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Veterans
VA Funding * Subcommittee
Work * Concurrent Receipt
* Connecticut Services * For
Further Information *
The men and women who serve our country and defend freedom
deserve to be treated with nothing less than the highest level
of dignity and respect. I am committed to providing our veterans
with the resources necessary to address and meet their needs
and ensure they have access to high-quality health care.
VA Funding
Funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has increased
significantly over the past four years. In fact, since 2001,
we have increased funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs
46.8 percent.
On November 20, 2004, I voted for H.R.
4818, the Fiscal Year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act,
which passed the House by a vote of 344 to 51 and was signed
into law by President Bush on December 8. This legislation
includes $66 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs,
an increase of $4.2 billion over last year. This increase
will improve veterans health care, retirement benefits, education
benefits and housing benefits, among other things.
Subcommittee Work
In addition, the Government
Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs,
and International Relations, which I chair, has oversight
jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, the State Department,
the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
The Subcommittee works to ensure veterans have access to
the care they need and that funds allocated for veterans programs
are used efficiently.
I care deeply about our veterans. In 1995, after I became
Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee, we started
investigations into the Persian Gulf War illness.
In the 105th Congress, we continued our investigations, which
culminated in reports that forced the Department of Defense
to acknowledge significant numbers of U.S. and coalition forces
had been exposed to low levels of chemical weapons agents.
On June 1, 2004, I held a follow-up oversight hearing to
assess the status of research on Gulf War illnesses and discuss
General Accounting Office (GAO) findings regarding Persian
Gulf War veterans' exposures to chemical warfare agents.
My Subcommittee also held hearings on various aspects of
the Department of Defense's force-wide Anthrax Vaccine Immunization
Program (AVIP), culminating in our finding the Department
of Defense (DOD) anthrax vaccine program should have been
voluntary from the start.
On December 22, 2003, Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a ruling
stating that the Department of Defense (DOD) must stop its
mandatory anthrax vaccination program. In view of this decision,
DOD should immediately begin a review of all disciplinary
actions taken against those who refused the vaccine. If necessary,
Congress can mandate the review legislatively, and I would
support such a step.
Three years ago, the National Security Subcommittee issued
a report finding the program untenable for a number of reasons,
including the legal infirmities cited in Judge Sullivan's
decision. The report stated experimental use against aerosolized
attack, unwieldy logistics of a prolonged administration regimen
(six shots over 18 months) and the lack of a validated battlefield
threat should have decided the case against the mandatory
program long ago.
DOD's own documents proved to the court's satisfaction the
Pentagon knew the vaccine was not approved for use against
weaponized anthrax but chose to proceed using the disingenuous
pretext of legality struck down today.
To date, the Subcommittee has held hearings on the adequacy
of the VA outreach effort to veterans at risk for Hepatitis
C, the views of Veterans Service Organizations on the VA,
and vulnerabilities to waste, fraud and abuse in the Department
of Veterans Affairs.
Concurrent Receipt
On October 9, 2004, I voted for H.R.
4200, the Fiscal Year 2004 Department of Defense Authorization
Act, which passed the House by a vote of 359 to 14
and was signed into law by the President on October 28. This
legislation allows disabled retirees with a 100 percent disability
rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to qualify
immediately for the concurrent receipt of both DoD retirement
income and VA disability income. These benefits were scheduled
to be phased in over a 10 year period.
Last year, I voted for the FY 04 DOD Authorization Act, which
provides concurrent receipt for more disabled veterans than
have ever been covered by law. Before, disabled veterans'
retirement benefits were offset by the amount of disability
coverage for which they are eligible. Under this legislation,
all retirees with a 50 percent or greater disability rating
from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will see the
current offsetting reduction in their military retired pay
phased out over a 10-year period.
You may be interested to know, I am also a cosponsor of H.R.
303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act. This bill would
fully fund the offset between military retirement pay and
veterans disability compensation for all eligible veterans.
I will continue to support this effort to ensure all eligible
veterans receive the pay to which they are entitled.
Under current law, these service-disabled retirees must surrender
a portion of their retirement pay if they want to receive
the disability compensation to which they are entitled. Military
retirees are the only group of federal retirees subject to
such an offset. That is why I support H.R. 303 and hope it
is enacted later this year.
Connecticut Services
In the 4th Congressional District, my staff and I have worked
to improve conditions at the Stamford Clinic. A year ago,
the wait time at the clinic was 73 days; now it is two days.
Also, problems with the phone system have been resolved to
reduce the number of veterans not getting calls returned,
appointments made, or prescriptions filled.
My office and the other members of the Connecticut Congressional
delegation are in close contact with the Director of Veterans
Integrated Service Network (VISN) 1, the Director of Veterans
Administration the Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs
(VACT), union members, and veterans' groups. They participate
in the strategic planning meetings concerning budget, staffing
and service issues, where quality health care for veterans
is always considered a top priority.
Currently, there are seven other Community Based Outreach
Clinics (CBOCs) in Connecticut -- including one in Stamford
-- providing primary health care for our veterans. Operations
at the Stamford clinic have improved greatly over the last
year, and we have reached our goal of providing each Connecticut
veteran with primary health care within 30 miles of their
home.
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