Critical legislation, including a package designed to improve the lives of generations of veterans, their caregivers, and their survivors, remains in limbo as members of Congress prepare to head home for the November election.

MOAA and other veterans advocacy groups continue to press Congress to pass the life-giving and life-saving Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act (H.R. 8371). This bipartisan bill is central to MOAA’s advocacy efforts in the 118th Congress, and despite exhaustive efforts through press conferences and numerous meetings with lawmakers and their staffs, as well as White House officials, the package has not moved forward.

[TAKE ACTION: Support This Wide-Ranging Plan to Improve Veterans’ Care]

As lawmakers gear up to campaign, members of the wider veteran community are left wondering whether their needs will be prioritized once Congress returns after the elections.

The Dole Act represents much more than a comprehensive package of policies. It is a lifeline for veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors who rely on VA health care and benefits – often as their only source of livelihood. The package includes VA benefits reforms, expanded long-term care services, caregiver program support services, resources for homeless veterans, and assistance for surviving family members, among other improvements.

Impact on Caregivers

The Dole Act is particularly crucial for caregivers. Named after Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a driving force behind VA caregiver program improvements, the bill reflects her commitment to empowering, supporting, and honoring military caregivers.

In 2012, Dole established the Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF) to support military caregivers. EDF’s 2014 RAND Corporation study, Hidden Heroes: America’s Military Caregivers was the first comprehensive examination of this population. This week, EDF released a new RAND study, America’s Military and Veteran Caregivers: Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows during its ninth annual National Convening event in Washington, D.C.

The new study examines changes since 2014 that have affected the caregiver community, such as:

• Aging of the veteran population, and other demographic changes.
• Troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• Increased awareness of servicemember exposure to environmental toxins.
• Legal advances for sexual and gender minority veterans and servicemembers.
• The coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns.

[RELATED: ‘Ending the Wait’: How MOAA Is Making a Difference for Toxic-Exposed Veterans]

There are 105.6 million caregivers in the U.S. today, with 14.4 million caring for wounded, ill, or injured servicemembers or veterans.

Study Recommendations

The RAND study offers nine recommendations to better support caregivers:

1. Increase access to mental health and substance use treatment for caregivers and their children.
2. Increase opportunities for caregivers to access available financial support, and offer additional financial compensation to caregivers for the work they perform.
3. Tailor caregiver support programs to reflect caregivers' diverse preferences and needs.
4. Expand and promote home health care considering how caregivers will be affected.
5. Focus programmatic and social support within the context of local conditions in which military/veteran caregivers live.
6. Encourage health care systems to better integrate caregivers into health care teams.
7. Promote work environments that are supportive of caregivers.
8. Continue to conduct rigorous evaluations of those initiatives designed to support military and veteran caregivers.
9. Continue to conduct research that fully captures the breadth of caregiving and those who serve as caregivers.

[FROM MILITARY TIMES: Vets’ Caregivers Need More Support From VA, Local Orgs, Study Finds]

Help Congress Finish Its Business

Join MOAA in making sure we do not miss the chance to support these caregivers and the wider veteran community: Let your lawmakers know you want the Dole Act to become law now.

Do not let Congress end this year without passing this important legislation to ensure our nation remains committed to those who selflessly served and sacrificed. Click here to contact your legislators and ask them to pass the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act.