# 119-hr-4480: Improving Disaster Assistance for Veterans Act

119-hr-4480, Improving Disaster Assistance for Veterans Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI); status in_committee (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4480
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4480
- Congress: 119
- Title: Improving Disaster Assistance for Veterans Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-07-17
- Sponsor: Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**This bill would create a Veterans Advocate within FEMA to improve fair treatment of veterans in disaster relief and emergency assistance.** The Advocate could participate in disaster declarations under section 401 and emergency declarations under section 501. It would serve as FEMA's primary liaison to veterans service organizations and identify opportunities to recruit veterans into FEMA jobs, including reservist positions. The role could also carry out other activities the FEMA Administrator finds appropriate.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Veterans advocate at FEMA for disasters: benefit, low. This bill would create a Veterans Advocate inside FEMA. The President would choose this person. The Advocate would join disaster and emergency declaration decisions to raise veterans’ needs. They would be the main contact for veterans service groups. They would also look for ways to hire more veter…
- No new FEMA disaster aid powers: cost, low. This bill would not expand FEMA’s disaster aid authority. The new Advocate section would not change who can get help or what help FEMA can give. It would not add new types of assistance beyond current law. This is a legal clarification, not new funding.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2548: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3835: Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3184: PFAS Alternatives Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-4480 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4480)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-2548: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2548)
- [119-hr-3835: Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3835)
- [119-hr-3184: PFAS Alternatives Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3184)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4480 (as of 2026-04-21).