President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed four bills aimed at improving the lives of military veterans, particularly women and minority veterans.
“In a moment, I’ll going to have the honor of signing into law four bills that the women and men in this room have written and gotten passed — bipartisan bills,” Biden said from the White House. “There are many obligations we have [as a nation], but only one truly sacred obligation in my view, and that is prepare those we send into harm’s way, care for their families when they’re gone, and care for them and their families when they’re home. That’s a lifetime commitment.”
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The four bills are:
* S. 796, “Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021”
* S. 894, “Hire Veteran Health Heroes Act of 2021”
* S. 1031, “A bill to require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on disparities associated with race and ethnicity with respect to certain benefits administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.”
* S.1095, “Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021″
Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and several members of Congress who worked on the bills.
“The first bill I will sign requires the government accounting office to assess whether there are disparities associated with race and ethnicity when it comes to VA benefits and disability ratings,” Biden said of S. 1031. “The weapons of war and the nature of injuries they inflict don’t differentiate based on race, and the type of disabilities our veterans carry with them don’t differentiate based on race. So the claims approved and the benefits delivered should not differentiate either.”
Biden said veterans of color had reported receiving different treatment from white veterans after returning from service, and the bill will help the government understand why and how that happens.
The other bills will require the VA to recruit military medical personnel to work in federal healthcare occupations once their service is over, reduce out-of-pocket educational costs for surviving spouses and children of military veterans, including by offering in-state tuition to any students using the Dependents’ Educational Assistance program, and commission a study on maternal health among veterans, with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities.
According to the White House, 44% of women veterans in the VA health system had a confirmed mental health diagnosis.
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“Our country continues to have the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world, especially among black and Native American women,” Biden said. “We’re going to help expand and diversify the maternal health workforce, improve maternal mental health, and bolster community-based programs, train providers, enhance research, and ensure maternal care is coordinated.”
