The Department of Veterans Affairs' mission statement promises to fulfill President Abraham Lincoln's commitment: "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan." For generations, this promise guided America's dedication to our warfighters and their families. In recent decades, politicians and government bureaucrats have failed to care for our veterans adequately.
In the past year, two veterans committed suicide at the same VA hospital in Texas—a tragic testament to systemic failure. That is precisely why Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced the Veterans Bill of Rights. Congress must pass it now.
General Omar Bradley once reminded us, "We are dealing with veterans, not procedures; with their problems, not ours." Yet somewhere along the way, the VA lost sight of this fundamental truth. The institution became focused on self-preservation instead of serving those it was created to help.
For decades, VA bureaucrats have mistreated veterans and limited their ability to access hard-earned benefits. Combat veterans have faced denial and delays when seeking the care they rightfully earned. Sporadic problems of the past became normalized under the Biden administration. Unelected bureaucrats showed total disregard for laws designed to protect veterans, including the VA MISSION Act of 2018 and the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017.
The Biden administration actively tried to prevent veterans from accessing healthcare in the community, which was their legal right thanks to the MISSION Act. The VA published a so-called independent Red Team Report explaining how officials would prioritize the institution over veterans' healthcare interests. In 2023, the VA Secretary testified before Congress that the department would not follow the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. The consequences proved devastating. Veterans lost their civil rights. The VA denied healthcare access. Benefits became nearly impossible to obtain. When veterans tried to fight back, they faced instant retaliation. Many gave up.
As Theodore Roosevelt declared, "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards." The American people support Roosevelt's vision. Taxpayers have invested billions of their hard-earned tax dollars to build a healthcare system capable of diagnosing and treating combat-related injuries for our warfighters. Yet countless veterans have received anything but a square deal when seeking care for injuries they sustained on the battlefield.
I know this firsthand. After returning home from Afghanistan, I started experiencing stomach aches so severe that I would end up on the floor in the fetal position. I visited the VA, and they conducted a series of tests. They concluded I was fine. The pain eventually subsided, and I assumed I experienced a dietary issue from the local food I ate in Afghanistan. Months later, I listened to a podcast from another veteran who experienced my exact symptoms. He noted that his pains occurred at the same time of day his unit was attacked. Suddenly, I realized my issues weren't dietary.
My pains struck late in the afternoon, when the sun started to set—the exact time the enemy would ambush us. The Taliban used the sunset over the mountains as a tactical advantage, forcing my unit to shoot into the blinding sun. Coming to grips with post-traumatic stress proved difficult. I never believed I had suffered from PTSD. Knowing the VA failed to diagnose it proved infuriating. I learned about my condition from a podcast, not from an institution that annually received billions of dollars to specialize in veteran healthcare.
Codifying the Veterans Bill of Rights is the first step towards ensuring that veterans receive the respect and healthcare access they deserve. Senator Blackburn and Representative Miller-Meeks' proposed legislation establishes ten fundamental rights: Freedom of Healthcare Choice, Respect and Dignity, Informed Consent, Awareness of Benefits, Access to Benefits, Healthcare Without Retaliation, Privacy, Right to Redress Grievances, Transparent Communication, and Appeal and Fair Hearing.
The concept of protecting Americans from abusive federal agencies already exists—the IRS maintains a Taxpayer Bill of Rights. President Franklin Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill of Rights during World War II. States like Massachusetts have enacted their own Veterans Bill of Rights. A comprehensive federal version is long overdue.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, does not need to wait for Congress. He possesses the authority to implement the Veterans Bill of Rights immediately through a SECVA Directive. Every day of delay means another missed diagnosis, another benefit lost to bureaucratic indifference, another veteran lost to suicide at a VA facility.
Both chambers of Congress must pass this legislation without delay. President Trump must sign it into law. Secretary Collins must act now. We deserve an agency that puts us first. The Veterans Bill of Rights will protect veterans from bureaucracy, neglect, and indifference.
Our veterans fulfilled their duty to America. Now America must fulfill its duty to them.
Mark Lucas is the founder and president of Veteran Action, an organization advocating for America First policies that strengthen national security and provide support to veterans. He served as an infantry officer in the Iowa Army National Guard, graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School, and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star Medal in Afghanistan during the deadliest year of Operation Enduring Freedom.
