In This Issue:
1. VFW Protects Health Care Programs
2. Vet Bills Update
3. New GI Bill Benefit Begins
4. Senate Hearing on Disability Compensation
5. Congress on Recess
1. VFW Protects Health Care Programs: VFW is working closely with House leadership to ensure national health care reform legislation does not change the way veterans, military retirees and their families receive their health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the military's TRICARE program. Key VFW-supported amendments adopted by the House include:
* Exclude TRICARE from all reform movements;
* Exclude VA health care from all reform movement, and maintain the VA secretary's current authority to operate the organization as he deems appropriate.
* Give veterans using VA health care the option of purchasing additional insurance under the new national health care plan. This would expand, not restrict, health care coverage available to them and their families;
VFW will continue to work closely with Congress to ensure that neither VA nor TRICARE are adversely affected under the national health care reform proposal. We have also received assurances from the President that veterans and servicemembers will be safeguarded under any bill passed by Congress.
2. Vet Bills Update: It has been a busy session of hearings and votes - VFW has had many successes and thanks everyone for their advocacy in advancing our legislative priority goals - below are some key bills that have cleared.
The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 (Advanced Appropriations) which authorizes funding for VA medical accounts two-years in advance passed the House and Senate (the Senate cleared the bill yesterday before recessing for the rest of the month).
Other VFW-supported bills that have passed the House include:
HR 466- The Wounded Veterans' Job Security Act prohibits discrimination and acts of reprisal against persons who receive treatment for illnesses, injuries, and disabilities incurred in or aggravated by service.
HR 1037 authorizes VA to conduct a five-year pilot project to expand on existing work-study activities
and allows student veterans to participate in work-study positions in academic departments.
HR 1088 The Mandatory Veteran Specialist Training Act of 2009 provides a one-year period for training (instead of the current three) for new DVOPs and LVOPs through the National Veterans Employment and Training Institute.
HR 1089 enforces employment rights of veterans and members of the armed services employed by the Federal Government Services Institute.
HR 1170 provides grants up to $200,000 for development of technologies to improve adaptive housing for disabled veterans.
HR 1171 reauthorizes the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program through 2014, and also includes special grants to programs and facilities that provide for homeless female veterans and homeless veterans with children.
HR 1172 directs VA to include on the Internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a list of organizations that provide scholarships to veterans and their survivors.
HR 1211 - The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act expands and improves health care services available to women veterans, including studies in barriers to care, mental health services for PTSD, MST and extended health care to newborns of female veterans immediately following birth.
HR 1293 increases the amount veterans receive for improvements and structural alterations for home health services.
HR 1377 expands veteran eligibility for VA reimbursement for emergency treatment furnished by non-VA facilities.
HR 3155 authorizes training, support and medical care to family and non-family caregivers of veterans. It would also create a stipend to cover housing and expenses incurred by primary caregivers to certain veterans.
HR 3219 combines provisions from eight other bills, to include establishing a Director of Physician Assistant position within VA; eliminating the deduction in accelerated death payments to terminally-ill veterans and service members under SGLI and VGLI; allows certain veterans to increase the amount of life insurance they carry under VGLI; prohibits catastrophically-disabled veterans from having to pay copayments or other fees for critical medical services; and permanently authorizes hospital care, medical services and nursing home care for Vietnam and Persian Gulf War veterans exposed to herbicides
For more on any of the bills type the bill # in the box at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/ 3. New GI Bill Benefit Begins: This week, VA began implementing the new Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit. VFW played a key role in getting the historical legislation passed last year. The Chapter 33 benefit provides 36 months of full tuition at every public college or university in the nation, plus fees, books and a housing stipend. It eliminates the $1,200 enrollment fee, extends the time to use the benefit from 10 to 15 years. It also permits reenlisting servicemembers to transfer some or all of their educational benefits to a spouse or children. It automatically adjusts itself as tuitions and fees increase, greatly enhances the amount paid to Guard and Reserve members, and provides a dollar-for-dollar tuition match to more than 1,100 private schools who chose to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program. To calculate your benefits or get the list of education institutions participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program visit the VA website at
http://www.gibill.va.gov/For the VFW press release click here:
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5149 4. Senate Hearing on Disability Compensation: The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee held a hearing on the veterans' disability compensation process and how to make improvements at VA and DOD. VFW submitted testimony for the record outlining a proposal, which calls for the creation of a test program, entitled the Provisional Claims Processing Program. The program would be limited to service members leaving the Armed Forces or recently discharged veterans. An initial evaluation would be conducted based on existing evidence, and the veteran would have the opportunity to accept or decline the provisional rating. The testimony also called on VBA to improve training and better utilize technology to create efficiencies within the disability compensation process.
To read our testimony click here:
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=caphill.leveld&did=3702For more on the hearing visit the Senate VA website at:
http://veterans.senate.gov/hearings.cfm 5. Congress on Recess: August recess has begun for Congressional members - you will find them in their district offices and/or travelling in their home States. Now is a great time to schedule a meeting and discuss VFW priority goals and key legislation. We are continuing to push for passage of Advanced Appropriations (House passed - Senate is pending) as well as the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act and many provisions found in the FY 2010 Defense Authorization Bill. For our priority goals as well as a list of the bills we support, visit the VFW website and click on the Capitol Hill section at:
http://www.vfw.org/ ***Thank you for your continuing advocacy on behalf of veterans and our active duty military , guard and reserve members - The Washington Weekly will be published again the first week of September when Congress returns from August recess.***
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