As we are reminded very sharply now with our forces fighting the war on terrorism to defend our nation’s freedom and security, we owe our servicemen and women and their families a great debt for their sacrifices. Fred Upton has a long record of providing fairer treatment and support to our veterans and their families.
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Ensuring veterans get a quality education
Fred supported this new law that discards the outdated benefits system and replaces it with a WWII style GI bill to cover the full cost of education at any public school in the country and many private schools. Benefits include upfront tuition payments directly to the school, $1000 per year for books and supplies, and a monthly living stipend for food and housing. The new GI bill will ensure that our servicemen and women returning from abroad will get the education they need to succeed after they have served our country in the Armed Services.
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Working to ensure veterans with traumatic brain injuries have access to the best care available
Due to the high frequency of Improvised Explosive Devices used in attacks against our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unfortunate reality is that traumatic brain injury has become the signature wound of these conflicts.
Improved armor and protective gear, coupled with state of the art advances in medical care on the ground during combat has meant that more soldiers are surviving injuries that once would have proved fatal. A traumatic brain injury can mean a lifetime of care and therapy; however, it is essential that a service member receive immediate care and rehabilitation to ensure the best, long-term prognosis.
Fred cosponsored The Traumatic Brain Injury Access to Options Act, H.R. 2048, in an effort to provide injured service members and their families with more options in obtaining the best possible care to meet their needs.
Seriously wounded soldiers go through a complicated process when they are medically discharged from service. For the most severe brain injuries, private facilities that have long been specializing in cognitive therapy are sometimes able to offer better or more convenient care than DoD or VA facilities. This bill will allow service members diagnosed with severe brain injuries the option to defer medical discharge from the military for up to one year after diagnosis so that they can receive TRICARE-covered cognitive rehabilitation and care at private facilities.
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Ensuring veterans promptly receive their disability benefits
Last Congress, Fred teamed with South Bend Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) in coauthoring the bipartisan Fairness in Veterans Disability Benefits Act, H.R. 1490, to streamline the process for the nation’s veterans to promptly receive disability benefits for injuries suffered in combat. Fred was alarmed to hear that after our brave sons and daughters have sacrificed so much serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, they return home only to encounter endless delays in their efforts to receive much needed disability benefits - an average of 177 days to be exact.
Currently, a veteran must prove to the Veterans’ Benefits Administration that his or her disability is service-connected in order to receive benefits. This process is lengthy and, as of the end of 2006, had resulted in a backlog of 400,000 cases.
The aim of the legislation is to streamline the process through which all veterans learn whether their injuries are considered service-connected under existing law. The Fairness in Veterans Disability Benefits Act simply shifts the burden of proof in the claims process to promptly award the disabled veteran a median benefit until the actual amount is determined by an auditing process. Our veterans deserve better, and this common sense legislation streamlines the claims process and ensures that our veterans receive an immediate benefit upon filing their disability claim.
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Suicide prevention for our veterans
Our Nation has a responsibility to provide the best medical care for our returning Service men and women. With Fred’s support, the House passed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 327), which establishes a comprehensive program to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans. The important measure was signed into law on November 5, 2007.
