Veteran Benefits

The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, released a report in March 2026, evaluating federal programs designed to house homeless veterans. The report specifically examines the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program and the Tribal HUD-VASH pilot and evaluates their work. According to House.gov, the GAO is “the investigative arm” of Congress and the congressional “watchdog.” According… Read more »

A change in federal law has opened the door for qualifying disabled veterans to open Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts for people with disabilities. These are tax-advantage type accounts formerly restricted to those whose disabilities began before they turned 26. The new disability age threshold has been raised to age 46. >> Stay… Read more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Justice announced a new legal partnership in March 2026. This agreement, established through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), gives the VA the authority to initiate court proceedings to appoint legal guardians for veterans deemed “cognitively impaired.” The policy targets a specific group of veterans who the… Read more »

In March 2026, the VA gave in to the pressure from these groups and announced it was canceling a plan to use automation to scan 1.2 million finalized disability claims for so-called claims fraud.   Critics argued the move would target disabled veterans and create a climate of suspicion around VA claims. The agency has now… Read more »

Veteran advocacy groups, including the VFW, have partnered with the Attorney General for Virginia to file a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs in March 2026. They hope to address how the agency calculates education benefits for those who qualify for both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill. VFW Sues Department… Read more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced plans to use an automated fraud-detection tool for disability claims, raising concerns about the VA’s ability to manage such claims, with or without the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). VA Reviews Veteran Disability Claims for “Fraud” The VA says AI technology will scan more than one million disability… Read more »

Two bipartisan bills, H.R. 980 and H.R. 1458, were passed in February by the House of Representatives in February 2026. They are, at press time, under committee review in the Senate for further consideration; this legislation is part of ongoing efforts to enhance and improve veteran education benefits and employment services. These two bills affect… Read more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs has changed its approach to processing GI Bill benefits when a student qualifies for more than one program. This update, which includes an automated records review to determine if veterans qualify for multiple GI Bill options, affects over one million veterans who may now qualify for additional months of GI… Read more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has moved to formally rescind a controversial interim final rule that would have changed how disability ratings are calculated for veterans. The agency had earlier moved to change VA disability rating criteria to assign disability percentages based on the condition as treated with medication or other means, rather than… Read more »