US EditionVeterans Affairs to Pursue Legal Guardianship of Homeless Vets
The VA and DOJ will use state courts to place veterans lacking decision-making capacity, including nearly 33,000 homeless veterans, under legal guardianship to ensure care.
- On Wednesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Justice announced they will initiate legal steps to place veterans unable to make decisions into guardianship, with VA attorneys appointed as special assistant U.S. attorneys, VA Secretary Doug Collins said.
- Under the memorandum of agreement, VA medical professionals may determine a veteran lacks capacity and no legal decision-maker exists before seeking guardianship, following President Donald Trump's executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to promote civil commitment.
- HUD data show approximately 33,000 veterans are homeless, nearly 14,000 living on the streets; up to 60% have mental illness, while advocacy groups and legal experts caution guardianship limits autonomy.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal said some lawmakers and veterans groups were surprised, reviewing the memorandum with concerns about proceeding without congressional review, and the NCHV called for oversight and due-process protections.
- There is scant data showing a data gap on veterans under state-appointed guardianship, while mental health disorders among veterans and addiction among homeless veterans complicate care decisions.
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Chilling warning as Trump admin quietly hands itself new weapon to lock up homeless vets
The Department of Justice and Department of Veterans Affairs just quietly handed themselves a troubling new weapon, analyst Steve Kennedy wrote Thursday in Slate. They announced a partnership allowing VA attorneys to become federal prosecutors with the power to petition state courts for guardianship and conservatorship over veterans deemed unable to make medical decisions."On its face, the policy sounds like a bureaucratic fix to a real problem,…
Veterans Affairs announces plan to put some homeless vets into guardianship
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Justice Department announced a new initiative to place vulnerable veterans, including some who are homeless, under a guardianship, possibly placing them into involuntary or institutional care.
Inside Trump's new plan to round up homeless veterans
President Donald Trump’s new proposal for addressing widespread veteran homelessness involves forcibly institutionalizing hundreds or even thousands of them — and this is raising concerns about civil liberties.“Our new partnership with the Justice Department reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every veteran receives timely, appropriate care,” explained Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Doug Collins in a public statement. The VA say…
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