Neil's Notebook Recap and Preview of Key Veterans’ Legislation
June 26, 2009
Neil, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, with Dept. of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth at a Memorial Day service in Honolulu on May 25, 2009. (Photo/Randy Obata)
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In the weeks ahead, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs will continue work in this area. The committee, for example, is working on legislation that would establish a family caregiver program for veterans seriously injured while on active duty.
The committee also will hold a series of hearings and meetings to examine the progress being made by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs in ensuring electronic health record interoperability.
The Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs is continuing work with stakeholders to find innovative ways to streamline the claims processing system and deal with the increasing backlog of veteran claims.
And, the committee will take up the insurance-related needs of veterans and their families with legislation to ensure they receive the full measure of the benefit.
Meanwhile, the House has passed these important veterans' bills:
Improving Health Care:
H.R. 1016 - Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009.
H.R. 1016 - a landmark bill to respond to years of chronic underfunding of VA medical care. The bill would allow funding for the VA health care budget one year in advance using the advance appropriations process. This change would supply timely and predictable funding to ensure the highest quality of health care for veterans.
H.R. 1211 – Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act. This bill would expand and improve VA health care services for the 1.8 million women who have bravely served our country.
H.R. 1211 would especially focus on the health care needs of those serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The bill requires the VA to provide medical care for newborn children of women veterans, establish a pilot program for child care services, and enhance programs available to veterans suffering from military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.
H.R. 1171 – Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. This bill is an important step to ensuring that the VA is prepared to provide comprehensive services to prevent veteran homelessness. This bill reauthorizes the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program through 2014 and includes an additional $10 million to provide dedicated services for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children. Grants are available to provide job training, counseling, placement services, and child care services to expedite the reintegration of veterans into the labor force.
Improving Benefits for Veterans:
H.R. 2990 – The Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act. In a step to fulfill President Obama’s initiative, the House passed a bill to allow disabled military retirees with less than 20 years of service to receive both their military retirement and VA disability pay. This one-year fix is the first step to giving disabled veterans full access to the benefit they deserve.
H.R. 1170 – Grant Program for Specially Adapted Housing. This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to encourage the development of new assistive technologies for specially adapted housing for disabled veterans. Grant amounts would be limited to $200,000 annually per recipient.
H.R. 23 – Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act. This bill establishes the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund for payments of a monthly benefit of $1,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. Merchant Marine.
(Information provided by the office of Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner.)
