On April 28, 2016, U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, respectively, announced the Veterans First Act (S.2981) to begin to change the culture at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs approved the Veterans First Act by unanimous vote. Read the text of the bill. The bill's supporters believe that the bill would help change the culture of corruption at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill includes accountability measures to give the VA the tools to fire bad actors, to prohibit bonuses for employees accused of wrongdoing and to institute protections for whistleblowers. Senator Isakson's Op-Ed opinion piece is available on the Military Advantage Blog.
For more on veteran benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center.