President Trump put the needs of our veterans above those of our bureaucracy, renovating and restoring the Department of Veterans Affairs to better serve America’s heroes. The number of veterans who trust VA services soared to an all-time high during his presidency—and thanks to the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, VA workers who failed to give our veterans the quality care they deserve were fired or punished. The Trump Administration helped hundreds of thousands of veterans find employment in the civilian workforce, and it eliminated every penny of Federal student loan debt owed by American veterans who are completely and permanently disabled.
Administration Achievements
SERVING AND PROTECTING OUR VETERANS
Reformed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve care, choice, and employee accountability
- Signed and implemented the VA Mission Act, which made permanent Veterans CHOICE, revolutionized the VA community care system, and delivered quality care closer to home for Veterans
- The number of Veterans who say they trust VA services has increased 19 percent to a record 91 percent, an all-time high
- Offered same-day emergency mental health care at every VA medical facility, and secured $9.5 billion for mental health services in 2020
- Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017, which ensured that veterans could continue to see the doctor of their choice and wouldn’t have to wait for care
- During the Trump Administration, millions of veterans have been able to choose a private doctor in their communities
- Expanded Veterans’ ability to access telehealth services, including through the “Anywhere to Anywhere” VA healthcare initiative, leading to a 1,000 percent increase in usage during COVID-19
- Signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act and removed thousands of VA workers who failed to give our Vets the care they so richly deserve
- Signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 and improved the efficiency of the VA, setting record numbers for appeals decisions
- Modernized medical records to begin a seamless transition from the Department of Defense to the VA
- Launched a new tool that provides Veterans with online access to average wait times and quality-of-care data
- The promised White House VA Hotline has fielded hundreds of thousands of calls
- Formed the PREVENTS Task Force to fight the tragedy of Veteran suicide
Decreased Veteran homelessness, improved education benefits, and achieved record-low Veteran unemployment
- Signed and implemented the Forever GI Bill, allowing Veterans to use their benefits to get an education at any point in their lives
- Eliminated every penny of Federal student loan debt owed by American Veterans who are completely and permanently disabled
- Compared to 2009, 49 percent fewer Veterans experienced homelessness nationwide during 2019
- Signed and implemented the HAVEN Act to ensure that Veterans who have declared bankruptcy don’t lose their disability payments
- Helped hundreds of thousands of military service members make the transition from the military to the civilian workforce, and developed programs to support the employment of military spouses
- Placed nearly 40,000 homeless Veterans into employment through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
- Placed over 600,000 Veterans into employment through American Job Center services
- Enrolled over 500,000 transitioning service members in over 20,000 Department of Labor employment workshops
- Signed an executive order to help Veterans transition seamlessly into the United States Merchant Marine
