More than 20,000 Guam veterans currently served by a regional office nearly 4,000 miles away in Hawaii; CNMI veterans also affected
HAGATNA — Congressman James Moylan has expanded his push to bring a Department of Veterans Affairs regional office to Guam, leading a bipartisan coalition of 17 members of Congress in a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins urging the agency to establish a Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office on the island.
The letter, dated March 2, argues that Guam’s strategic location and existing federal infrastructure make it a natural hub for VA services across the broader Indo-Pacific region. More than 20,000 veterans live on Guam alone, with thousands more in the CNMI, American Samoa and the Freely Associated States currently served by the VA’s Honolulu Regional Office nearly 4,000 miles away.
The distance creates real barriers. Veterans in the Marianas who need to reach VA personnel by phone are limited to calling between 4 a.m. and noon due to time zone differences. Those who need in-person services must travel to Hawaii, with flights regularly exceeding $1,000 and more than seven hours each way. A Government Accountability Office report previously found that disability claims processing times in U.S. Associated Pacific Islands nearly doubled VA’s benchmark of 125 days or less.
Moylan is also preparing to introduce legislation that would mandate the VA Secretary to establish a regional office on Guam and said he has secured commitments from the chairmen of both the House Appropriations Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee to work with him on the proposal.
“Last year we took an important first step by securing language in the MilCon-VA appropriations bill recognizing the need for a stronger VA presence on Guam,” Moylan said. “Today we are building on that progress by bringing together a renewed coalition of Members who support establishing a VA Regional Office on Guam.”
The letter also suggests the Guam office could assume responsibilities currently handled by the VA’s Manila Regional Office, while prioritizing U.S.-citizen federal employment in the region.
Co-signers include Reps. Mark B. Messmer, Randy Fine, Glenn Grothman, James R. Baird, Nicholas J. Begich III, Mike Carey, Michael Guest, Nick LaLota, Barry Moore, John Rose, Austin Scott, Ryan K. Zinke, August Pfluger, Ben Cline, Maria Elvira Salazar and Celeste Maloy.
“Adding 16 Members to this effort shows that momentum is growing in Congress,” Moylan said. “But we will not stop here. I will continue working with my colleagues and committee leadership until our veterans in Guam finally have the direct access to VA services they deserve.”
