Executive Summary / What to Know
- Fixing the Digital Lifeline: Demanding immediate implementation of GAO’s priority recommendations for the troubled VA Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) system
- Defending the All-Volunteer Force: Codifying the House Quality of Life Panel’s recommendations, including a 15% junior enlisted pay raise and 100% BAH restoration
- Sustaining Military Families: Raising the Basic Needs Allowance threshold to 200% of the federal poverty line and securing subsidized childcare
- Eradicating Underemployment: Standardizing the DoD SkillBridge program to stop the massive loss of veteran economic value during transition
The Mandate of those Who Served
When the dust settles on any election cycle, politicians routinely return to the comfortable habits of legislative delay. For America’s service members, veterans, and military families, this political inertia is dangerous. The unwritten covenant between this nation and its defenders is not a series of suggestions; it is a binding moral obligation.
This 100-day accountability agenda, “The Veteran Mandate,” outlines the immediate legislative and executive actions required to stabilize our All-Volunteer Force and secure the lives of those who have sworn to defend the Constitution. We demand results, not rhetoric. The clock starts now.
The Five Pillars of the 100-Day Agenda
Pillar 1: VA Modernization and the EHRM Rescue
The VA’s legacy electronic health record system is an administrative relic from the 1980s that cannot reliably share clinical data
While the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program was launched to create a single, lifetime health record, deployments are plagued by severe management failures
GAO reports as of late 2026 show the VA has failed to resolve key recommendations regarding clinician user satisfaction and system trouble tickets.
In the first 100 days, Congress must halt accelerated EHRM deployments until the VA fully implements outstanding GAO recommendations, while establishing strict funding clawbacks for failing IT contractors.
Pillar 2: Defense Readiness and Enlisted Pay Reform
Our All-Volunteer Force faces unprecedented stress due to outdated compensation models. It is a national disgrace that junior service members rely on food banks to feed their families
The House Quality of Life Panel, led by Reps. Don Bacon and Chrissy Houlahan, laid out a bipartisan blueprint to correct this crisis
Within 100 days, Congress must prioritize passing a targeted 15% basic pay increase for junior enlisted ranks E-1 to E-4 [Insert Quality of Life Panel Pay Recommendation]
Simultaneously, Congress must restore the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to 100%, eliminating out-of-pocket housing gaps
Pillar 3: Stabilizing the Military Family
Force readiness is directly tied to family stability. Frequent moves disrupt spouse careers and create severe childcare crises
Food insecurity remains a quiet epidemic, with substantial portions of the active-duty force struggling to afford balanced meals [Insert Military Family Food Insecurity Statistics]
The President must immediately sign executive actions expanding Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, completely excluding BAH from calculations
Simultaneously, the DoD must fully fund the childcare fee assistance program to eliminate waitlists
Pillar 4: Veteran Employment and Transition Reform
About 200,000 active-duty personnel transition to civilian life annually, yet 45% earn less in their first post-military year than on active duty, costing billions in lost economic value
The DoD SkillBridge program offers a vital path to high-quality employment, but GAO audits reveal the services do not consistently analyze program participation data
Over the next 100 days, the DoD must establish standardized tracking for SkillBridge participation to hold commands accountable
Additionally, Congress must expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to incentivize hiring transitioning veterans and spouses.
Pillar 5: Leadership Accountability and Contract Oversight
For too long, defense and technology contractors have treated the DoD and VA as blank-check funding sources, escaping accountability for failed projects. Substandard barracks, mold-infested housing, and delayed IT systems are the direct result of zero-consequence contracting.
Congress must establish a bipartisan Oversight and Accountability Commission. This body must have the subpoena power to audit every privatized military housing partner, public-private healthcare developer, and transition assistance vendor. Leaders who fail safety audits or deliver broken systems must face immediate contract termination, permanent debarment from federal bidding, and personal civil liability.
Call to Action: Enforce the Mandate
Politicians only act when forced by organized, relentless civic pressure. We must turn “The Veteran Mandate” from a legislative document into an operational reality. Every veteran, military family member, and patriotic citizen must utilize this 5-point agenda to hold elected officials accountable. Call your Representative, schedule meetings with your Senators, and demand explicit, written commitments on these five pillars. The time for patience has passed. We served our country with honor; it is time for Washington to do the same.
Sources
- House Armed Services Committee Quality of Life Panel Final Report:
https://armedservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1818 - National Military Family Association (NMFA) – Quality of Life Panel Recommendations:
https://www.militaryfamily.org/quality-of-life-panel-includes-several-nmfa-recommendations-in-report-released-today/ - U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) – VA EHRM Program Deployment and Actions Needed:
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-109393 - Milken Institute – The Impact of SkillBridge on Veteran Employment Outcomes:
https://milkeninstitute.org/content-hub/research-and-reports/reports/impact-skillbridge-veteran-employment-outcomes
