EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

Administration Achievements

SERVING AND PROTECTING OUR VETERANS

Reformed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve care, choice, and employee accountability

• Signed and implemented the VA Mission Act, which made permanent Veterans CHOICE, revolutionized the VA community care system, and delivered quality care closer to home for Veterans
• The number of Veterans who say they trust VA services has increased 19 percent to a record 91 percent, an all-time high
• Offered same-day emergency mental health care at every VA medical facility, and secured $9.5 billion for mental health services in 2020
• Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017, which ensured that veterans could continue to see the doctor of their choice and wouldn’t have to wait for care
• During the Trump Administration, millions of veterans have been able to choose a private doctor in their communities
• Expanded Veterans’ ability to access telehealth services, including through the “Anywhere to Anywhere” VA healthcare initiative, leading to a 1,000 percent increase in usage during COVID-19
• Signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act and removed thousands of VA workers who failed to give our Vets the care they so richly deserve
• Signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 and improved the efficiency of the VA, setting record numbers for appeals decisions
• Modernized medical records to begin a seamless transition from the Department of Defense to the VA
• Launched a new tool that provides Veterans with online access to average wait times and quality-of-care data
• The promised White House VA Hotline has fielded hundreds of thousands of calls
• Formed the PREVENTS Task Force to fight the tragedy of Veteran suicide

Decreased Veteran homelessness, improved education benefits, and achieved record-low Veteran unemployment

• Signed and implemented the Forever GI Bill, allowing Veterans to use their benefits to get an education at any point in their lives
• Eliminated every penny of Federal student loan debt owed by American Veterans who are completely and permanently disabled
• Compared to 2009, 49 percent fewer Veterans experienced homelessness nationwide during 2019
• Signed and implemented the HAVEN Act to ensure that Veterans who have declared bankruptcy don’t lose their disability payments
• Helped hundreds of thousands of military service members make the transition from the military to the civilian workforce, and developed programs to support the employment of military spouses
• Placed nearly 40,000 homeless Veterans into employment through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
• Placed over 600,000 Veterans into employment through American Job Center services
• Enrolled over 500,000 transitioning service members in over 20,000 Department of Labor employment workshops
• Signed an executive order to help Veterans transition seamlessly into the United States Merchant Marine

Next:  Biden - Harris Executive Order 2021