Can America keep its promises to veterans?

For more on this question, watch our virtual town hall. Slides featured in that recording are available here.

H.R. 1, the federal megabill passed in early July, cuts funding for services that are integral to veterans’ economic, physical, and mental well-being. At the same time, VA workforce reductions are likely to impact service offerings and timeliness. This country promised to take care of veterans: Will policymakers keep those promises?

Ohio is home to 605,000 veterans. One in 10 were enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP as of 2021-23.[1] Medicaid is crucial to filling health coverage gaps for many veterans, especially those who have low income or are unable to prove service-connected disabilities. Nearly half of veterans covered by Medicaid report having a disability.[2]

H.R. 1 will add more red tape for veterans (and everyone) enrolled in Medicaid expansion, doubling the number of times per year they must prove they are still eligible.[3]

Medicaid isn’t the only area where H.R. 1 impacts veterans’ healthcare. For veterans who use Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans, H.R. 1 will make it more expensive and difficult to maintain coverage. On average, Ohioans enrolled in Marketplace plans will pay $804 more in premiums for a year of coverage starting in 2026.[4]

For the one out of every 13 Ohio veterans living in households that receive SNAP benefits, H.R. 1 will also impact their access to food assistance.[5] The federal budget eliminates the veteran exemption from the SNAP work requirement, meaning that veterans will now have to prove they are working, volunteering, training, or looking for work at least 80 hours per month to keep their SNAP benefits.^[6]Overall, the federal budget’s changes to SNAP are expected to cause 717,000 Ohio households to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits.^[7]

At the same time that these changes to social services were being passed via the federal budget, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would reduce its staff by 30,000 by the end of FY 2025. While it’s too early to know what these cuts will mean for services, the reduction is likely to impact veterans who rely on VA services and the 28% of Ohio VA employees who are veterans.[8]

We want to hear from you about how these federal changes impact you and your loved ones—whether that’s longer wait times, scaled-back services, or other obstacles. You can submit your story to our confidential story bank by clicking here. Personal stories can help lawmakers understand the real life impact of their decisions and stories from the field help Policy Matters better understand the priorities and needs of people impacted by policy, helping our research be more relevant to Ohioans.

You can also call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to let your Congressmember know what you are experiencing and what your concerns are as a veteran. An operator will connect you directly with the Senator or Representative’s office you request. You can find out who represents you here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Resources

• Dress Right Dress Inc. assists Service-Members and Veterans of the United States Armed Forces during tough times associated with transitional hardships and life after the military
• Veterans Service Offices provides an array of services that helps connect veterans and their families to the benefits they may be entitled to
• 2025 Military Friendly Employers: verified companies rated by the policies and practices they offer that benefit veterans.
• OhioMeansJobs Military-Friendly Employers: self-selected designation as an employer that grants preference to veteran and military employees.

[1] “2025 Budget Impacts: House Bill Would Cut Assistance and Raise Costs for Veterans,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. June 9, 2025.

[2] “5 Key Facts About Medicaid and Veterans,” S. Cervantes, J. Tolbert, A. Burns, and R. Rudowitz. Kaiser Family Foundation. June 30, 2025.

[3] “Medicaid, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act Marketplace Cuts and Other Health Provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Law, Explained,” Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. E. Park and S. Corlette. July 22, 2025.

[4] “An Updated County-Level Look at Imminent ACA Marketplace Premium Increases,” E. Ford and J. Lambrew. The Century Foundation. August 5, 2025.,” E. Ford and J. Lambrew. The Century Foundation. August 5, 2025.

[5] Data from 2021-2023. “2025 Budget Impacts: House Bill Would Cut Assistance and Raise Costs for Veterans,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. June 9, 2025.

[6] “New work rules could deny food stamps to thousands of veterans,” Shalina Chatlani. Ohio Capital Journal. August 13, 2025.

[7] “How the Senate Budget Reconciliation SNAP Proposals Will Affect Families in Every US State,” L. Wheaton, L. Giannarelli and S. Minton. Urban Institute. July 2025.

[8] “Federal Workforce Data,” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. September 2024.