A plain-language guide to the federal and Illinois laws and bills that affect veterans, service members, and their families.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is informational and nonpartisan. Bills change quickly, so please confirm the current status on Congress.gov or ILGA.gov before you rely on anything here. It is not legal advice. Because hundreds of veterans bills are introduced each session, this page highlights the major ones and shows you how to follow any others yourself.
Signed July 15, 2026 • Effective January 1, 2027
Requires Illinois universities to readmit students whose studies were interrupted by military service, with the same enrollment status, credit hours, academic standing, and progress they had before.
Signed July 15, 2026 • Effective January 1, 2027
Creates grants through the Illinois Department of Military Affairs that reward peer-to-peer referrals to help recruit people into the Illinois National Guard.
Signed July 15, 2026 • Effective January 1, 2027
Continues the advisory council through 2027 and moves it under the Illinois Department of Public Health. The council grows from nine to 15 members, adding state agency representatives and four subject matter experts in breakthrough therapies, pharmacology, clinical trials, and psychiatry.
Signed 2025
Among them, a law requiring private companies that advertise paid veterans’ benefits appeal services to disclose that the same help is available free through county veterans service officers and other government agencies.
Passed the House May 21, 2026 • Referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee June 2, 2026
Would raise certain VA disability compensation, create a supplemental monthly allowance for some severely disabled veterans, and increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for survivors. As of the latest information I found (late September 2026), it was waiting on the Senate.
Introduced April 28 (House) and May 11, 2026 (Senate)
Would raise VA disability compensation, the clothing allowance, and DIC for survivors by the same percentage as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, effective December 1, 2026. Congress passes this bill every year because VA rates do not rise automatically; last year’s version (S. 2392) passed both chambers in November 2025.
Passed the House May 15, 2026 (400 to 15)
The yearly funding bill for VA and military construction, providing about $157 billion in discretionary funding. The federal fiscal year began October 1, so check Congress.gov for the current status of full-year funding.
Introduced in the Senate March 13, 2025
Would let medically retired, combat-disabled veterans with fewer than 20 years of service receive both their military retired pay and their VA disability compensation, instead of having one reduced by the other. It has broad bipartisan support, but it was not law as of the most recent reporting I found (August 2026).
Passed the House the week of May 18, 2026
Would require VA to use an electronic scheduling process to streamline appointments for veterans receiving community care.
Passed the House the week of May 18, 2026
Would expand eligibility for no-cost temporary lodging at Fisher Houses to include active-duty service members and their families.
Passed the House the week of May 18, 2026
Would make the VA Secretary the single approving authority for multi-state trucking apprenticeship programs, so they do not need separate approval from each state.
Passed the House the week of May 18, 2026
Would stop VA from automatically reporting a veteran to the FBI’s national background check system solely because the veteran needs a fiduciary to manage their benefits, and would direct VA to notify the Department of Justice that past reports were improper.
Signed January 20, 2026
Excludes service-connected disability compensation when determining whether a person qualifies as low or moderate income under certain federal housing programs.
Signed January 20, 2026
Sets conditions under which a veteran’s vocational rehabilitation and employment plan must be redeveloped, to help more veterans move through the program and into jobs.
Signed January 20, 2026
Requires a report on certain funding shortfalls at the Department of Veterans Affairs. It does not change how benefits are paid.
Signed November 12, 2025
Reopened the federal government and provided full-year fiscal year 2026 funding for VA and military construction, including advance funding for fiscal year 2027 veterans’ medical care and benefits.
Signed January 2, 2025
A broad package that raises the cap on in-home and community-based care alternatives to nursing homes, expands support for family caregivers, changes the Veterans Community Care Program, extends parts of the GI Bill, addresses veteran homelessness, and authorizes modernization of VA’s electronic health record.
Signed August 10, 2022
Expanded VA health care for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins, and added more than 20 presumptive conditions so covered veterans no longer have to prove their illness is connected to service. VA says veterans and survivors can file at any time.
These long-standing laws still affect veterans, service members, and families every day.
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 created education, home loan, and unemployment benefits for returning veterans. The Forever GI Bill of 2017 removed the time limit on using education benefits for those who left service after January 1, 2013.
Created VA’s Veterans Community Care Program, which lets eligible veterans get care from approved providers outside VA.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act protects the civilian jobs of people who leave work to serve, and gives them the right to return.
U.S. Department of LaborProvides financial and legal protections for people on active duty, such as limits on certain interest rates, evictions, and default judgments.
U.S. Department of JusticeThese official and nonprofit sources cover every bill, not just the ones listed above.
Writing or calling your members of Congress and your state legislators is one of the simplest ways to speak up for veterans. Mention the bill number and how it affects you or your family.
A free, accredited veterans service officer can help you understand how a new law applies to you and file a claim. You can also ask us for help.