In this week’s BVA Happenings, BVA Deputy Director of Government Relations summarizes a handful of implications of a potential government shutdown beginning at 12:01am this Sunday, especially as such a shutdown relates to VA services and veterans’ benefits.

For some time now we’ve been hearing about a pending government shutdown but not so much about what a shutdown means and how you would be affected. The short version is that the government has a budget that covers operations until the end of the fiscal year, which is always September 30. If a new budget is not in place, all nonessential government functions must stop. The likelihood of a shutdown certainly increases as the minutes go by today and tomorrow. 

Part of this stoppage means that the government will not be able to pay its 4 million workers. Some will be required to work through this period while others will be furloughed. For example, the Department of Defense requires all active-duty personnel to continue reporting for duty during a shutdown.

Members of Congress, the President, Members of the Supreme Court, and Federal Judges will continue to be paid as required by the Constitution, which forbids that their pay be reduced while they are serving their term. The staff that serve these officials, if required to work, will not be paid during the shutdown. In the past, however, Congress has authorized retroactive pay for all working staff during previous shutdowns and will likely do so again.

Not all spending and services are equal. During a shutdown, mandatory spending and essential services like Social Security checks will continue to be sent to recipients, and the United States Postal Service and federal law enforcement will continue to function.

Veterans’ benefits are divided as to where they fall on the spectrum of essential and nonessential. VA will not be able to conduct outreach to veterans, regional offices will be closed and operations such as career counseling, transition assistance, and cemetery grounds maintenance will be unavailable. The office of VA Secretary Denis McDonough issued a statement with a positive spin this past Wednesday, indicating that, in the event of a lapse in appropriations, as he called it, “there will be no impact on veteran healthcare; burials will continue at VA national cemeteries; VA will continue to process and deliver benefits to veterans, including compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits; and the Board will continue to process appeals.”

Some of you, our BVA members and constituents, may be interested to know that VA has come up with a contingency plan that goes beyond the previously quoted statement by Secretary McDonough. If you have some spare time and are looking for a little reading material over the weekend, the details regarding that plan are available here.