Congressman Tom Barrett of Michigan’s 7th District has introduced H.R. 4480, the Improving Disaster Assistance for Veterans Act. The bill aims to increase recruitment of veterans at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and provide additional support for veterans seeking federal disaster relief.
The legislation would create a veterans advocate position within FEMA. This role would focus on identifying job opportunities for veterans, ensuring their needs are considered during disaster response, and improving coordination between FEMA and veterans’ service organizations when delivering assistance.
Barrett stated, “No one is better equipped than our nation’s veterans to serve at FEMA and to help respond to natural disasters. Many of them are already trained in search-and-rescue, emergency evacuation, and other critical skills that uniquely position them to thrive at FEMA. This legislation will also ensure essential relief is accessible to those who served by having a dedicated advocate to communicate critical information about disaster relief back to the local organizations veterans trust most to help them navigate government bureaucracy.”
The bill has been incorporated into the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act, which was introduced by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves on July 23, 2025.
