Rosen-backed bill to connect veterans with benefits signed into law

The new law will give $10 million annually to the US Department of Veteran Affairs to increase outreach efforts to help former servicemembers get benefits they’re entitled to. 

Bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Nevada Democratic US Sen. Jacky Rosen to bolster outreach efforts by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and alert former servicemembers of unclaimed benefits has been signed into law, her office announced Thursday. 

The Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act authorizes $10 million in spending for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to support local VA officials help increase awareness of services available to veterans. Those include help filing pension and compensation claims, and assistance with enrollment in job, housing, disability, and education benefits. 

Specifically, the VA may provide grants to states to implement or enhance outreach activities to assist in the development and submission of claims for veterans or increase the number of county or tribal veterans service officers in the state. The VA must prioritize awarding grants in areas with a critical shortage of county or tribal veterans service officers, areas with high rates of suicide among veterans, and areas with high rates of referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.

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“Veterans deserve to take full advantage of all the benefits they have earned through their brave service to our nation,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud that this bipartisan bill has become law to better inform more veterans of the programs and services available to them. I’ll keep working with both parties to give veterans in Nevada the resources they need.”

Rosen was also among Nevada officials who pressed President Joe Biden to include funding for a new veterans hospital in Reno, and helped pass legislation to officially authorize its construction near the University of Nevada’s Reno campus. 

Rosen, who was sworn-in last week for her second six-year term to the Senate, told The Nevadan during an interview last week that addressing healthcare issues for both veterans and civilians will be a focal point of her next term. That includes another bill she introduced during the last Congress, the Train More Nurses Act, which passed the Senate but stalled in the US House and Rosen said would be filed again in the coming weeks. 

“We need to increase the pipeline of healthcare professionals, not only nurses, but across the spectrum,” Rosen said. “We’re going to be working on a lot of health care bills this year.”