Veterans Benefits
Read Bart's Views on Current Issues
The Bush Administration has made it clear that veterans are not his priority. Over the past few years, the President’s budget requests have included proposals to increase veterans’ health care costs, increase co-payments for the cost of prescription drugs, and exclude some veterans from even being able to enroll for health care.
This Administration has been very quick to go to war but far too slow in responding to the needs of our veterans and their families. With more veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, I am committed to adequately funding veterans’ health care.
The Democratic Congress was able to increase funding for veterans in the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Spending bill (P.L. 110-161). The Omnibus Spending bill, which was signed into law on December 26, 2007, includes $43.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and an additional $3.7 billion in emergency funds for veterans to ensure that when soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan they receive the care they need and deserve. In fact, this bill provides the largest single increase in veterans funding in the 77 year history of the Veterans Administration.
The Omnibus Spending bill also authorized and appropriated $125 million to increases the mileage reimbursement rate for veterans traveling to a VA medical facility for the first time in 30 years. The reimbursement was raised from 11 cents a mile to 28.5 cents and went into effect on February 1, 2008. Since 2000, I have introduced legislation each Congress that would bring the veterans reimbursement rate to the same level as the federal reimbursement rate. While I am pleased with this increase, I will continue to work to push to align the reimbursement with the federal rate to provide relief for our veterans from today’s high gas prices. In addition, the Omnibus Spending bill provided funding to hire 1,800 new claims processors in order to help reduce the 400,000 claims backlog in the VA and to decrease processing wait times.
I am also working to change the way veterans’ health care is funded in Congress. The brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our Nation should not need to fight so hard each year for the health care and benefits they have earned. Constant cuts to our veterans’ health care are no way to honor our service members. That is why I am an original co-sponsor of the Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act (H.R. 2514). Currently, the veterans’ health care budget falls under a discretionary account. That means, each year, Congress is allowed to fund veterans’ health care as little or as much as they see fit. H.R. 2514 would prevent the President and Congress from tampering with veterans’ services like they are a disposable commodity. The bill shifts veterans’ health care from discretionary to mandatory funding. H.R. 2514 is the only way veterans are guaranteed the adequate health care services they deserve. The Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act is currently under review in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
In June, the President signed the Army Specialist Joseph P. Micks Federal Flag Code Amendment Act into law. The law is named for Joseph P. Micks, a soldier from Rapid River, Michigan who was killed in Iraq in July 2006. After Specialist Micks was killed, I heard from family members and veterans within the community that some federal facilities had lowered their flag in his honor while others had not. Such inconsistency in following the governor’s directive to fly flags at half-staff is hurtful and disrespectful to our brave men and women. My legislation requires federal facilities to lower their flags to half staff in honor of fallen heroes upon a governor’s proclamation.
The Defense Authorization Act, which the President signed into law on January 28, 2008, also includes two key initiatives I authored. The Fallen Service Member Respectful Return Amendment, which is based on my legislation (H.R.691), will ensure that the Department of Defense transports the remains of fallen soldiers by air to the military or civilian airport nearest to the final destination selected by the family. The DOD was forcing some rural families to drive hundreds of miles to large, urban airports to meet the remains of their loved ones.
In addition, the Defense Authorization Act would expand the education benefits for members of the National Guard and Reserve by allowing members who have served on active duty for 90 days or more after September 11, 2001 to utilize the Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP) for up to 10 years after their separation from the service. I introduced similar legislation (H.R. 3991) last year. With so many members of the Guard and Reserves deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan for extended tours of duty, it can be difficult for these young men and women to utilize their education benefits while they are overseas.
Currently, the Department of Defense pro-rates a soldier’s bonus based on the number of months the soldier served before he or she was medically discharged. I was first notified of this inexcusable policy by a constituent of mine who served with the Army National Guard in Iraq, and was denied part of his bonus after his Humvee struck in IED. In November and December of 2007, I sent four letters to the President and the Department of Defense requesting that they reverse this policy and ensure that all service members injured while in combat receive their full bonuses they were promised. The President’s inaction has forced Congress to intervene. Therefore, I co-sponsored H.R. 3793, the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act. This bill would establish a uniform Department of Defense policy to ensure that all outstanding bonuses are paid to service members who are injured in combat and cannot return to duty. H.R. 3793 was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 405 to 0 on December 19, 2007, and similar legislation was passed in the Senate on December 14, 2007. I look forward to finalizing this legislation and sending it to the President.
Please be assured I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to assure our nation’s service members receive all of the benefits they were promised and deserve.
