WASHINGTON, D.C. [4/6/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the $1.9 trillion coronavirus (COVID-19) and relief package signed by the President in March, will support the health and economic well-being of Minnesota Veterans. In addition to general relief to all Americans—including $1,400 direct payments, $56 billion to support vaccine and testing efforts and $40 billion in housing assistance—Veterans will benefit from $17 billion directed to the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) to support its response to COVID-19.

Sen. Smith, who strongly backed passage of the ARP, said it is a bold and necessary response to a pandemic that for more than a year has upended the lives of people in Minnesota and across the country. The $17 billion for the VA includes $14.5 billion for COVID-19 related health care, Veterans receiving housing support and homeless Veterans. It includes $1 billion to waive VA health care copayments through September—a measure Sen. Smith fought for—as well as $750 million to construct new Veteran State Homes and $386 million for employment training and employment assistance. It also includes measures to help put an end to the for-profit college industry's aggressive recruiting of Veterans and service members.

“Minnesotans who have honorably served our nation in uniform deserve our utmost respect. When they return home, we need to make sure they get the benefits and care they earned. This is especially important during the pandemic, during which Minnesota Veterans and their families have been hit hard by the public health and economic effects of COVID-19, ” said Sen. Smith. “I fought for the American Rescue Plan to waive VA health care copayments because for many American families and veterans, the accompanying economic distress from COVID-19 is more acute than ever. This plan will deliver historic economic relief to Veterans and their families, and it will move us closer to ending the pandemic and getting our nation back on its feet.”

Here are some of the key provisions for Veterans in the ARP:

• Measures to help put an end to the for-profit college industry's aggressive recruiting of Veterans and service members.
• $1 billion for debt forgiveness related to copayments or other cost sharing Veterans paid for VA health care and to reimburse Veterans who paid a copay or other cost sharing, for care and prescriptions provided from April 6, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021.
• $750 million for construction grants ($500 million) and payments ($250 million) to State Homes to greatly improve the living conditions of our most vulnerable Veterans who reside in these facilities. This funding will allow Montevideo, Preston, and Bemidji to construct three new Veterans State Homes, which will provide nearly 200 new beds for Veteran retirees.
• $14.5 billion for COVID-19 related health care, including information technology and facility requirements, ensuring access for 9.2 million enrolled Veterans who may have delayed care or have more complex health care needs as a result of the pandemic, as well as resources for Veterans currently receiving housing support and an estimated 37,000 homeless Veterans.
• $386 million to initiate a COVID–19 Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program that provides up to 12 months of training and employment assistance for unemployed Veterans to enter high demand occupations.
• $262 million to reduce the backlog of compensation and pension claims, which has grown from 76,000 in March 2020 to more than 212,000 in March 2021. The ARP funding will enable the Veterans Benefits Administration to reduce the claims backlog to around 100,000 by September 2022.
• $100 million to facilitate the modernization of VA’s badly antiquated supply chain system by accelerating the Department’s transition to the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support.
• $80 million to establish the Department of Veterans Affairs Employee Leave Fund, which provides funds for paid leave for COVID-19 related causes.
• $10 million to decrease the Board of Veterans’ Appeals hearing requests (currently 87,499) and intake (35,000 appeals) backlogs. These efforts help Veterans economically by resolving their VA appeals and allowing them to begin receiving compensation and services.