RELEASE: In Honor of Veterans Day, Gottheimer Hosts Roundtable with Local Veterans, Announces New Bipartisan Legislation to Expand VA Disability Benefits

Above: Gottheimer Announces Federal Actions to Expand VA Disability Benefits.

BOGOTA, N.J. — Today, Friday, November 13, 2026, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) hosted a roundtable with North Jersey veterans and representatives from veteran service organizations at the Bogota VFW Post 5561 in honor of Veterans Day. Gottheimer also introduced three new pieces of bipartisan legislation to expand disability benefits for veterans with his colleague Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17).  

“Nothing is more important in this job than my responsibility to always have the backs of those who have stepped forward to protect us — to bravely get our backs. That’s why I’m proud to have worked across the aisle to improve veterans’ benefits and care, and to continue that work to find common ground to ensure you receive the benefits you deserve,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5).

Watch Gottheimer’s full remarks here.

New Jersey is home to nearly 300,000 veterans, including about 38,400 across Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties: 22,085 in Bergen, 10,616 in Passaic, and 5,683 in Sussex. More than 65,000 New Jersey veterans receive VA disability compensation. More than 65,000 New Jersey residents receive VA disability compensation, and nearly 74,000 turned to the VA for care in 2023. 

Following the roundtable, Gottheimer announced new bipartisan federal legislation to make it easier for veterans to qualify for VA disability benefits:

• The SARC Act (Sarcoidosis After Service Recognition and Coverage Act) will allow veterans who develop sarcoidosis more than a year after leaving the military to qualify for VA disability benefits. Under current VA rules, sarcoidosis is presumed to be service-connected only if it becomes at least 10 percent disabling within one year of separation or if the veteran qualifies under the PACT Act. The SARC Act would remove the one-year cutoff so eligible veterans whose sarcoidosis becomes at least 10 percent disabling at any point after service could qualify for disability benefits..
• The LINK Act (Linking Identified Neurological Conditions to Known PTSD Act) will allow eligible veterans with service-connected PTSD who later develop dementia or Parkinson’s disease to qualify for VA disability benefits by presuming the condition is linked to their PTSD. 
• The Protecting Vets From Chronic Illness Act will require the VA to review its list of 41 chronic diseases presumed to be connected to military service, which hasn’t been updated since 1988. The bill would require the VA to recommend updates to its chronic disease list, including diseases to add and deadlines to extend for conditions that become disabling after veterans leave the military. 

“We are immensely grateful to Representative Josh Gottheimer for introducing this bill on behalf of the as many as 32,000 veterans who have been diagnosed with sarcoidosis or are still navigating their path to their sarcoidosis diagnosis. The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) enthusiastically endorses this bill,” said FSR’s President and CEO, Mary McGowan. “For far too long veterans with sarcoidosis have struggled to be seen, understood, and treated – the introduction of this bill ushers in a new era that acknowledges these veterans’ sacrifice and provides them hope for the future.”

“Sarcoidosis is one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose. Patients often visit four or more physicians and wait three to five years from their first symptoms to a diagnosis, long after the VA’s one-year window has closed. Veterans who served our country should never lose the benefits they earned because their disease took longer to diagnose. The Life & Breath Foundation for Sarcoidosis proudly endorses Congressman Gottheimer’s bill and thanks him for standing up for veterans living with sarcoidosis,” said Saul Kuciauskas, Vice President of the Life & Breath Foundation.

Gottheimer also highlighted that the House overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act this week. This bill will ensure that combat-injured veterans who were medically retired can receive both their retirement pay and their VA disability compensation, so that about 59,000 veterans can receive both payments in full. 

Gottheimer’s new legislation builds on his record to improve care and expand access to benefits for veterans. Gottheimer’s first piece of legislation signed into law helps the VA hire post-9/11 veterans. Gottheimer also helped author and secure provisions in the PACT Act to address the mental health impacts of toxic exposure for veterans. In July, the House passed Gottheimer’s bipartisan bill to rename the Newton VA clinic in Sussex County to the Anthony “Tony” J. Gallopo VA Clinic, honoring the local veteran who fought to open it. He has also introduced bipartisan legislation, including the Data-Driven Suicide Prevention and Outreach Act to use AI to identify suicide risk factors among veterans, the Veterans STAND Act to expand access to assistive technology for veterans with spinal cord injuries, the VETS Act to make sure VA residential facilities and state veterans’ homes have resident advocates, among others.

Gottheimer was joined by Senator Gordon Johnson; Mayor Danielle Fede of Bogota; Councilwoman Diana Vergara of Bogota; Councilman John Mitchell of Bogota; Mayor John Glidden, Closter; Howard Burrell, Former Mayor of Vernon Township; Mary McGowan, Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research; Marsha Henderson, Sarcoidosis Veteran; Bradley Christensen, VSO from the NJ Department of Veterans Affairs; Shaun Hutchinson, Director of the Bergen County Department of Human Services Division of Veterans Services; Gloria Derteano, Deputy Director of Veterans Services at the Bergen County Administrative Departments; Alexander Hernandez, Bogota VFW Commander; Members of VFW Post 5561, Bogota; Members of Service Academy Board 2026; Jeremy Baratta, Benefits Protection Team Leader, DAV – Department of New Jersey; Joseph Fricker, First Vice Commander for American Legion of NJ.

Below: Gottheimer Announces Federal Actions to Expand VA Disability Benefits.

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