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Veterans benefit assistance bill moves to full committee after veteran and elder‑law attorney testifies
Summary
Victoria Collier, an elder‑law attorney and accredited VA representative, told the committee HB 24‑69 would help veterans access wartime pensions and reduce state Medicaid spending; committee advanced the bill to full committee by voice vote.
Representative Linn carried legislation aimed at expanding access assistance for wartime pension benefits for veterans and their widows. Victoria Collier, an elder‑law attorney and VA‑accredited representative, told the committee the measure helps veterans who are eligible for a wartime pension but do not know how to access it. Collier said Tennessee has roughly 303,000 veterans and that better outreach could shift long‑term care costs from state Medicaid to federal benefits; she cited an estimate that helping eligible veterans access federal benefits could save the state more than $345,000,000 annually.
After testimony the committee recorded 6 ayes and the bill was advanced to full committee.
