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The U.S. Senate has passed the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, aimed at improving care and support for veterans, caregivers, survivors, and military families. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, who will soon lead the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, helped move the bill forward.

The legislation improves access to VA health care and benefits, expands long-term care options, and strengthens programs for student veterans and military families. It includes several of Moran’s priorities, such as the HEALTH Act, which protects the right of veterans and their doctors to choose the best care, and the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, which increases support for in-home care. The Love Lives On Act helps remarried surviving spouses keep education benefits.

The bill also boosts mental health services for caregivers, starts a rural assisted living pilot, and calls for better staffing and safety at VA facilities. Moran said more work is needed to expand residential mental health care.