Padilla, Schiff Push VA to Bolster Emergency Services for Veterans Affected by LA Fires

Senators: “While the fires have been extinguished, veterans will have ongoing needs for months if not years ahead”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – RealEstateRama – U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) urged Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to provide emergency health care and housing for veterans affected by the Los Angeles fires. Many veterans in these areas are at risk of losing access to vital health care services, including medications and power for medical equipment.

Fueled by wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, the Los Angeles County fires burned more than 40,000 acres and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, including many veterans whose health and well-being depend on local resources and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services.

“Los Angeles County is home to the most veterans in the nation, and many of them will struggle to navigate the fires’ aftermath,” wrote the Senators. “As a Navy veteran yourself, you know that veterans often face complex challenges that make the recovery from natural disasters even more complicated, including access to health care, housing, and mental health services.”

“Our offices stand ready to assist in any way possible to facilitate these efforts and ensure that our veterans receive the care and support they have earned. We would welcome the opportunity to help the VA coordinate its assistance to these needs in close partnership with state and local authorities and organizations to maximize the impact of recovery efforts for veterans,” continued the Senators.

Padilla and Schiff urged the VA to prioritize the following actions to support veterans recovering from the Los Angeles fires:

• Expedite access to emergency care and services to make sure veterans affected by the fires can quickly access medical care, including mental health services, through VA facilities and community providers.

• Provide housing assistance, collaborating with state and local agencies to quickly identify and support affected veterans participating in the HUD-VASH, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and other Homeless Program Office programs, as well as to provide additional housing resources and emergency financial support for displaced veterans and their families.

• Offer outreach and benefits by ensuring that impacted veterans are aware of available resources and relief options and have easy access to VA staff who can assist them in navigating the recovery process.

• Offer additional mental health resources, including counseling and crisis support, to help veterans cope with the emotional and psychological toll of the fires and their disastrous impacts.

• Develop long-term recovery plans, coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies to help veterans whose homes and livelihoods were severely impacted recover and rebuild.

Senators Padilla and Schiff have fought relentlessly to secure and protect Southern Californians’ access to desperately needed disaster relief aid. In the immediate aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Padilla and Schiff led 47 bipartisan members of the California Congressional delegation in successfully urging President Biden to grant Governor Gavin Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration to expedite timely relief to Los Angeles County residents impacted by these disasters. Padilla recently blasted the Republican’s spending bill, emphasizing that it did not include the disaster relief funding California needs.

Last month, Padilla, Schiff, and Representatives Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) led the entire bipartisan California Congressional delegation in urging Senior Congressional leadership to provide additional disaster relief funding and resources to help Los Angeles County communities rebuild. Padilla, Schiff, Calvert, and Lofgren also successfully pushed FEMA to extend the application deadline for federal disaster assistance for victims of the Los Angeles fires. Padilla previously delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his Republican colleagues and President Trump to provide essential disaster recovery aid to California without conditioning it on the passage of partisan legislation.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Collins,

We write today regarding the continuing effects of the Los Angeles wildfires on our veterans and their families. As you are aware, the wildfires caused widespread destruction, forcing tens of thousands of individuals from their homes, including a significant number of veterans who rely on local resources and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services for their health and well-being. We appreciate the rapid assistance the VA provided to this community in the immediate response to the wildfires. Unfortunately, while the fires have been extinguished, veterans will have ongoing needs for months if not years ahead.

Los Angeles County is home to the most veterans in the nation, and many of them will struggle to navigate the fires’ aftermath. As a Navy veteran yourself, you know that veterans often face complex challenges that make the recovery from natural disasters even more complicated, including access to health care, housing, and mental health services. We write to urge the VA to prioritize the following actions as it continues to support veterans during this time of need:

1. Expedited Access to Emergency Care and Services: Ensuring veterans affected by the fires can quickly access medical care, including mental health services, through VA facilities and community providers. We ask that the VA consider re-deploying a mobile Vet Center to the region to provide counseling, crisis intervention, and other necessary services for veterans impacted by this disaster if needed. In addition, for veterans who lost access to their means of transportation, we ask the VA to explore collaborating with Disabled American Veterans (DAV) to see if DAV vans could again be utilized to help provide emergency transportation to affected veterans and their families.

2. Housing Assistance: Collaborating with state and local agencies to quickly identify and support affected HUD-VASH, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and other Homeless Program Office programs’ participants and to provide additional housing resources and emergency financial support for displaced veterans and their families. And please ensure that veterans who were already or are newly unhoused have easy access to outreach services to begin the process of becoming rehoused.

3. Outreach and Benefits: Ensuring that veterans in the affected areas are aware of available resources and have easy access to VA staff who can assist them in navigating the recovery process. We also urge the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to continue to identify relief options for veterans affected by the fires. This could include the expedited processing of claims, suspending deadlines for response, or extending flexibility for disability medical examinations and other appointments.

4. Mental Health Support: Offering additional mental health resources, including counseling and crisis support, to help veterans cope with the emotional and psychological toll of the disaster.

5. Long-Term Recovery Plans: Coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies to provide long-term recovery assistance and rebuilding efforts, particularly for veterans whose homes and livelihoods were severely impacted.

Our offices stand ready to assist in any way possible to facilitate these efforts and ensure that our veterans receive the care and support they have earned. We would welcome the opportunity to help the VA coordinate its assistance to these needs in close partnership with state and local authorities and organizations to maximize the impact of recovery efforts for veterans.

We commend the VA for its timely, ongoing, and continued support to our veterans and their families following the devasting fires and look forward to working with you to ensure that our veterans have the resources they need to recover and rebuild their lives.

Sincerely,

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