Ahead of Veterans Day, VA limits communication with Congress amid longest-ever government shutdown

WASHINGTON – As the government shutdown reached its record-breaking 36th day on Wednesday, most employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs have kept working. But VA policy limits their communication with Congress, making it harder for House and Senate offices to solve problems for former servicemembers.

An important role of congressional staffers, who are working without pay until their bosses restore federal funding, is helping constituents with “casework” such as sorting out medication problems, getting referrals approved for care outside the VA or dealing with other parts of the federal government. As Veterans Day approaches, Northwest lawmakers from both parties say their offices are struggling to help veterans without being able to coordinate with the department.

“Veterans regularly contact me for assistance with the VA, and I am proud of the work my staff does to elevate and often speed up their requests,” Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said in a statement. “The inability to communicate with the VA on their behalf is causing unneeded delays and extra headaches for our nation’s heroes. This is no way to thank veterans for their service.”

Crapo blamed Democrats for repeatedly voting against a bill that would restore federal funding at current levels until the parties can agree on full-year appropriations bills. In exchange for their votes to reopen the government, Democrats are demanding that Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year, threatening a more than twofold increase in premiums for the millions of Americans who rely on the tax credits, the health policy organization KFF estimates.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has criticized Republicans for refusing to negotiate a solution to lower health care costs. In a statement, she said there’s no reason for employees of the Veterans Health Administration, or VHA, to be barred from communicating with congressional staff.

“Throughout this Republican shutdown, the Trump administration has done everything they can to inflict undue pain on Americans,” Murray said, “whether it’s blocking SNAP benefits from reaching hungry families, ripping away billions from critical infrastructure projects, or directing VHA to ignore veterans’ casework requests despite the agency remaining fully funded.”

In a 2012 law, Congress decided to use “advance appropriations” to fund the salaries of VHA’s more than 403,000 employees – who represent the vast majority of the VA workforce of about 461,000 – so veterans’ health care wouldn’t be compromised during a government shutdown.

According to the department’s official shutdown contingency plan, although a relatively small number of staff in the VA’s legislative affairs and public affairs offices are furloughed, all VHA employees in nonresearch roles are exempt from furlough when government funding runs out.

But in an email sent to the leaders of VA hospitals across the country on Oct. 30, obtained by The Spokesman-Review, the office of the VA’s chief operating officer directed VHA employees to tell their counterparts in Congress that “VA cannot initiate, dispatch, or respond to congressional requests until government funding has been restored,” with the exception of “urgent casework requests involving life, limb, or impending homelessness.”

“Congress passed legislation over a decade ago to make sure VHA could continue operating normally during a shutdown, so let’s be clear: the Trump administration is choosing to make it harder for veterans to get the help they need,” Murray said. “VHA employees are being paid to show up to work every day, and they want to do their jobs – instead they’re being asked to stonewall caseworkers and deny veterans the answers and assistance they need. It’s truly despicable.”

The internal email also informed hospital leaders that events with members of Congress would be canceled, except for regularly scheduled Veterans Day events. If government funding hasn’t been restored by then, lawmakers and their staff could only attend such events “as members of the public” and would not be recognized or invited to speak, the guidance said.

The VA did not respond to questions about the policy. According to the department’s shutdown plan, all but one of 75 employees in the VA Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs are furloughed, and just seven of 43 employees in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs are still on the job.

In a news release announcing the furlough of 37,000 VA employees on Oct. 30, the VA listed several other services affected by the shutdown, including the closure of the GI Bill hotline, regional benefit offices and a career training program with a backlog of over 60,000 applicants.

“The Democrats’ government shutdown is limiting services for Veterans and making life miserable for VA employees, and things are only going to get worse as time goes on,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement, calling on Democrats “to open the government and enable VA to provide the complete and comprehensive services America’s Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors have earned.”

A spokeswoman for Crapo, Melanie Lawhorn, said veterans contacted the Idaho senator’s office for help with numerous issues related to their medical care and the benefits they’ve earned.

“We have heard from at least one veteran that his course of treatment will need to be altered due to delays,” Lawhorn said, adding that it’s concerning that their casework team can’t get prompt responses from the VA about prescriptions, appointment requests and specialized treatment.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., confirmed in a statement that her team is also hampered by the VA’s shutdown policy.

“For half a million veterans in the State of Washington, our office can’t get updates or resolve routine veteran claims,” Cantwell said. “While urgent cases involving medical emergencies or homelessness are still being handled, these delays are creating uncertainty for veterans who rely on timely assistance.”

The House of Representatives has been in recess since Republicans in that chamber passed a short-term spending bill on Sept. 19, but House staffers in D.C. and in their home districts continue to help constituents with casework. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican who represents Central Washington, said the VA disruptions “should come as no surprise” when Congress fails to fund the government for more than a month.

“The Senate Democrats who refuse to reopen the government knew essential services would be impacted at the start of this shutdown, yet they have dragged it on for over a month now,” Newhouse said in a statement. “Regional VA offices are closed, hotlines are down, and the backlog of VA cases is going to be a real problem once the government is back open. Veterans in Central Washington deserve better, and I implore our Senators to get our government back to work.”

Rep. Russ Fulcher, a Republican who represents North Idaho and most of the state’s western half, emphasized that his offices in D.C. and in his district remain open and encouraged his constituents to reach out for assistance.

“As we approach Veterans Day, I am especially mindful of the impact the shutdown is having on Americans who selflessly served this nation,” he said in a statement. “The financial hardships being placed on them – our Idaho Veterans – cannot be overemphasized. I urge my Senate colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who have now voted 15 times to keep our government closed, to end the political theatre.”

The Senate will remain in session on Friday, but no concrete plan has emerged to end the impasse and restore government funding. With House members scattered across the country, the shutdown is likely to continue through the weekend even if senators strike a deal. Veterans Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11.