ICYMI: Shaheen Priorities to Support Granite State Veterans Advanced in Senate-Passed Appropriations Bill
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies (Ag-FDA) Subcommittee and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, secured priorities in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations bill that passed the Senate last week with bipartisan support. Shaheen provisions included in the bill will ensure veterans can better access health care, including substance use disorder treatment, and help prevent and respond to intimate partner violence (IPV).
“America has a sacred commitment to our veterans: they risked life and limb serving in our armed forces, and we agreed to honor and care for them after their service,” said Senator Shaheen. “The bipartisan bill advanced in the Senate will make good on our duty to provide excellent health care and benefits to America’s veterans, including through my provisions to aid those struggling with substance use disorder and to ensure veterans who have experienced intimate partner violence can access the resources they need to heal.”
Shaheen leads efforts in the Senate to secure resources to help New Hampshire fight the substance use disorder crisis. In the FY2026 MilCon-VA bill, Shaheen successfully fought for over $700 million to fund opioid prevention and treatment programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Specifically, the funding will help veterans access the care they need to reduce the use of opioids for pain management through effective nonpharmacological treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain.
Thanks to Shaheen’s efforts, the FY2026 MilCon-VA Appropriations bill also increases resources for the VA’s Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) to prevent and respond to IPV. The Senate-passed bill makes available a Senator Shaheen request of $36.879 million to assist veterans who are impacted by IPV—an increase from the FY2025 enacted level.
Shaheen also secured an amendment in the Appropriations bill that aims improve the compensation and pension (C&P) examination process for Granite State veterans. C&P exams help determine the extent of a veteran’s disability so that they can receive benefits. The VA has outsourced many C&P examinations to outside providers which has been particularly challenging for Granite State veterans who often have to travel long distances, including into neighboring states for these exams. In the FY2024 MilCon-VA bill, Shaheen secured language directing the VA to collect a range of data on the distances and problems veterans have reported in obtaining C&P exams. The VA still has not produced this report. Shaheen’s language in the FY2026 MilCon-VA bill urges the VA to finally create and submit this report to Congress.
Senator Shaheen has spearheaded efforts in the Senate to support veterans and military families. In 2022, Shaheen worked to include provisions and helped pass the historic PACT Act, which expanded health care for veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. In the FY2021 national defense bill that became law, Shaheen supported an amendment offered by Senator Tester (D-MT) that would require the VA to provide benefits for veterans suffering from four diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The amendment was based on standalone legislation authored by U.S. Senator Tester, which Senator Shaheen cosponsored. In addition, Shaheen cosponsored the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which was signed into law in 2019 and created a permanent legislative fix to help ensure “Blue Water” Navy veterans get the disability and health care benefits they deserve as a result of exposure to Agent Orange. Each year, Shaheen leads the bipartisan Senate resolution with Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) to recognize an annual National Warrior Call Day, which encourages Americans to reach out and build meaningful relationships with both those currently serving and veterans and will take place on November 17, 2024.
###