U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) have introduced a bill to expand Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits for U.S. veterans living in the Freely Associated States (FAS), which include Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. The legislation is also supported by Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), James Risch (R-Idaho), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
The proposed Caring for Veterans and Strengthening National Security Act would require the VA to provide telehealth services, mail-order pharmacy benefits, and beneficiary travel reimbursements to eligible veterans in these Pacific nations within one year after the law takes effect. Citizens from these countries have some of the highest per capita enlistment rates in the U.S. military. In return for exclusive military basing rights, the United States provides defense for these nations under longstanding agreements.
Senator Moran stated, “We have a commitment to support and care for those who have served our nation. This legislation confirms our commitment to helping veterans succeed after their military service is over and bolsters our longstanding and unique relationships with these three important countries in the Pacific. I thank my colleagues for supporting this legislation that would improve services for our nation’s veterans and support our collective national security interests abroad.”
Senator Schatz said, “U.S. veterans in the FAS deserve the same care as all other servicemembers, without having to navigate complex, costly barriers or travel long distances just to see a doctor or get medication. This bill ensures servicemembers can finally access the care they deserve.”
Senator Wicker added his perspective based on recent visits: “This summer, I visited with veterans living in the Freely Associated States. They described their inability to access the travel and health care benefits that veterans in the United States receive. This legislation would resolve that problem. At the same time, it would strengthen our relationship with these vital Pacific partners as the region grows increasingly dangerous.”
Senator Blumenthal emphasized national security concerns: “Veterans who served our country must receive the care and benefits they were promised and earned. Continuing this longstanding arrangement for COFA veterans is critical to our national security. Now more than ever, we need to ensure the US delivers on its commitments to these countries who we rely on for forward basing in the IndoPacific.”
Senator Boozman commented on fulfilling obligations: “We have a duty to fulfill the promises made to those who have sacrificed for our country including veterans in the Marshall Islands and their FAS peers,” he said. “I’m pleased to join this bipartisan initiative to ensure access to earned benefits isn’t constrained by where a veteran calls home. Providing telehealth, medication delivery flexibility and travel reimbursement will honor our compact and maintain strong ties that serve our shared interests.”
According to Senator Hirono: “COFA citizens who served in our military deserve access to the same health care services and benefits as any other American veteran,” she said. “That’s why we secured language in the renegotiated Compacts of Free Association to enable VA to provide care to COFA veterans without them having to travel out of country. I am proud to introduce this common-sense legislation to ensure VA makes good on its obligation to COFA veterans and maintain our strong partnership with the Freely Associated States and their citizens.”
Senator Risch noted: “Veterans from Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia who have bravely served our country deserve the best care that we can give them,” he said. “The Caring for Veterans and Strengthening National Security Act ensures that these veterans receive care that honors their service and our unique relationships with the Freely Associated States. I’m grateful to Senator Moran for spearheading this important legislation.”
Senator Heinrich added: “Ensuring that all veterans have access to the benefits they have earned is simply the right thing to do. Veterans from the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Micronesia answered the call and served their country. We owe it to these men and women to honor their sacrifice and care for them when they come home—wherever they choose to live. This legislation is a meaningful step toward keeping our nation’s promise to take care of veterans, while also bolstering national security interests abroad.”
Kalani R. Kaneko, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Marshall Islands, supported the bill, saying: “I strongly support this bipartisan legislation to extend VA health care to veterans in the Freely Associated States. This is not a political issue; it is personal and rooted in shared sacrifice. As a retired U.S. Army veteran, I recruited nearly 200 Marshallese men and women who served under the U.S. flag and earned these benefits. Allowing veterans to receive care at home strengthens families, stabilizes communities, and advances shared national security interests by reducing forced Marshallese out-migration driven by lack of access to care, while reinforcing the enduring defense partnership between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This legislation honors the service of Marshallese and American veterans alike and is a win-win for both nations.”
Jackson Soram, the Ambassador of the Federated States of Micronesia to the United States, addressed existing barriers: “FSM is proud to have some of the highest enlistment rates of our citizens who have volunteered to serve in the U.S. military; however, veterans who return home to the FSM after serving have faced significant cost and access barriers to care through the existing Foreign Medical Program. The Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2024 removed statutory barriers for veterans to access their earned VA health care benefits. We appreciate the strong bipartisan leadership of Senators Moran and Heinrich on the Caring for Veterans and Strengthening National Security Act, which will direct the VA to provide necessary health care services, including telehealth.”
Hersey Kyota, the Ambassador of Palau to the United States and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, said: “A top U.S. military commander called Palau ‘part of the homeland.’ We effectively are in a Texas-sized area next to Asia. One reason is that we let the U.S. military base radars there. More importantly, we recruit our young people. Most cannot come home after their service because they cannot get the VA health care to which they are entitled. That devalues their service, deprives Palau of their skills, and deprives the U.S. of compelling citizen ambassadors. President Whipps worked to have this inequity corrected, and this new bill would do so. Palau greatly appreciates it.”
In 2024, Congress passed the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act, giving the VA the authority to provide medical services and travel benefits to eligible veterans in the Freely Associated States. So far, the VA has not used this authority.
