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DEMOCRATIC PRESS RELEASE
September 24, 2008
-------------------------
Filner Leads House in Passage of
Comprehensive Bills to Help Veterans Prevent Foreclosure, Access the
Health Care They Need and Receive Earned Disability Benefits in a Timely
Fashion
Filner Expects Senate Passage and Urges
President to Sign Bills into Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, September 24, 2008, Bob Filner (D-CA),
Chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, announced that the House
of Representatives passed comprehensive legislation to provide improved
health care services and increased benefits for our Nation’s veterans.
Chairman Filner (D-CA) thanked his Republican and Democratic colleagues
for their contributions to the comprehensive legislative package. He also
thanked his Senate counterparts for their dedication to working together
to craft legislation that will address the important and timely needs of
veterans.
 Chairman
Filner offered the following statement on the House Floor: “Over the
course of the 110th Congress, we have learned much about the needs of our
Nation’s veterans and the bills passed today go a long way to address
them. S. 2162 takes care of the men and women who have given so much to
defend this Nation and provides our veterans with the quality health care
programs and services they need and so richly deserve. S. 3023 will help
modernize the VA claims processing system and assist it in becoming a 21st
century, world-class entity that reflects the selfless and priceless
sacrifices of those it serves – our veterans, their families, and
survivors.”
The following bills were considered and approved by the House of
Representatives:
S. 2162, as amended – The Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care
Improvements Act of 2008 (Introduced by Senator Akaka)
Provisions of the bill include (but are not limited to):
Expanding treatment for substance use disorders and mental health care;
Conducting research into co-morbid PTSD and substance use disorders
through the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder;
Providing mental health care, including counseling, for families, of
veterans;
Providing reimbursement for a veteran for the costs of emergency treatment
received in a non-VA facility;
Establishing a pilot program to allow a highly rural veteran to receive
non-VA health care;
Designating at least four VA health care facilities as epilepsy centers of
excellence;
Mandating the VA to centralize third party billing functions at
consolidated centers;
Eliminating a rule prohibiting VA from conducting widespread testing for
HIV infection;
Expanding health care benefits provided to the children of Vietnam and
Korean war veterans born with spina bifida;
Developing and implementing a comprehensive policy on pain care
management;
Expanding referral and counseling services for certain at-risk and
transitional veterans;
Providing support services for very low-income veteran families residing
in permanent housing; and,
Authorizing major medical facility projects for 2009.
Michael Michaud, Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee,
led the Committee in expanding treatment for veterans suffering from
substance use disorders. He provided the following statement in support of
S. 2162: “Over the past several years, Congress has increased funding for
VA health care, including for substance abuse treatment programs. But
substance use disorders frequently co-occur with other mental health
conditions, and the need for services is increasing. VA needs to
rededicate itself to providing comprehensive services that can address
both substance abuse and other mental health conditions such as PTSD. By
passing this bill today, we are taking a huge step forward. This bill will
improve health care for veterans everywhere and ensures that a full
continuum of care is provided with respect to substance use disorders at
all VA medical centers.”
Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) provided necessary leadership and
fought to provide appropriate treatment for veterans that suffer from
epilepsy. Perlmutter provided the following statement in support of S.
2162: “Our service men and women bravely fought for us, now it is time to
fight for them and provide them with the best, highest quality medical
care available. As the father of a daughter with epilepsy, I understand
and am committed to making sure our nation provides the critical medical
care and research necessary to give these brave veterans the highest
quality medical treatment by establishing Epilepsy Centers of Excellence
within the VA Hospital System. Furthermore, this bill honors our veterans
by authorizing $568.4 million for the construction of the new VA Medical
Center at the Fitzsimons medical campus in Aurora. This hospital will
serve thousands of veterans in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain
region. This bill meets our moral obligation to our service men and women
who are defending our country overseas to help them when they return
home.”
Representative Shelly Berkley (D-NV) offered the following statement as a
tribute to Justin Bailey, who, after redeploying from Operation Iraqi
Freedom, died in a VA domiciliary facility while receiving care for PTSD
and substance use disorder: “Lance Corporal Justin Bailey sought help for
PTSD and substance use and he was under VA care when his life tragically
ended. We owe it to his memory and to the Bailey family to see that what
happened in his final days at a VA facility is never again repeated.
Studies have shown that as many as one in five veterans returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing PTSD and that leaves these
individuals at an increased risk of developing a substance use disorder.
This bill will help to ensure that we offer our veterans a full array of
VA treatment and counseling programs designed to address mental health
issues arising from their military service.”
Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) offered the following statement in
support of S. 2162: “As someone who served in the company of heroes, it is
unconscionable that so many of my fellow veterans seek shelter night after
night. I am proud that we have begun the important task of making sure
that the brave Americans who once faced down our enemies don’t have to
face another night out on the street.”
Chairman Filner, a champion of expanding mental health treatment access
and options for veterans, applauded the hard work of Congressman Phil Hare
(D-IL) and said: “Congressman Phil Hare continues to work hard for
veterans and their families. He has been an extremely hard working member
of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and he is dedicated to expanding mental
health treatment, counseling, and mental health services to family members
of veterans who are seeking treatment. Accessing mental health services
for family members is particularly important for our newest generation of
veterans and their families, many of whom are struggling with
post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.”
S. 3023, as amended – The Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 2008
Provisions of the bill include (but are not limited to):
Directing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability
benefits claims processing system of the VA to ensure the accurate and
timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families and
survivors;
Establishing an Office of Survivors Assistance within the VA;
Allowing temporary disability ratings for certain veterans;
Addressing employee training for those responsible for processing claims
by redeveloping the certification exam and requiring an evaluation of the
training and quality assurance program;
Decreasing the equity requirement to refinance a home loan;
Extending two pilot programs that offer adjustable rate loans;
Reforming the USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act) complaint process and ensuring that equitable relief is
available to all USERRA victims when appropriate;
Increasing the number of veterans that can participate in the independent
living program;
Updating housing construction and design guidelines to take into account
any new or unique disabilities for veterans in need of specially adaptive
housing;
Providing assistance to the United States Paralympic Program for veterans
and members of the Armed Services;
Extending Servicemember Civil Relief Act protections to help service
members with deployment orders to more easily terminate or suspend cell
phone contracts without fee or penalty; and,
Repealing the sunset provision for the Advisory Committee on Minority
Veterans.
Representative John Hall (D-NY) offered the following statement in support
of S. 3023: "As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs, I have made overhauling the broken disability claims
process a top priority. It's a disgrace that veterans have to wait months
or years for the benefits they have earned because of a bureaucracy that
simply doesn't work. A nimble, responsive VA claims system could go a long
way to help our nation live up to its commitment to care for wounded
veterans and their families. It could help prevent suicides, bankruptcies,
poverty, family disruptions, and homelessness among our nation’s disabled
veterans. We can and must change the way Washington handles the claims of
our injured veterans.”
Chairman Filner stated, “There are nearly 24 million veterans in this
country, more than 2.7 million of whom receive disability compensation
benefits from the VA. S. 3023 would comprehensively modernize the VBA
claims processing system and arm it with the up-to-date tools and
paradigms it needs to process claims using integrated information
technology and platforms, while improving accountability, timeliness, and
quality of adjudicated claims. I want to thank Mr. Hall for his leadership
in tackling the central issues that have led to the unmanageable claims
backlog and the lack of accountability within the VA. Veterans can now
have hope that the VA will finally stand for Veterans Advocate, instead of
Veterans Adversary!”
H.R. 6980 (Introduced by Representative Henry Brown)
This bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the
amount of the Medal of Honor special pension provided under that title by
up to $1,000.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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