On December 1, the House passed the CVSO Act (H.R. 4601) with a vote of 401-18 The CVSO Act will provide critical federal resources to help counties meet our growing caseloads and give critical support for our nation’s veterans
On December 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach (CVSO) Act (H.R. 4601) with a vote of 401-18. Counties strongly support this legislation as it would increase the ability of state, county, municipal and tribal veteran service officers to support veterans as they navigate the wide range of their U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits including health care, housing and transition assistance programs. The National Association of Counties (NACo) had previously joined the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO), which represents a workforce of over 2,400 County Veteran Service Officers (CVSOs), to send a letter of support for H.R. 4601 to HVAC committee leadership.
CVSOs in 29 states and two Native American tribes serve as the first point of contact in the community for veteran’s services and help veterans obtain more than $50 billion annually in federal health, disability, pension and compensation benefits. CVSOs are currently funded almost entirely by counties, which creates challenges for areas with high demand or counties that serve veterans in rural areas.
The CVSO Act will provide critical federal resources to help counties meet our growing caseloads by awarding competitive grants worth $250 million over five years for states to create, expand or support CVSOs or similar government entities, such as state, municipal and tribal VSOs.
The recent passage of the historic bipartisan Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act (PL 117-168) greatly expanded VA healthcare eligibility for toxic-exposed veterans, however this will put further strain on CVSOs and without additional federal resources, many counties will not have the additional staff to meet the rise in caseloads.
CALL TO ACTION
The bill now heads to the Senate (S.2405) where it will be considered. NACo urges counties to contact their Senators to support passage of this crucial legislation.
We will continue to monitor activity on the CVSO Act as it moves to the Senate.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
