Washington D.C. —U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing a bipartisan bill to help servicemembers more easily access VA benefits as they leave the Armed Forces.
This week, Sens. Ossoff and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced bipartisan legislation to help veterans file post-discharge disability claims and more quickly establish contact with accredited VA representatives.
Their bipartisan Veteran Transition Support Act would require VA representatives to contact servicemembers transitioning to civilian life between 120 and 210 days before their discharge to help them file a disability claim through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program if they are eligible.
Currently, VA representatives contact new veterans after they discharge, but not before.
This contact would help provide servicemembers, who have ready access to their medical and personal records, the information to file a claim through the program and enable the VA to more quickly deliver a decision and assign a VA disability rating, if warranted.
“Our servicemembers make tremendous sacrifices to keep our families safe, but it’s too hard for them to access their benefits after they leave the military,” Sen. Ossoff said. “That’s why I’m introducing this new bipartisan bill with Senator Cornyn to help servicemembers access the benefits they’ve earned.”
“Our men and women in uniform serve our country bravely and selflessly, often putting themselves in harm’s way and asking nothing in return,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Alleviating the burden of their transition from military to civilian life by streamlining the medical and disability claim process is one small thing we can do to support them, which is why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation and help ensure veterans can rightfully receive care as swiftly and seamlessly as possible.”
Sen. Ossoff continues working to cut red tape for Georgia veterans to more easily access their benefits.
In April, Sen. Ossoff launched a push to pass the bipartisan GUARD VA Benefits Act of 2023, legislation he co-sponsored to protect Georgia veterans from predatory claim sharks seeking to take advantage of veterans applying for benefits they’ve earned.
In February, Sens. Ossoff, Susan Collins (R-ME), and John Thune (R-SD) introduced the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act to help more veterans in rural areas get transportation to VA health facilities and access the health care benefits they’ve earned.
In January, thanks to Sen Ossoff’s bipartisan Access for Veterans to Records Act becoming law, the National Archives cleared a backlog of more than 400,000 records requests, enabling Georgia veterans to more quickly access their records and claim their benefits.
Sen. Ossoff also launched a push to pass the bipartisan TAP Promotion Act, legislation he co-sponsored to help servicemembers more easily access VA benefits as they transition to civilian life.
Click here to read the Veteran Transition Support Act.
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