The Mid-Atlantic Regional Group

Blinded Veterans Association

Legislative News

 

May 1, 2008 

 

Both the house and senate VA Chairmen are working this month to get several key pieces of legislation moved for votes before Memorial Day recess. Below are some press releases on the pending legislation. 

 

AKAKA INTRODUCES BILL TO CONTINUE OVERSIGHT FOR TROOPS RETURNING FROM COMBAT INTO NEXT ADMINISTRATION

 

Bill calls for three-year extension for VA/DoD Senior Oversight Committee  

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced a bill yesterday to ensure the continuation of the VA/DOD Senior Oversight Committee (SOC), the entity responsible for improving transition from military service to veteran status for severely wounded and injured servicemembers.  The SOC was formed in the wake of last year’s Walter Reed scandal and is scheduled to be terminated in January 2009.   

 

“The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will outlast the current Administration.  So too should the Defense and Veterans Affairs Departments combined efforts to assist servicemembers returning from war,” said Akaka.  “I am committed to sustaining this effort as long as our troops are in combat.”   

 

The proposed Senior Oversight Committee Extension Act of 2008 would require a three-year extension of the SOC, ensuring that it would continue to oversee and assist in shaping VA and DOD oversight and transition activities.  The Administration’s current plan is to eliminate the SOC and shift its responsibilities to the existing VA/DOD Joint Executive Council (JEC).  The JEC has neither full-time staff nor the senior-level involvement that exists in SOC (which is co-chaired by the VA and DOD Deputy Secretaries).  

Chairman Akaka has long advocated for the continuity of VA and DOD’s SOC.  Earlier this year, he called on the Departments to develop a succession plan  for the upcoming change in Administration.  Last week, he held his  eleventh hearing  on VA and DOD cooperation and collaboration, in which he pressed the Departments on the need for stronger oversight and improved transition for returning service men and women.   

 

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Approves Landmark Bills 

 

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee led by Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), approved fourteen bills to improve services and benefits provided for America’s veterans at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 

 

“Caring for veterans is an ongoing cost of war and the measures passed today will have an impact on our veterans and their dependents,” said Chairman Filner.  “I would like to thank the Subcommittee Chairs and the Ranking Members for their hard work and strong bipartisan leadership in crafting these bills that we have passed today.”     

 

Five of the bills passed today address the health care needs of veterans, including a bill to authorize major medical facility projects and leases for Fiscal Year 2009. 

 

1.      H.R. 2790, as amended - To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services within the office of the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health. 

 

2.      H.R. 3819 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reimburse veterans receiving emergency treatment in non-Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for such treatment until such veterans are transferred to Department facilities, and for other purposes.

 

3.      H.R. 5729 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide comprehensive health care to children of Vietnam veterans born with Spina Bifida, and for other purposes. (Passed with amendment)

 

4.      H.R. 5554, as amended - To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand and improve health care services available to veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs for substance use disorders, and for other purposes.

 

5.      H.R. 5856 – To authorize major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2009, and for other purposes.

 

The Committee took great strides to improve readjustment services and benefits for troops and veterans with the passage of seven bills.  The Committee approved legislation to improve the VA home loan program, including H.R. 4883 and H.R. 4884, both introduced by Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.  H.R. 4883 would prohibit foreclosure of property owned by a service member for one year following a period of military service.  H.R. 4884, the Helping Our Veterans to Keep Their Homes Act of 2008, would increase the maximum home loan guarantee amount and reduce the home loan funding fees for veterans.  The Committee also approved H.R. 5684, a bill to improve veterans’ educational benefits for active duty troops.  The author of the bill, Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin, accepted an amendment to also include educational benefit increases for members of the National Guard and Reserve. 

 

 

6.      H.R. 3681 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to advertise in the national media to promote awareness of benefits under laws administered by the Secretary.  (Passed with amendments)

 

7.      H.R. 3889, as amended – To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a longitudinal study of the vocational rehabilitation programs administered by the Secretary.  (Passed with amendment)

 

8.      H.R. 4883 – To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide for a limitation on the sale, foreclosure, or seizure of property owned by a servicemember during the one-year period following the servicemember's period of military service. (Passed with amendment)

 

9.      H.R. 4884, as amended – To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the home loan guaranty programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. (Passed with amendment)

 

10.     H.R. 4889, as amended – To amend title 38, United States Code, to recodify as part of that title chapter 1607 of title 10, United States Code.

 

11.     H.R. 5664, as amended – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update at least once every six years the plans and specifications for specially adapted housing furnished to veterans by the Secretary.

 

12.     H.R. 5684, as amended – To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the basic educational assistance program administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. (Passed with amendments)

 

The final two bills approved by the Committee would provide a cost-of-living adjustment for service-connected disability compensation rates and would modernize the disability claims processing system at the VA. 

 

13.     H.R. 5826 – To increase, effective as of December 1, 2008, the rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans, and for other purposes.

 

14.     H.R. 5892 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability benefits claims processing system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families and survivors, and for other purposes.

 

“This Committee continues to take bold action to keep the promises that have been made to our veterans,” said Chairman Filner.  “I thank my colleagues for their persistent efforts to make positive differences in the lives of our veterans.”   

 

The volume of legislation again on veterans issues has been constantly high since last year.

 

Tom Zampieri

Blinded Veterans Association

Washington DC 

BVA's Legislative Alerts Group

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