Earlier this month, Representatives David Valdao (R-CA-22) and Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-3) reintroduced in the House of Representatives a significant legislative priority for BVA that had lost a portion of its previous momentum by the end of the 118th Congress last December.

For nearly two years, BVA has been the catalyst behind proposed legislation that would pave the way for a new Federal Advisory Committee to oversee and work with VA in its efforts to improve accessibility, on many levels, for veterans with sight loss. From inaccessible kiosks, untrained staff, or even travel reimbursement problems, VA has been lacking in accommodating blind and low vision veterans. This failure has sometimes prevented blind and low vision veterans from obtaining fully the promised help and benefits they have earned as a result of their service and sacrifice.

In April 2023, Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced S. 2516, the Veterans Accessibility Act of 2023. Representatives David Valdao (R-CA-22) and Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-3) did likewise in the House with H.R. 7342, the Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act. More specifically, the legislation was to amend Title 38 of the U.S. Code to establish the Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other purposes.

Unfortunately, neither bill reached a vote in the 118th Congress and, with Senator Casey no longer in the Senate, support for the Senate legislation is no longer the same. The good news is that Representatives Valdao and McGarvey reintroduced on February 7 an equivalent House bill, now known as H.R. 1147, into the 119th Congress.

Stay tuned for information on any Senate version that may be reintroduced in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, the progress of H.R. 1147 can be followed online using the link below to the appropriate webpage at congress.gov.