Historically Underserved Veterans Inclusion Act of 2025

This legislation significantly expands the scope of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for Minority Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. It renames these entities to include "and Historically Underserved Veterans," broadening their focus beyond traditional minority groups. The bill introduces the term "covered veterans" to encompass both minority group members and a newly defined category of "historically underserved veterans," which includes individuals facing difficulties in receiving benefits due to factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity, English language proficiency, low socioeconomic status, or rural residency. The expanded Advisory Committee will now advise the Secretary on a wider range of issues, including modifying Department programs, expanding benefits related to health care, suicide prevention, and homelessness, and improving outreach to covered veterans. It also mandates a biennial review by the Secretary to identify disparities in benefit receipt among veteran groups, with recommendations for extending services to those identified as historically underserved. Furthermore, the bill adds representatives from several federal agencies, such as Housing and Urban Development, Education, and the Small Business Administration, to the Advisory Committee. Crucially, the legislation requires the permanent reinstatement of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Equity Assurance within the Veterans Benefits Administration. This office's authority, functions, responsibilities, and research activities are to be restored, including the re-employment of staff terminated after January 20, 2025. The Secretary must also provide biannual briefings to Congress on the data, research, and analysis developed by this reinstated office, particularly concerning disparities in VA disability benefits.