Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 913, Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans Act of 2025, H.R. 980, the Modernizing the Veterans On-Campus Experience Act of 2025, H.R.1364, the Automotive Support Services to Improve Safe Transportation Act of 2025, H.R. 1458, the Veterans Education and Technical Skills Opportunity Act of 2025, H.R. 1960, the Simplifying Veterans Assistance Act of 2025, H.R. 1527, the Reforming Education for Veterans Act, H.R. 1793, the Veterans Readiness and Employment Transparency Act of 2025, H.R. 1872, Fairness in Veterans’ Education Act, H.R. 1815, VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, H.R. 1814, Restoring the VA Home Loan Program in Perpetuity Act of 2025 , H.R. 1957, the End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2025, H.R. 1423, Guard and Reserve Parity Act of 2025, Discussion Draft, To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the conditions under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is required to redevelop the individualized vocational rehabilitation plan for a veteran, and for other purposes, and H.R. 1803, the Fair Access to Co-ops for Veterans Act of 2025

House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

2025-03-11

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the subcommittee convened to consider 14 legislative proposals aimed at improving programs and services for American veterans, emphasizing a nonpartisan approach to their benefit. The goal was to gather insights from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other stakeholders to inform legislative decisions.[ 00:15:59 ]

Themes

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Program

Concerns were raised regarding staffing levels and potential impacts on veteran services within the VR&E program, particularly following recent VA employee terminations.[ 00:18:59 ]

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 The VA witness, Mr. Pamperin, was unable to provide immediate answers to questions about terminations, hiring freezes, or wait times, stating he would have to take them "for the record." The Chair expressed strong disapproval of the VA witnesses' unpreparedness.

Several legislative proposals address the VR&E program. The Modernizing Veterans Success on Campus Experience Act of 2025 seeks to improve education programs by allowing Vet Success on Campus (VSOC) officers to be hired with a bachelor's degree instead of a master's, a change supported by the VA and VFW.[ 00:16:57 ] The Veterans' Readiness and Employment Transparency Act aims to improve the VR&E program through measures such as requiring in-person briefings and annual reports on program extensions, with VFW supporting these provisions to enhance oversight and interaction.[ 01:08:46 ]

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 However, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) cautioned that overly prescriptive in-person briefing requirements could burden vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) who are already struggling with high caseloads, suggesting virtual alternatives and leveraging support staff.[ 01:14:50 ]

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The Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans (SAFE Veterans) Act proposes removing the college degree requirement for vocational flight training under VR&E to address pilot shortages and increase accessibility. Veterans Education Success (VES) strongly opposed this, citing a history of GI Bill abuse in flight schools and concern that veterans might not gain long-term career stability. The VFW, however, supported it as a reasonable expansion for VR&E if it leads to positive employment outcomes.[ 01:43:18 ]

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VA Home Loan Program and VASP

Significant concerns were voiced about the Veteran Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, with the Chair characterizing it as a "Trojan horse" that could jeopardize the VA Home Loan Program and burden taxpayers.[ 00:17:23 ] Mr. Bell described VASP as a "last resort option" but admitted the VA may not have explicit statutory authority for a partial claim program, advocating for collaboration with Congress to expand loss mitigation options.

A primary theme was the push for a permanent partial claim program within the VA Home Loan Program. Ms. Howell introduced HR 1815 to provide clear statutory authority for such a program, aiming to align VA's offerings with other federal programs like FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.[ 00:18:03 ]

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 The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) strongly supports a permanent partial claim option as a proven foreclosure prevention tool that protects both veterans and taxpayers, noting its effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Tobias Peter, while viewing partial claims as an improvement over VASP, cautioned against potential risks if not carefully managed.

The Restoring the VA Home Loan Program and Perpetuity Act, which proposes an arbitrary cap of 250 loans per fiscal year for VASP, faced strong opposition from the MBA. The MBA argued this limit would remove a critical safety net and lead to foreclosures, especially without a permanent partial claim program in place. Mr. Peter drew parallels between VASP and the student loan program, warning that expanded government direct lending could lead to moral hazard, increased taxpayer exposure, and an erosion of market discipline. Additionally, Representative Meng advocated for the Fair Access to Co-ops Act, which would allow veterans to use VA home loans for cooperative housing, expanding access to affordable homeownership in many areas.

Homelessness Among Veterans

The End Veteran Homelessness Act was discussed as a crucial measure to address veteran homelessness. Mr. Pappas highlighted its potential to expand eligibility for existing programs and close service gaps, while Ms. Ramirez expressed concern over the VA's initial opposition, arguing the bill would enable more veterans to utilize currently unutilized HUD-VASH vouchers. Ms. Albanese confirmed that there are available HUD-VASH vouchers and the bill would broaden eligibility, potentially allowing transfers and assisting communities in ending veteran homelessness.[ 00:33:23 ]

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 The VFW also supported the bill, noting its provisions for expanded case management, assistance with administrative fees, and reporting requirements to enhance program effectiveness.[ 01:09:51 ]

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Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity

The Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act aims to provide equal GI Bill benefits to National Guard and Reserve members. While Mr. Bell stated the VA supports the draft bill, he expressed concerns about the Department of Defense's (DOD) ability to provide necessary data and the significant time needed for VA system adjustments. The VFW strongly supported HR 1423, arguing that all days in uniform for which military pay is received should count toward GI Bill eligibility, as this would recognize the significant sacrifices of reserve component members and safeguard their future.[ 01:06:53 ]

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Vets Opportunity Act

The Vets Opportunity Act of 2025, which aims to expand opportunities for accredited independent study programs, received mixed reactions. Mr. Bell indicated VA support for the bill. However, Mr. Hubbard of VES strongly opposed it, warning that it would open the GI Bill to fraud, waste, and abuse by funding unaccredited independent study programs that offer content freely available online and lack quality control.

Tone of the Meeting

The meeting began with a stated commitment to a nonpartisan and collaborative approach to support veterans.[ 00:16:17 ] However, the tone grew tense and critical, particularly when the Chair chastised VA witnesses for their apparent unpreparedness and inability to answer basic data-related questions regarding staffing and program metrics. There was passionate debate and strong disagreement among members and witnesses on several legislative proposals, especially concerning the VASP program and the End Veteran Homelessness Act, reflecting differing philosophies on how best to serve veterans and manage taxpayer resources.[ 00:17:23 ] Despite these contentious exchanges, an underlying commitment to improving veterans' benefits and services was consistently articulated by all participants.

Participants

Transcript

M
Ms. Julie Howell
Good morning, the subcommittee will come to order.  I welcome the witnesses and subcommittee members to today's hearing.  As I've often said in the subcommittee, this is not a bipartisan committee.  This is a nonpartisan committee, and we owe that to those who have served our country.  This legislative hearing will continue in that spirit.  We've got 14 important legislative proposals to consider here today.  It's important to note that not all of these proposals will move forward to the legislative process.   We hold legislative hearings to learn from VA and other groups about their views on the bills to ensure members are making informed decisions, and when they do or do not, mark them up.  We value the insight provided by the stakeholders and agencies as an essential part of this process.  A number of these proposals seek to improve education programs for American veterans, to ensure that taxpayers' dollars are used responsibly,   And I specifically wanna highlight three of my bills that are on today's agenda.  My first bill will modernize the requirements for vet success on campus officers, or VSOCs, and allow employees to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the relevant field of study instead of a master's degree.  This change will allow our VSOCs to serve more students and veterans on campus without a degradation of those services.   Another bill that I have is restoring the VA home loan program in Pertuity Act.  This legislation would limit the number of direct loans VA is authorized to purchase back to what the VA had traditionally done before the creation of   the VA Services Purchase Program or VASP.  I believe if we don't change VASP, this program will continue to be a Trojan horse on VA's books that could ruin the VA Home Loan Program forever.  Listen, the two greatest programs ever developed by this government are the GI Bill and the VA Home Loan Program.  And I'm not gonna allow either one of those to fail.   I have used my right to get a home loan, excuse me, I've used my VA home loan guarantee to buy homes several times, and if the Biden version of VASP was allowed to continue, I fear that the home loan will not exist in the future for my fellow veterans.
M
Ms. Julie Howell
My bill is needed to change to protect the benefit that has helped so many veterans since 1943.   My final bill would provide an option for the waterfall for veterans going through the loss mitigation by establishing a partial claim program.  This program would bring the VA home loan program on par with other programs such as FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.   Many of you have heard express my concerns and frustration with the idea of VA taking responsibility for as many 60,000 mortgages that would put American taxpayers on the hook when the foreclosures are to the tune of $16 trillion through VASP.  This legislation would allow   VA to provide limited assistance and includes mechanisms to encourage repayments as soon as veterans are able.  I look forward to working with the minority to see if we can find a better way to help the veterans without destroying the VA home loan program.  Additional bills that we will consider will address the VRA&E program, adaptive automobile equipment GI bill,   and homeless programs through the VA.  I have reservations about some of these proposals on the agenda today and the witnesses testimony and questions from the members will hopefully address some of these issues so we can make an informed decision about whether to move these bills forward through the legislative process.  We look forward to hearing from the members who have introduced these proposals as well as our witnesses on how we can continue to improve these bills and better the lives of our veterans.  I now yield to my friend, Mr. Pappas, a ranking member for five minutes.
thank you to my friend the chairman for holding this hearing and uh we all know that for agencies to be able to carry out their duties our work here is critically important i know we have several pieces of legislation that we'll consider some of them are very strong pieces of legislation and i want to take this opportunity to highlight a few of them on the agenda today there are three bills and that are intended to improve the vr vr e program including my legislation to improve the experience for va and veterans   to ensure that each veteran has the best possible chance for a successful outcome in the program, and I thank the chairman for including this bill on the agenda.  I think we all recognize that we can write whatever bills we want to with respect to VR&E, but if VA continues to terminate employees at the same rate it has over the last   weeks, it won't matter.  We're hearing from student veterans around the country who have seen impacts to the VRNE program following the Doge firings.  Now in late 2024, this subcommittee held a hearing on VRNE   where one of the main takeaways was that it's not employing enough counselors and support staff.  And we know this has been an issue for a long period of time.  However, some of the Doge firings were from the VR&E program from individuals who are just hired.  So instead of making progress, we're going in the wrong direction.  That has undoubtedly increased wait times for new student veterans to enroll.   will cause delays for existing student veterans to get class materials.  So we need to hear more about this.  I want to quote Chairman Bost who said that he takes Secretary Collins quote at his word when he says there will be no impact to the delivery of care benefits and services for veterans with this plan.  So let's be honest with ourselves and frankly taxpayers.  We know there will be impacts and I urge Secretary Collins to grab the wheel from Doge   change course, bring back the lost staff to VR&E and other critical areas within VA.  Now, moving on to the rest of the items on the agenda, I'm really thankful to Chairman Van Orden for including three more critical measures, the End Veteran Homelessness Act, the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act, and the Fair Access to Co-ops Act in the agenda.

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