U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced that her bipartisan Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act has successfully passed both the House and Senate as part of a comprehensive legislative package aimed at supporting veterans.
This legislation enhances support for County Veteran Service Officers (CVSOs), who are community-based employees dedicated to assisting veterans by informing them of their eligibility for VA programs and services, filing pension and compensation claims, and education benefits.
Despite there being 19 million veterans in the United States, only a small percentage are aware of and take advantage of the benefits available to them through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
CVSOs, who are nationally accredited by the Veteran Affairs, play a crucial role in educating veterans about their entitlements and assisting them with a range of benefits, including service-connected disability compensation, VA home Loans, education benefits, and job placement assistance.
The Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act allocates $10 million each for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to expand and support CVSOs or similar local entities.
The VA will distribute competitive grants to states to advance veteran outreach, improve the ability to develop and submit claims on behalf of veterans, and increase the number of county and tribal service officers by hiring additional personnel.
States must submit detailed plans for the use of these funds, and the secretary will establish guidelines for measuring the effectiveness of the programs, prioritizing grants to areas with high rates of veteran suicide or referrals to Veteran Crisis Line.
By increasing the number of CVSOs, states will better leverage local and federal resources to serve veterans more effectively.
