We’re about to close out the second week of the government shutdown, and the mood is grim.
Because the government does not have legal authority to spend money on services not deemed “essential” during a shutdown, only key government functions are currently operating. These include anything related to national security, public safety, or programs written into permanent law (like Social Security).
While programs affecting veterans are more protected than many others, veterans are still feeling the effects of this shutdown. The following is a brief summary of the current impact on veterans:
VA healthcare is largely unaffected.
VA health care is protected. In 2009, Congress passed a law to fund the VA one year in advance. This allows the VA health care to plan ahead and ensures that VA health care is funded for an additional year beyond the government shutdown. All VA medical appointment and prescription drug phone lines will be active during the shutdown. This includes emergency lines, such as the suicide hotline.
VA disability, pension, or GI Bill Benefits for October are protected.
All payments for the month of October are already out. VA benefits are protected and should go out during a shutdown. However, the VA recently announced that if the shutdown lasts longer than 2-3 weeks, the VA might not have enough cash on hand to pay benefits in November.
Benefits may not be paid in November.
The VA has not given any specifics on what will happen if the shutdown continues for the next few weeks, and they run out of cash on hand. However, given recent developments, it appears likely the shutdown will be lifted by then.
New VA disability claims will experience delay.
If you filed a claim before the shutdown, the VA will continue to process it, but expect there to be some delay. While the VA employees that are working on your claim are protected from the government shutdown, they are affected by the fact that related departments and resources are no longer functioning (such as appeals and records departments). Please still file a claim if you were planning to do so, however – this will preserve your effective date.
New Post 9/11 Bill claims for next semester will experience backlog.
New Post 9/11 GI Bill claims for next semester will also likely be delayed if the shutdown goes longer than a few weeks since they will not be processing new claims during a shutdown. The VA’s education hotline is unavailable off during a shutdown as well.
VA disability claim appeals are not being processed.
All work on appeals will be halted during the government shutdown. These departments in Regional Offices have been closed and the workers furloughed.
Active members of the military will still be paid.
Mid-week the president signed a bill passed by both the House and the Senate that would ensure that the military continues to get paid in the event of a government shutdown.
Some military base services are affected.
Military hospitals and clinics should remain open. However, expect many MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) and community services (like commissaries) to be either closed or limiting operations. Your chain of command will have detailed information about what is happening on your local base.
Many are offended by the idea that they are on furlough because their positions were deemed “non essential,” or that their quality of life is affected because a service they depend on is “non essential.”
As someone who lives and works in D.C., the discontent and anger is palpable. (For example, having veterans be denied access to the monuments that honor them is beyond ridiculous and insulting). And I have to wonder – how does this look to other nations? We’re the U.S. This is embarrassing, and our nation’s leaders are capable of taking better care of us. But when will they show it?
Here’s to hoping that my next blog post will summarize the deal struck by Congress and the end to the government shutdown.
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Thank you for this information. I wish that I was not looking at such a thing. I was shocked yesterday when we were asked to pray for our Christian Brothers and Sisters of the Catholic faith who would spend a second Sunday without their Mass because the administration suspended “contract” Catholic Chaplains