VA Secretary Doug Collins has faced criticism from the White House and Republicans over his handling of a veterans health bill. The bill, which aims to expand benefits for tens of thousands of veterans, was pulled from the House floor in July due to lack of support.

Collins’ Relationship with the Hill

Collins’ relationship with the Hill has deteriorated over the past few months, with some senior congressional Republicans and Trump officials blaming him for the bill’s failure. According to sources, Collins and his team at the VA have been excluded from recent meetings on Capitol Hill to discuss the bill.

The VA secretary had initially indicated his support for the measure but then started to subtly work against it, according to sources. This has led to widespread speculation over how much longer he’ll remain in the job.

Bill’s Provisions

The bill, called the “Take Care of America’s Veterans Act,” would cut billions of dollars in future disability benefits to some veterans suffering from tinnitus and sleep apnea. The money saved from those cuts would pay for another measure that would allow veterans to receive both their retirement benefits and combat injury-related benefits.

Other provisions of the bill include improving access to private sector care, reducing wait times for care, and providing benefits for the spouses of deceased veterans, even if they re-marry.

Democrats and some veterans’ service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, oppose the bill, citing concerns over the cuts to disability benefits.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.