How to watch the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs

H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act”

Second panel: state cemeteries, grants, and memorialization continuum

After transitioning to VSO and state witnesses, members hear testimony from the American Legion, the Travis Manion Foundation, and Kentucky’s state cemetery program on using cemeteries for civic education, leveraging federal grants, addressing rural access and unclaimed remains, closing burial gaps such as in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and improving coordination (e.g., SAMS, TAP, pre‑need tools) across VA components, before the chair and ranking member close the bipartisan hearing and adjourn.

In this chapter

1. First panel closing and transition to VSO and state witnesses
2. Community partnerships: Travis Manion Foundation and Kentucky’s grant experience
3. Grant funding, rural access, and unclaimed remains in Kentucky

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Memorializing our Veterans: Outreach, Upkeep, and Community Partnerships at Veterans Cemeteries

First panel Q&A: Arlington operations, DEI disputes, and eligibility reforms

Members question first‑panel witnesses on Arlington’s caisson platoons and equine MOS, NCA staffing and maintenance gaps, DEI‑related exhibit changes and event cancellations, geographic access standards, and pending Arlington eligibility rulemaking required to extend burial capacity.

In this chapter

1. Q&A: Arlington caisson platoons, facilities, and new MOS
2. Q&A: NCA caretaker staffing, maintenance, and DEI exhibit controversy
3. Q&A: Cemetery access standards and geographic inequities

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act”

First panel Q&A: Arlington capacity, DEI controversies, rural access

Members question Army, NCA, and ABMC leaders on Arlington’s caisson platoons and equine MOS, NCA workforce shortages and maintenance backlogs, ABMC’s treatment of Black WWII service in exhibits, the 75‑mile access metric and rural siting limits, cancellation of a women’s wreath‑laying event amid anti‑DEI guidance, and delays in updating Arlington eligibility rules to extend burial life.

In this chapter

1. Chair Q&A: Arlington caisson platoons, facilities, and new MOS
2. McGarvey Q&A: NCA workforce strain and ABMC DEI panels
3. Upper Peninsula access: 75‑mile metric and rural cemetery criteria

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Memorializing our Veterans: Outreach, Upkeep, and Community Partnerships at Veterans Cemeteries

Hearing opening: national, state, and overseas cemeteries

The chair and ranking member frame the hearing’s focus on VA, Army, and ABMC cemetery systems, including access, inclusion and representation, workforce and modernization, and long‑term capacity and commemoration at home and abroad, followed by detailed testimony from NCA, ABMC, and Arlington leadership.

In this chapter

1. Hearing formally opens: scope of veterans cemeteries
2. Ranking Member statement: inclusion, politics, and legacy
3. Under Secretary Brown: NCA mission, workforce, and modernization

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act”

Hearing opening and first panel testimony on cemeteries

The chair opens the oversight hearing on VA, Army, and ABMC cemeteries, framing the mission of memorial affairs and equity in honoring service, then Under Secretary Brown (NCA), ABMC’s Dalessandro, and Arlington’s Durham-Aguilera present their institutional missions, workforce and capacity challenges, modernization efforts, and long‑term space constraints.

In this chapter

1. Hearing opens on veterans’ cemeteries and Memorial Affairs mission
2. Witness introductions and Under Secretary Brown’s NCA testimony
3. ABMC and Army cemeteries: global mission and capacity challenges

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act”

Subcommittee markup: three VA cemetery bills

The subcommittee considers H.R. 8552 on veterans’ COLA, H.R. 9006 on unclaimed veterans, and H.R. 6588 (PROVIDE Act) en bloc, discusses fiscal offsets and cost implications, and by unanimous consent advances all three measures to the full committee with authority for technical corrections.

In this chapter

1. Chair outlines three VA bills and offset requirements
2. En bloc consideration and approval of H.R. 8552, 9006, 6588

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Memorializing our Veterans: Outreach, Upkeep, and Community Partnerships at Veterans Cemeteries

Subcommittee markup: budget rules and en bloc vote

The subcommittee informally convenes to handle three veterans’ bills together, reviews CBO scores and offset requirements, and secures unanimous consent to report the combined package favorably to the full committee under existing budget constraints.

In this chapter

1. Subcommittee convenes and markup context
2. Markup overview: offsets and budget rules
3. En bloc consideration of three veterans’ bills

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”

Rep. Nunn on H.R. 9321: Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program

Nunn introduces H.R. 9321 to authorize VA grants under the Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program for nonprofits that locate, identify, and secure dignified burials for unclaimed veterans’ remains, citing Iowa cases, Final Salute’s work, and national figures on unclaimed veterans as justification.

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”

Rep. Case on H.R. 6921: Hawai’i National Cemetery Act

Case outlines the need for a new national cemetery in Hawai’i due to capacity limits at Punchbowl, argues that Hawaii’s geographic isolation makes reliance on mainland cemeteries or state veterans cemeteries inequitable, and responds to VA opposition while emphasizing this bill only initiates a long-term siting process.

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”

Rep. Bergman on H.R. 9006: central portal for unclaimed veterans

Bergman presents H.R. 9006, clarifying it creates no new funding but directs VA to establish a centralized IT portal to track unclaimed veterans’ remains across NCA, VBA, and VHA, closing an administrative gap without controversy.

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”

Chairman: procedural guidance and member participation

The Chair reaffirms time limits for member remarks, grants unanimous consent for Reps. Case and Nunn to participate, notes that member questioning will be forgone in favor of written questions, and recognizes Rep. Bergman to speak on H.R. 9006.

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”

Ranking Member McGarvey: support and concerns on key bills

McGarvey underscores bipartisan goals to support veterans, highlights the Hawai’i National Cemetery Act and PROVIDE Act, and raises funding and policy concerns about the Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy programs and the Compensation Fund Recrediting proposal returning unused Filipino veterans’ funds to the Treasury.

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H.R. 8552, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026”; H.R. 8767, the “Compensation Fund Recrediting Act”; H.R. 9006, the “Locating Our Unclaimed Veterans Act”; H.R. 6588, the “PROVIDE Act” H.R. 6921, the “Hawai’i National Cemetery Act” Discussion Draft, the “Unclaimed Veterans’ Legacy Grant Program Act”

Chairman: context on compensation fund and agenda

The Chair explains the status of the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund, clarifies CBO and Treasury treatment of the remaining $55 million, and frames the purpose of the Compensation Fund Recrediting Act as cleaning up VA accounts before yielding to the Ranking Member.

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Examining VA Benefits: Pension and Fiduciary, and VA Life Insurance Options

Panel II: survivor advocacy and insurer testimony

Gold Star Spouses provide survivor perspectives on confusing programs, poverty-level survivor pension thresholds, remarriage-driven fiduciary burdens on biological parents, and the need to protect the Office of Survivors Assistance. Prudential/OSGLI outlines its statutory role administering SGLI, VGLI, and TSGLI under VA oversight, describing automatic coverage, disability extensions, traumatic injury benefits, and outreach on continuation of coverage.

In this chapter

1. Panel II introduced: Gold Star Spouses and Prudential sworn in
2. Gold Star Spouses testimony: survivor pension limits and fiduciary burdens
3. Prudential/OSGLI testimony: role, scale, and statutory framework

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Examining VA Benefits: Pension and Fiduciary, and VA Life Insurance Options

Panel I Q&A: survivor benefits, VA Life transition, and access barriers

Questioning turns to coverage gaps in the shift from SDVI to VA Life, fiduciary oversight for minors, due process in declaring incompetency, and restitution when misuse occurs. Members also probe communication and form complexity for surviving spouses and dependents, the bundling of survivor pensions and DIC with burial benefits, and how offline or rural survivors are informed of automatic entitlements and full benefit portfolios.

In this chapter

1. Transition from SDVI to VA Life and fiduciaries for minors
2. Due process for fiduciary assignment and misuse restitution
3. Surviving spouses, communication gaps, and paper vs digital access
4. Complexity of survivor benefits and automatic DIC payments

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Examining VA Benefits: Pension and Fiduciary, and VA Life Insurance Options

Panel I Q&A: fiduciary controls and VA insurance structure

Keith Self Republican

Members press VA on the delayed Fairness for Servicemembers Act report, fraud risks and oversight of professional versus family fiduciaries, and statutory rules on asset transfers and pension eligibility. The exchange expands to VA Life’s required self-sufficiency, loss ratios and reserves, and structural questions around the long-standing SGLI/VGLI contract with Prudential and whether VA is adequately testing the market for better rates and benefits.

In this chapter

1. Fairness for Servicemembers Act report: delayed submission dispute
2. Fiduciary program structure: number of fiduciaries and oversight tools
3. Professional vs family fiduciaries and fraud prevalenceKeith Self

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Examining VA Benefits: Pension and Fiduciary, and VA Life Insurance Options

Opening, oversight agenda, and VA program overview

The chair and ranking member set the hearing’s oversight focus on VA pension, fiduciary, and life insurance programs, raising concerns about eligibility thresholds, constitutional issues, fraud risks, and gaps in prior congressional review. VA officials are sworn in and present prepared testimony on pension timeliness and accuracy, fiduciary caseloads, and the rollout, automation, and financial performance of VA Life insurance for disabled veterans.

In this chapter

1. Opening of hearing: scope and programs
2. Ranking member statement: oversight priorities and IG concerns
3. Panel I introduced and VA officials sworn in
4. VA testimony: pension performance, fiduciary scope, and VA Life rollout

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