We honor the families and loved ones who support our nation’s servicemembers and veterans this Month of the Military Caregiver, but recognition alone is not enough.

These men and women care for our most seriously wounded, ill, and injured servicemembers, as well as for veterans facing complications from age and disability. Appreciation for their service must be matched with policy that delivers stability, clarity, and long‑term security.

For years, MOAA has elevated caregiving as a core advocacy priority, recognizing that military and veteran caregivers are not an add‑on to care, but the foundation of their loved ones’ health, stability, and dignity. This month is a time to reflect on progress made and confront the urgent work still ahead.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Pass the Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act]

MOAA and Caregiver Policy

MOAA’s leadership in the military and veteran caregiving space reflects nearly two decades of sustained advocacy, beginning with our work alongside lawmakers, veterans service organizations, and caregiver stakeholders to help establish VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC). From the earliest debates over formal recognition within VA’s health care system, MOAA has advocated for caregivers to be seen and supported as essential partners — integral to both care delivery and successful health outcomes.

That collaborative advocacy continued through successive Congresses and took center stage during the last session, when MOAA worked with bipartisan champions and veteran stakeholder groups to pass and enact the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. The Dole Act marked the most significant modernization of VA caregiver support in decades by expanding mental health services, strengthening the VA Caregiver Support Program, and embedding caregiver well‑being as a core element of veteran health care delivery.

MOAA Caregiver Priorities

While the Dole Act marked meaningful progress, MOAA has long stressed that lasting change depends on timely implementation, strong oversight, and long‑term stability for caregivers.

MOAA continues to prioritize caregiver support this Congress by focusing on advancing the Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement (3R) Act, which has passed both the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, and by pressing the VA to publish long‑overdue regulations to improve PCAFC eligibility and access. Although VA extended protections through 2028 for caregivers enrolled in the program prior to October 2020 — members of what is known as the “legacy cohort” — years of program instability and delayed publishing of the regulation have left caregivers and veterans in prolonged uncertainty, unable to plan for their futures. MOAA continues to encourage the VA to publish and implement revised PCAFC regulations without further delay.

[RELATED: MOAA Stresses Need for Clear Veterans Strategy in Senate Testimony]

GAO Findings Reinforce MOAA Priorities

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights significant gaps in how the VA measures, oversees, and delivers caregiver mental health support. GAO found the VA lacks clear performance and outreach goals, collects limited data, and does not have sufficient oversight to ensure caregivers receive effective mental health information and supportive services.

These gaps illustrate the broader need for policies that protect caregivers’ long‑term emotional and financial well‑being — priorities MOAA is advancing through our support of the Caregiver 3R Act and the publication of clear, consistent PCAFC regulations. Without stable, forward‑looking policy and regulatory frameworks, caregivers and the veterans they support face prolonged stress, uncertainty, and economic risk that can persist long after the caregiving role ends.

A Month for Action

Military Caregiver Month reminds us that caregivers sustain our servicemembers and veterans — but they cannot do it alone. This May, let us honor caregivers not only with words, but with decisive action. Reach out to your lawmakers and support MOAA’s caregiver advocacy efforts by adding your voice to our cause via our Legislative Action Center.