sincerely,
       The American Legion, Military Officers Association of
     America (MOAA), Wounded