Midterm Voters Back the Take Care of America's Veterans Act by Landslide, Bipartisan Margins

This poll was commissioned and sponsored by Veteran Action. The Honest Poll had input in and final editorial control of the questionnaire, and conducted all fieldwork, weighting, and analysis independently. Veteran Action had no role in data collection, analysis, or reporting.

Congress is considering the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (H.R. 9237 / S. 4744), a package of more than 60 bipartisan bills. Veteran Action, a nonprofit veterans' advocacy organization, commissioned The Honest Poll to test voter support for five of its provisions: the Veterans' Bill of Rights Act, the Veterans' ACCESS Act, the Major Richard Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, and the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act. The House has not scheduled a vote.

A new national survey by The Honest Poll finds that every measure tested draws support from a majority of voters in both parties, with total support ranging from 68% to 85% of Registered Voters and reaching as high as 89% among Likely Voters. Opposition to any single measure never exceeds 15%.

AT A GLANCE

● Veterans' ACCESS Act — 85% support, 8% opposed. The most popular measure tested, this bill would let veterans get care in the community when the VA can't see them in time, require 48-hour mental health screening, and create an online portal for appointments and appeals. Support: 90% of Republicans, 84% of Democrats, 65% of independents.

● Community care access — 81% support, 10% opposed. This is the underlying concept behind the ACCESS Act, letting veterans see a community provider when the VA can't see them in a timely manner. Support: 87% of Republicans, 79% of Democrats.

● Veterans' Bill of Rights Act — 83% support, 6% opposed. This would require the VA to plainly and consistently tell veterans the rights they already have under current law, and post that information at VA facilities and online. Support: 89% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats, 63% of independents.

● Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act — 83% support, 8% opposed. This delivers the first real increase in benefits compensation since 1993 for more than 500,000 catastrophically disabled veterans and their families. Support: 87% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats.

● Major Richard Star Act — 76% support, 10% opposed. Would end the so-called “wounded warrior tax” and let combat-injured veterans medically retired with less than 20 years of service keep their full retirement pay and VA disability compensation. Support: 81% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats.

● Love Lives On Act — 68% support, 15% opposed. The least popular of the five specific bills tested, but still it is still supported by an overwhelming majority. It would end the remarriage penalty for surviving military spouses under age 55. Support: 71% of Republicans, 70% of Democrats.

● Redirecting VA's own savings — 64% say fund veterans, not the treasury. The VA has said it will change tinnitus and sleep apnea disability ratings on its own regardless of what Congress does. Asked what should happen to the savings, 64% of voters say it should fund new veterans' benefits, while a paltry 14% say the funds should be returned to the general treasury — Republicans and Democrats agree exactly, 66% to 66%.

Support clears 80% on four of the five individual bills tested, and the partisan gap between Republicans and Democrats never exceeds seven points. Independents are consistently the softest group in the sample, but they still back every measure by a majority except the Love Lives On Act, where support falls to 41% and opposition rises to 27%. Even there, veterans and currently serving service members themselves are among the strongest supporters of the package overall, backing the ACCESS Act 86% to 12% and the Bill of Rights Act 88% to 7%.

Asked to imagine the four core measures combined into a single bill, voters by a margin of better than 5 to 1 say they'd be more likely, not less likely, to support a candidate who backed it — 62% more likely versus 11% less likely, with Republicans (66%) and Democrats (63%) essentially in agreement and independents still net-positive at 45% to 10%.

“Congress must pass the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. Voters in both parties back every provision we tested, and midterm voters reward the members who vote yes. For Republicans looking to get this done, there's no better way to energize veteran voters in the days leading up to Election Day. More importantly, it is the right thing to do for our veterans.”

 — Mark Lucas, Founder & President of Veteran Action

“In years of polling, I can count on one hand the policy questions that clear 80% support. These veterans' benefits are now polling in the same range as basic American necessities like FAIR ELECTIONS. It’s difficult to interpret this any other way than a no-brainer.”

 — Mark R. Mitchell, Founder and Head Pollster, The Honest Poll

Read Veteran Action's full press release on these findings here.

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