Duckworth Demands VA Rescind Rule Change Designed to Prevent Veterans from Seeking or Accessing the Health Coverage They Earned

Duckworth Demands VA Rescind Rule Change Designed to Prevent Veterans from Seeking or Accessing the Health Coverage They Earned

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC)-today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shamefully circumvented the normal rulemaking process and implemented without public comment a new interim final rule that puts millions of Veterans' disability ratings and care at risk, shockingly disincentivizing our nation's heroes from both seeking earned coverage for service-connected disabilities and following recommended treatments. The new interim final rule changes the way the VA determines disability rating from measuring the disability itself to measuring how the disability presents during a specific appointment-meaning if a Veterans is actively treating their injuries and their symptoms appear improved in that snapshot of time, that Veteran could receive a lower disability rating than they would have without treatment.

"After firing more Veterans than any Administration in our nation's history and making it harder for Veterans to access the care they've earned-despite bipartisan majorities in Congress passing the PACT Act requiring them to make it easier-the most anti-Veteran Administration we've ever seen is now giving yet another middle finger to our nation's heroes by implementing this interim final rule before even giving Veterans it will harm the chance to object.

"It's self-evident that treating a Veteran's service-connected disability doesn't mean they weren't injured serving their nation. It's shameful, but not shocking, that the Trump Administration would implement a rule straight out of the Project 2025 textbook that threatens to punish our Wounded Warriors for following their treatment plans while disincentivizing them from seeking the coverage that they have earned because doing so puts their disability rating-and their coverage-at risk. This rule should be rescinded immediately and with public apology for this immense insult to those who have sacrificed for this country."

The PACT Act was a historic, overwhelmingly bipartisan victory that enabled Veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and similar hazardous environments during their service-which can lead to cancer and other devastating ailments-to finally get the care they need covered by the VA. But in order to claim this new coverage, a Veteran would need a new disability review, which would take place under the new rule and could counterintuitively result in a Veteran's disability rating actually being downgraded despite Congress's clear intent in the PACT Act.

Duckworth has been a fierce leader and advocate for improving our Veterans' and servicemembers' access to the care they need. Last week, she led Senate Democrats in demanding VA Secretary Doug Collins to immediately reverse the VA's new draconian abortion ban. Last September, she reintroduced legislation that would improve Veterans' access to contraception and increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness for contraceptive products at the VA. A few weeks prior, Duckworth sent a letter to VA Secretary Collins demanding he block ICE from stealing VA resources at Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.

Duckworth also joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in reintroducing legislation to help make it easier for our Veterans who struggle with infertility to build their families. Earlier last year, Duckworth railed against the Trump Administration for indiscriminately firing Veterans Crisis Line workers and introduced her Protect Veteran Jobs Act with U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were fired in Trump's mass layoffs-an effort Republicans shamefully blocked in March.

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