Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Calls on Veterans Affairs to provide More accessible Technologies

In a press release published on Friday, New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D) announced what’s described as a “bipartisan push” for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make technology more accessible to veterans with disabilities. Gillibrand, a ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is working with U.S. Representative David Valadao (R-CA) in pushing the VA towards “swift action” in greater accessibility for veterans.

“Accessible technology is critical to make sure that veterans with disabilities can get the information and services they need and to make sure that VA employees with disabilities can do their jobs. Roughly one-quarter of veterans have a service-connected disability, and post–9/11 veterans, who [the] VA will serve for decades to come, have a higher rate of service-connected disabilities. Additionally, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal technology to be accessible for and usable by people with disabilities,” Senator Gillibrand’s office wrote in its announcement. “Despite this, congressional and independent oversight efforts have consistently found that VA technology does not meet this requirement. A recent VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report found that, of the 30 critical information and communication technology systems analyzed, 26 were not accessible for people with disabilities. In its report, VA OIG issued four recommendations to improve VA accessibility and encourage the procurement of accessible technology.”

Senator Gillibrand has written a letter to VA leaders wherein she encourages the agency implement the aforementioned recommendations “as fast as possible” while also asking for details on exactly how the VA plans to approach said implementation.

“Ensuring our veterans have the support, information, and services they need is of the utmost importance—and [the] VA cannot do this unless its technology is accessible to veterans and VA employees with disabilities,” Sen. Gillibrand said in a statement. “VA must train its employees to procure accessible technology and take steps to ensure that its technology remains accessible. I will continue to provide rigorous oversight on this issue to make sure that our veterans get the support that they deserve.”

I’ve covered the VA on a couple occasions in the recent past, most recently in April 2024 when I interviewed VA executive Chet Frith about assistive technology and his role leading the agency’s 508 Compliance Office. Prior to my conversation with Frith, I sat down with Dewaine Beard in August 2023, the VA’s principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Information and Technology, about his job and what’s in his purview. In addition, I sat down virtually with Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth, herself a disabled vet, to talk, amongst other topics, the importance of accessibility and assistive tech.