As a mother of an active duty soldier I believe that we have a strong commitment to our veterans to ensure that they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and to see that our government honors their service and sacrifices made for their Country. I am honored to represent the citizens of the 8th Congressional District of Missouri expressing their deep patriotism and loyalty in the service of our country.

The ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have heightened congressional interest in veterans' benefits, which range from disability compensation and pensions to hospital and medical care. I have continuously fought for improvements in benefits and services to veterans. We have made significant strides in caring for our veterans. Honesty, integrity, hard work, personal responsibility and perseverance all come to mind when I think of these brave Americans.

Latest funding numbers and benefits:

Previous increases for the VA health care and benefits system

$11.8 billion in overall increases for VA health care and benefits since January 2007

$3.4 billion increase for the VA Fiscal Year 2007 budget

$1.8 billion in Supplemental funding in May 2007 Iraq war spending bill

$6.6 billion increase in Fiscal Year 2008 VA Appropriations bill

Other key increases in the VA budget since January 2007:

Medical Services $29.1 billion (from $22.5 billion, a 29% increase)

Medical Administration $3.5 billion (from $2.9 billion, a 21% increase)

Medical Facilities $4.1 billion (from $3.3 billion, a 24% increase)

Medical Research $480 million (from $412 million, a 17% increase)

Substance Abuse $428 million (from $358 million, a 20% increase)

Homeless veterans $130 million (from $63.6 million, a 104% increase)

A 240% increase to $1.08 billion in the 2008 VA maintenance budget to improve VA facilities and prevent a Walter Reed-like tragedy from occurring in the VA system


Supporting our rural veterans who live far from VA facilities

Increased the travel reimbursement from 11 cents/mile to 28.5 cents/mile. (First increase since 1979, when gas was 95 cents/gallon.)

Focusing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury

$2.9 billion on VA mental health care, a 32% increase since 2006.

$66 million for a new Level 1 Polytrauma Center in San Antonio

$100 million in the Iraq supplemental for mental health care.

$8 million for additional Polytrauma support clinic teams and $5.4 million for additional Polytrauma needs

Focusing on the 400,000 claims backlog by hiring additional claims processors

Added 3,100 new claims processors to the VA

400 new hires funded through FY07 CR

800 new hires funded through Iraq Supplemental

1,800 new hires funded by FY08 Omnibus

Introduced Legislation in the 111th Congress:

H.R. 237, Military Retiree Health Care Relief Act of 2009,
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for premiums paid to enroll military retirees and their spouses and surviving spouses for supplementary medical insurance under part B of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.


Bills Rep. Emerson Has Cosponsored in the 111th Congress:

H.R. 816, Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act,
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) and the nation have a committed health benefits obligation to retired military personnel that exceeds the obligation of corporate employers to civilian employees; and (2) DOD has many additional options to constrain the growth of health care spending in ways that do not disadvantage beneficiaries, and should pursue such options rather than seeking large fee increases for beneficiaries.


H.R. 775, Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act,
Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age.

H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009,
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish a program on training and certification of family caregivers of veterans and members with traumatic brain injury (TBI); and (2) conduct outreach to enhance awareness of veterans and the public about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and TBI and the services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans with such symptoms.

H.R. 620, Jobs for Veterans Act,
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an increased work opportunity tax credit for the hiring in 2009 or 2010 of veterans discharged or released from active military duty after September 11, 2001.

H.R. 613, the Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act,
Requires the United States to forgive any overpayment of military retired or retainer pay for any period after the death of the recipient through the last day of the month in which such death occurs, if such payment is electronically deposited to a joint account bearing the name of the decedent and the decedent's designated beneficiary.

Helpful Links:
http://www.va.gov/
http://www.mvc.dps.mo.gov/
http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits/missouri-state-veterans-benefits
http://www.legion.org/homepage.php