Creating a More Welcoming VA and Building Equity for Veterans

Veterans' Affairs Democrats
3 min readDec 21, 2021
Blue background with text that reads “2021 In Review: Creating a More Welcoming VA and Building Equity for Veterans”

At the start of the 117th Congress, Chairman Mark Takano made creating a safe and welcoming VA for all veterans — regardless of gender, sexuality, race, or gender identity — a top priority for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. With more women, LGBTQ+, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native veterans than ever before, it’s critical that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acknowledges the diversity of its veterans and its talented workforce.

No veteran should face barriers to care or benefits they’ve earned — that’s why we must document how veterans were denied benefits in the past, determine the extent of ongoing inequities, remediate that disparity, and ensure that VA equitably disburses future benefits to all who have served. As an important step, President Biden recently signed into Chairman Takano’s and Senator Reverend Warnock’s bill that directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study racial and ethnic disparities in access to VA benefits.

In September, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations examined a set of bills that would extend benefits and services to LBGTQ+ servicemembers, promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at VA, and ensure the Department gathers accurate demographic data. During the hearing, Chairman Takano spoke about his Commission on LGBTQ Servicemembers and Veterans Act, which would establish a commission to help Americans understand the effects of anti-LGBTQ+ military policies, provide a path forward to rectify the injustices, and help create a welcoming culture for LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans in the military and at VA.

To reach the Committee’s goal of making VA more inclusive, Chairman Takano is dedicated to hearing from diverse voices of veterans. Following his push, representatives from the National Congress Of American Indians (NCAI), the National Association For Black Veterans (NABVETS), Minority Veterans Of America (MVA), and the National Coalition For Homeless Veterans (NCHV) joined the Veterans Service Organization (VSO) legislative presentations to the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees for the first time this year to help inform the Committee’s work to care and support all veterans. Throughout the year, Chairman Takano met with VSO leaders that haven’t had a chance to testify before the Committee to ensure that their voices would be heard. See more from his conversations with National Association of State Women Veteran Coordinators President Liza Narciso, Military Women’s Coalition Steering Committee Chair Paige Jenkins, and Modern Military Association of America Executive Director Jennifer Dane.

To build a stronger and more inclusive VA and veteran community, we must also understand why and how domestic violent extremist groups target veterans. The Committee first began examining this issue last November — well before the Capitol Insurrection on January 6. As part of the ongoing investigation, the Committee held a hearing on domestic violent extremist groups and the targeted recruitment of veterans on October 13, 2021. The Committee heard from veterans, researchers, and leaders within the veteran community to better understand domestic violent extremist groups, like the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters, and learn why they target veterans for recruitment. The harm from this particular issue transcends veterans, and taken to the extreme, can threaten the very core of our democracy and national security.

The Committee will continue to examine this issue, its underlying causes, and potential solutions and strategies on how to help rehabilitate veterans caught up in these groups. It is our duty to support all veterans — including those ensnared by domestic violent extremist groups.

Blue background with text that reads, “2021 In Review”

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Veterans' Affairs Democrats

Chairman Mark Takano | House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs