Blumenthal Statement on Trump VA's "Half-Hearted," Late Implementation of the Elizabeth Dole Act

Blumenthal slams Collins’ failure to implement Congressionally-mandated provisions to improve care and benefits for veterans and their families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration’sannouncementit would begin implementing one section of theSenator Elizabeth Dole 21stCentury Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Actto definitively give a veteran and their referring Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinician the final decision regarding eligibility for community care. The Trump VA was mandated by Congress to begin implementing this provision more than a month ago, and has failed to implement more than a dozen other time-sensitive provisions from the law.
“Collins and the Trump VA are trying to take a victory lap for finally implementing a provision from theElizabeth Dole Actthey were required by law to put in place more than a month ago. Their delay is not a win—it’s a warning sign. Dozens of other critical, time-sensitive provisions from this comprehensive, bipartisan law remain unaddressed. Whether Secretary Collins is willfully ignoring them or flagrantly failing to act, the result is the same: veterans are being shortchanged, and the law is not being upheld. This Administration’s half-hearted approach to implementing laws passed by Congress is unacceptable. Veterans deserve better.”
As soon as possible after taking office, this Administration was expected, and in some cases required by law, to start implementing this community care provision and more than a dozen others—making Collins’ implementation of the comprehensiveElizabeth Dole Actincomplete and more than a month late for this particular provision.
Among these time-sensitive provisions, Collins has failed to implement the following provisions from theDole Act:
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