Veterans’ Health Care
• Fully fund the Veterans Health Administration, to include both VA and non-VA care.
• Non-VA care must be viewed as a supplement to VA care whenever VA cannot provide care that
is timely and geographically accessible; not a replacement for VA care.
• Consolidate non-VA care authorities into a single program that is fully integrated with VHA; the
private sector and VHA should not be “competing” for VA funding; they should be cooperating
to meet veteran health care needs.
• Oppose any proposals to pay for non-VA care programs by increasing veterans’ out-of-pocket
expenses.
• Require VA to include "number of days until next available appointment" in its mandatory
publishing of appointment data in order to more accurately reflect the amount of time veterans
are waiting at each facility.
• Prioritize anti-suicide efforts to include establishing an “urgent care” option for mental health
care, extended hours at VA medical facilities and continuing to improve the Veterans’ Crisis Line.
• Require that VHA grant enrollment to all veterans whose discharges are other than
“dishonorable” as defined by DOD who are otherwise eligible.
• Expand comprehensive caregiver benefits to include veterans of all eras.
• Fully fund VA medical research programs, in areas that disproportionately affect veterans such
as prosthetics, toxic exposures, and TBI.
• Ensure that VA is able to provide the full array of gender-specific services for women veterans.
Veterans’ and Survivors’ Benefits
• Fully staff VBA so that they have enough employees to simultaneously process claims and
appeals in a timely manner.
• Require VBA to accept private medical evidence that is competent, credible, probative, and
complete.
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• Improve decision notification letters so that veterans and VSOs are able to fully understand why
claims are denied.
• Grant disability claims on a presumptive basis to veterans who are known to have been exposed
to toxic substances, to include Blue Water Navy, those suffering from Gulf War Illness, and burn
pit exposure.
• Require VA examiners to use a single Disability Benefits Questionnaire when evaluating Gulf War
Illness claims to reduce denials due to misdiagnoses.
• Relax the standards for those suffering from disabilities related to MST but often have no
documentation in their service record due to an historically low reporting rate.
• Improve VBMS to allow VSOs to properly track claims that were brokered under the National
Work Queue.
• Allow for full concurrent receipt of VA disability compensation and military retired pay.
• Eliminate the SBP/DIC offset for survivors.
• Continue to oppose any efforts that make it more difficult for veterans with illnesses related to
asbestos to pursue their federal personal injury trust and tort claims.
Accountability
• Continue to support VA authorities to quickly and decisively discipline and remove employees
who are not properly performing their duties; especially those who willfully or negligently put
veterans at risk.
• Promote a customer service-based culture across VA; one that is veteran-centric as opposed to
VA centric.
• Institute a robust "secret shopper" program in order to improve and properly monitor the level
customer service provided by VA employees.
• Continue to ensure that whistleblowers are fully protected and are not subject to reprisal for
coming forward.
Education and Employment
• Protect the integrity and sustainability of GI Bill benefits.
• Close the 90/10 loophole that encourages predatory schools to target veterans.
• Close the loophole that allows employers to violate USERRA with forced arbitration agreements.
• Reject proposals to diminish veterans’ hiring preference in the federal government.
• Promote veterans’ hiring in the private sector.
• Support opportunities for veteran entrepreneurship.
DOD and Those Currently Serving
• Ensure that DOD provides a robust, competitive compensation package, to include base pay and
BAH, in order to preserve the all-volunteer force.
• Protect the integrity of TRICARE so that service members, retirees, and their families have
access to the high-quality medical care they deserve.
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• Eliminate arbitrary budget caps that harm military readiness, capability, and morale.
• Fully fund the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to ensure that all those who are yet
unaccounted for are finally brought home.
• Ensure that the intentions and protections of SCRA are not violated through forced arbitration
clauses in financial contracts.
• Eligibility for burial at Arlington National Cemetery must continue to include Purple Heart
recipients and those who may be killed in action in present and future conflicts.
Honoring Purple Heart Recipients
• Continue to oppose any effort to amend the criteria for award of the Purple Heart medal that
would diminish the prestige or purpose of the award.
• Authorize the U.S. Treasury to mint Purple Heart commemorative coins, the proceeds of which
would be used to support the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
• Support full federal recognition of August 7th as “National Purple Heart Day” in perpetuity in
order to properly honor all those who were killed in action or became wounded in defense of
our country.
• Prohibit the commercial sale of military-issued Purple Heart medals on the secondary market.
• Grant all Purple Heart recipients the same on-base commissary, exchange, and MWR privileges
as military retirees.
Point of contact:
Aleks Morosky,
National Legislative Director
Military Order of the Purple Heart
aleksmorosky@purpleheart.org
