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Lawmakers press VA on surging community-care costs, grant delays and home‑loan rollouts
Summary
Committee members demanded explanation for projected community-care cost growth, pressed for accounting transparency, flagged unfunded transition grants and heard the VA set a June 15 start date for partial-claims loan relief.
House appropriators used the May 21 hearing to press VA leaders for clearer accounting of community-care costs, for answers about delays to transition‑grant funding, and for timelines on home‑loan relief measures.
Miss Wasserman Schulz warned the committee that community‑care spending was projected to rise sharply and asked the department to explain why costs would grow from an historical baseline to a figure members described as roughly $42 billion by 2028. Richard Topping, the VA’s CFO, said the department’s current accounting mixes purchased care, contract costs and administrative overhead, which hides the full "all-in" community-care cost. He said VA proposes a new account split so lawmakers can see the full costs and drivers.
Why it matters: Members said large, rapid growth in community-care spending could reshape where veterans receive care and complicate oversight. Lawmakers said they were worried about what the numbers imply for the balance between VA direct care and purchased care in the community.
Grants and partial claims: Members also raised delays in a transition‑services grant program that awarded five-year grants to 13 organizations in 2024. Richard Topping said the department will issue additional grants if Congress provides funding and that grant management capacity has improved, but he acknowledged funding limitations. Separately, Secretary Collins told the committee the partial‑claims program under the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act is scheduled to begin June 15, ahead of prior timelines.
Home‑loan navigator proposal: A member outlined draft legislation to create a voluntary network of independent, accredited housing counselors to help veterans navigate VA home loans. Secretary Collins pledged technical assistance in drafting the measure.
What’s next: The department committed to a written accounting of community-care costs, to additional briefings on grants and to providing technical assistance on home‑loan navigation legislation.
