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VA Begins Nationwide GI Bill Advertising Campaign

Friday, February 26th, 2010

VA Begins Nationwide GI Bill Advertising Campaign to Reach Student Veterans and Schools Ads to Be Placed in College Newspapers, Radio Stations, Campus Venues and On-Line Sites to Ensure Student Veterans and Service Members Receive Their Education Benefits

WASHINGTON (Feb. 23, 2010) – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced a two-month, nationwide advertising campaign to assist student Veterans and service members applying for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“VA, student Veterans and our schools have made significant progress in implementing the GI Bill this spring, but we still have more to do,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  “We won’t rest until all student Veterans have received the education benefit they earned in defense of our Nation.”

Since inception of this historic new program, VA has issued nearly $1.9 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments and opened the door to higher education to 209,490 people.

As of Feb. 12, VA has received spring semester Post-9/11 GI Bill enrollments from approximately 180,000 student Veterans and already paid nearly 90 percent of students.  All Post-9/11 GI Bill participants whose spring enrollments were received by Jan. 18 have been paid.

The GI Bill Advertising campaign includes half-page ads in top college publications, online and social media, print, radio, and outdoor advertising such as posters and flyers.  Public service announcements are being delivered to approximately 150 college radio stations and 750 local stations in areas where there is a high density of students, as well as military installations.

Student Veterans on college campuses will also see a variety of posters in registrars’ offices, dormitories, cafeterias, student union buildings and other high traffic areas.

“This comprehensive, nationwide advertising campaign will help us reach those student Veterans, service members and educational administrators who need help in understanding the GI Bill and their role in the benefits process,” said Keith Wilson, director of VA’s educational service.

Social media and online advertising will be extensively used to reach the younger generation of student Veterans.  VA will place banner ads on social media sites such as Facebook, Google, MySpace, Yahoo, and other outlets.

Text messaging ads will also link student Veterans to VA.  By texting “GIBILL,” Veterans will receive the basic message: “You Served.  Get Benefits.”  Veterans will then be directed to follow three steps: “Review your benefit options online.  Submit your application.  And check with your school certifying official to confirm that your VA enrollment certification has been sent to VA.”

VA also developed a hip pocket guide and checklist with helpful tips to assist Veterans and service members in the application process.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress last year, is the most extensive educational assistance program authorized since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944.

Information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as well as VA’s other educational benefit programs, is available at VA’s Web site, www.gibill.va.gov <http://www.gibill.va.gov/> , or by calling 1-888-GIBILL-1 (or 1-888-442-4551).

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Associated Press News Release Feb 11, 2010 Post 9/11 GI Billpayments

Friday, February 26th, 2010

WASHINGTON – The Veterans Affairs Department is more efficiently cutting checks for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to attend college this semester, following a rocky rollout last fall that left veterans so cash-strapped there was concern some wouldn’t re-enroll.

As of Feb. 5, nearly 90 percent of enrollments for the 167,000 veterans submitted to the VA for the Post-9/11 GI Bill had been paid out, the VA said. And it said all those submitted by Jan. 19 were paid.

The new GI Bill was designed to be the most comprehensive benefit for veterans since World War II. Last semester, however, there were so many hiccups that the VA had to issue $3,000 advance checks to 122,000 veterans who needed help with expenses as they waited for their claim to be processed.

Even as the fall semester was wrapping up, thousands of colleges and universities were waiting for tuition reimbursement from the VA and there was concern affected veterans wouldn’t be allowed to enroll for the spring semester by their schools or would drop out of frustration. Amid the problems, there were complaints that calls to a helpline went unanswered, although even now the helpline is only manned Monday to Wednesday.

The VA was able to make processing improvements by hiring new staff and streamlining operations, VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts said in an e-mail.

Advocates say they’ve not heard widespread reports of veterans not returning for the spring semester because of GI Bill problems. While there are still complaints about some back pay issues and about the accuracy of payments, “What we’ve seen has been pretty encouraging,” said Ryan Gallucci, a spokesman for AMVETS.

Roberts said the VA has processed all claims from last semester if it has all the veteran’s paperwork and there is no outstanding information to verify.

On Feb. 4, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that a more automated system to process new GI Bill claims will be implemented by December. The president’s proposed budget seeks $44 million to help fund the upgrades.

The maximum benefit under the new GI Bill allows eligible veterans to attend a public college or university for free for four years, provides a monthly housing stipend, and up to $1,000 a year for books. Active duty service members can transfer the benefit to immediate family members.

In recent weeks, veterans have been notified that they must begin to pay back the $3,000 advance checks.

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Injured Veterans Suffer Consequences of Lingering Communication Gap between DoD and VA

Friday, February 26th, 2010
NEWS FROM…

CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Kristal DeKleer at (202) 225-9756

Injured Veterans Suffer Consequences of Lingering Communication Gap between DoD and VA

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, January 21, 2010, the House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, led by Chairman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), conducted a hearing to evaluate the social work case management which is essential to coordinating complex components of care for polytrauma patients and their families.  The hearing focused on how the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) cooperate to support wounded veterans during the transition process and the specific specialized services offered to injured veterans who are transitioning to civilian life. 

“Time and again, we have heard from our returning service members, expecting a smooth transition back to the lives they once lived, only to find themselves lost in a complex and frustrating bureaucracy,” said Chairman Mitchell.  “It is imperative that VA and DOD make certain our veterans are receiving the best possible care available, provide veterans with the services and resources they have earned, and most importantly, work together to ensure that these earned benefits are seamlessly delivered.”

Veteran Sean Johnson testified about a March 2006 mortar attack that left him with an undiagnosed traumatic brain injury.  He described a faulty system that places the burden on the veteran to deliver paperwork, fight for specialized services, and independently navigate the medical evaluation system.  He said, “I am concerned with the lack of continuity or ‘seamless transition’ between active duty, the return home, the VA healthcare system, and the family.  It is unreasonable that an injured soldier who is not able to be rehabilitated for deployment must wait more than two years for his medical review board to be completed.  I am disheartened that soldiers are brushed aside in medical holding units or at home waiting for repeated exams and claims decisions. After years of work on electronic exchange of medical computer records, it doesn’t seem to be any closer than before.” 

Representatives from veteran advocacy organizations reported an overloaded system that allows injured veterans to fall through the cracks.  Specifically, veterans have trouble getting their military records sent to VA following discharge, resulting in injured veterans and their family members copying and delivering records themselves.  They also reported a lack of immediate screening and proactive treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress that can affect service members in combat.  The need for caregiver support along with increased financial support to specially adapt homes and vehicles following serious injury was also discussed.

Deputy Under Secretary Noel Koch operates the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy and provided testimony detailing a pilot evaluation program that reduced the wait for from pilot entry to VA benefits decision.  Mr. Koch regarded Veteran Sean Johnson’s case as a “tragic anomaly.”  Regarding reports of less than seamless transition, he said, “Things take time.  Sometimes you don’t discover problems until you actually go out and look for them.” 

When discussing the plight of wounded warriors, Mr. Koch said, “When people look at our wounded veterans, they look at traumatic amputations and their heart goes out to that, and all of ours do.  But these people deal with these things very easily.  The people who have difficulties are those who suffer from post-traumatic stress, and so that’s one of the things we’re wrestling with.  Now, it has been noted that we have a lot of effort behind this and we have a lot of programs and our biggest problem is a lack of ability to put this before the people who need it.  We don’t communicate well.” 

“I am very concerned that the support system for our service members and veterans is stretched thin and allows wounded warriors to fall through the cracks,” said Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  “As the country prepares for a military surge, it must also prepare for a surge of veterans. Today’s hearing shows that gaps remain and there is no real sense of direction on how to solve this problem.  Congress continues to pass laws and provide oversight, but until the military commits to proactive medical screenings for traumatic brain injury, lifetime electronic medical records are a reality, and the VA actively seeks to counsel veterans in need, injured veterans will continue to be harmed because they cannot access the care and benefits they need.  We can – and must – do better.”         

Witness List

Panel 1

·       Staff Sergeant Sean D. Johnson, USA, Aberdeen, SD, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran)

·       Joseph L. Wilson, Deputy Director for Health Care, National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission, The American Legion

·       Thomas Tarantino, Legislative Associate, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

·       Captain Jonathan Pruden, USA, (Ret.), Area Outreach Coordinator, Wounded Warrior Project

Panel 2

·       Honorable Noel Koch, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, U.S. Department of Defense

·       Madhulika Agarwal, M.D., MPH, Chief Officer, Office of Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Accompanied by:

o       Karen Guice, M.D., MPP, Executive Director, Federal Recovery Coordination Program, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs  

o       Paul Hutter, Chief Officer of Legislative, Regulatory, and Intergovernmental Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

###

Prepared testimony for the hearing and a link to the webcast from the hearing is available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=519. 

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VA Press Release Jan 21, 10 Recovery of Post 9/11 GI BillAdvance Payments

Friday, February 26th, 2010

WASHINGTON –The Department of Veterans Affairs is beginning the process of recovering advance payments made available during the fall 2009 semester to Veterans and servicemembers who applied for education benefits.

“The advance payments were a huge success and helped thousands of student Veterans during the first days of the historic Post 9/11 GI Bill focus on studies and not their finances,” said Keith Wilson, Director of Education Services at VA. “Now, we can get to the business of closing the books on advance payments and focus supporting Veterans for the spring semester.”

VA will begin sending out notification letters this week explaining the repayment process.

In October VA instituted an advanced payment process for all eligible students who were currently enrolled in an institution of higher learning for the fall 2009 term to ensure that all Veterans and eligible students were able to focus on their academic studies and not be burdened with financial concerns.  As part of that process, a web portal was established to allow electronic submission for advance payment.  Advance payments were also made on-site at VA offices around the country.   At that time student Veterans were told that advance payments would be deducted from future benefit payments.

In collaboration with the Department of Defense, VA will also notify active duty service members who may have mistakenly applied for the advance payment of their options for returning un-cashed checks or reimbursing deposited funds.

VA discontinued advance payments via the website portal following the conclusion of the fall 2009 semester.  VA is currently processing approximately 7,000 education benefits daily, up from an average of 2,000 at the beginning of the fall 2009 term.  As of January 22 the Department has processed more than 105,000 of the approximately 132,000 spring enrollments received. Since the inception of the historic new program last year, VA has paid out more than $1.3 billion in education benefits, and opened the door to higher education to more than 183,000 Veteran students.

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VA, DoD discuss suicide research, screening

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Military Times

VA, DoD discuss suicide research, screening

By Kelly Kennedy

As Veterans Affairs and Defense Department officials gathered at a conference Jan. 12 to discuss what research tells them about suicide in the military, a young Army captain stood up to ask a question:

“What can we do at the unit level? That’s the only reason my commander sent me here.”

He left empty-handed.

“There are certainly things you could do, but there’s nothing evidence-based,” said Col. Carl Castro, a psychologist and director of operations for the Medicine Research Program in the Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command. “This is a very complex problem. Nobody has the answer.”

Castro called suicide the military’s “No. 2 or 3 priority, with [post-traumatic stress disorder] at No. 1.”

But he did have some ideas. He said screening is “an area we could definitely do better in,” and also said the two suicide-related questions on the current post-deployment health assessment probably are insufficient.

The Army has been working since 2007 on a five-year study with the National Institute of Mental Health and launched about 10 suicide research projects in 2008. Last year, a series of workshops was held to map out a course for research.

Kerry Knox, director of the VA Center of Excellence at Canandaigua, N.Y., has been looking at the issues associated with veterans and suicide and said one of the biggest warning signs seems to be “executive dysfunction” — the inability to plan and execute tasks well, such as remembering appointments or completing a project.

Those problems also have been associated with PTDS, traumatic brain injury and substance abuse. VA is researching suicide rates in veterans who have reported problems with memory, attention or motor skills.

Drug overdoses also have been a factor, so researchers are looking into whether putting medications in blister packs that need to be opened separately for each pill, rather than in a bottle, might deter people from taking several pills at once.

VA also is reviewing the effectiveness of suicide hot lines and prevention coordinators at VA medical centers and evaluating public awareness campaigns to see whether people seek help in greater numbers after seeing a poster or TV announcement.

Castro said part of the problem is that things that work for civilian populations may have the opposite effect on service members because of the military mind-set about what makes them successful or defines them as individuals.

“This is a major problem, and we are tackling it from many directions,” Castro said. “It’s going to take all of us working together to do that.”

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VA Reaching Out for Spring Term with New GI Bill

Friday, February 26th, 2010

VA Reaching Out to Students and Schools to Speed Benefit Payments

“Shared Responsibilities” Among Schools, Students and VA

WASHINGTON (Jan. 20, 2010) – In a coordinated effort to speed up the processing of Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits this spring, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it has been reaching out to student Veterans, service members, university officials and other partners to meet its commitment to an aggressive processing goal by Feb. 1, 2010. Feb. 1 is the first date spring payments are due and presently VA has processed over 72,000 of the approximately 103,000 spring enrollments received.  Since inception of the historic new program last year, VA has paid over $1.3 billion in benefits to more than 170,000 students.

“Only by VA and all of our partners working together will students be better served,” said VA’s Acting Under Secretary for Benefits Mike Walcoff.  “We are making a concerted effort to reach out to everyone to provide the timely benefits that those who served our nation deserve.”

Walcoff said there are “shared responsibilities” between VA, universities and the students to ensure the success of processing the education benefits on time.”

VA has sent letters to university presidents and school certifying officials, state Veterans affairs directors, and notified Veteran service organizations, congressional members and other education stakeholders highlighting VA’s emphasis on the importance of timely submission of school enrollment information.

VA also released a “Hip Pocket” guide and checklist, with helpful tips to assist Veterans in the application process.  The guide and checklist
can be found on college campuses and VA’s GI Bill Web site, www.gibill.va.gov <http://www.gibill.va.gov/> .

VA is working to provide timely payments to all eligible Veterans to ensure that students are spared the financial hardships which some faced during the fall 2009 term.

To help address the high volume of claims received for the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, VA hired 530 employees, bringing the total number of education claims processors to 1,200.  Employees have been working mandatory overtime since August 2009.  Additionally, the department awarded a temporary contract to assist with education claims processing.

Veterans, servicemembers, Reservists, and members of the National Guard who served on active duty since September 11, 2001 are potentially eligible for the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.  It provides payments for tuition and fees, as well as a housing allowance and stipend for books and supplies for many participants.

Under the new GI Bill, some members of the armed forces may transfer benefits to a spouse or dependent children.

Information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as well as VA’s other educational benefit programs, is available at VA’s Web site, www.gibill.va.gov <http://www.gibill.va.gov/> , or by calling 1-888-GIBILL-1 (or 1-888-442-4551).

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DOD Press Release Jan 15, 09 Army suicide data December 09

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The Army released suicide data today for the month of December. Among active-duty soldiers, there were ten potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and nine remain under investigation. For November, the Army reported 11 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, three have been confirmed as suicides, and eight remain under investigation.

There were 160 reported active-duty Army suicides during 2009.  Of these, 114 have been confirmed, and 46 are pending determination of manner of death. During 2008, there were 140 suicides among active-duty soldiers.
During December 2009, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were six potential suicides. For the year 2009, among that same group, there were 78 total suicides. Of those, 49 were confirmed as suicides and 29 are pending determination of the manner of death. For 2008, there were 57 suicides among reserve soldiers who were not on active duty.
“There’s no question that 2009 was a painful year for the Army when it came to suicides. We took wide-ranging measures last year to confront the problem, from the service-wide stand-down and chain-teach program, to enhanced suicide prevention programs and guidance for our Army units, and the suicide prevention research through our partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health,” said Col. Christopher Philbrick, deputy director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. 
In 2010, the Army will continue to update and conduct suicide prevention training and improve procedures to ensure soldiers and families receive the support they need when undergoing key transitions, such as moving to another duty station or separating from the Army.
As part of the ongoing Army Campaign Plan for Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention, the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force will complete a thorough analysis and assessment of each of the Army’s current suicide prevention programs to determine which are most effectively meeting the needs of the Army community.
“Our assessment will give us the data we need to make decisions about how our programs should be expanded or adjusted, while at the same time maintaining our focus on saving soldiers’ lives,” Philbrick added.
The Army’s comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp .
Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf .
Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental U.S. is 1-800-342-9647. Their website address is http://www.militaryonesource.com. Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource website for dialing instructions for their specific location.
The DCoE Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil .
Information about the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is located at http://www.army.mil/csf/.

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Veterans Organizations Voice Concerns Over National Health Care Proposal Buyer Agrees that the Complex Legislation Could Have Harmful Impact on Veterans

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Washington, D.C.—Major veterans’ organizations are speaking out against a number of provisions within the proposed House version of the national health care reform plan that could adversely affect veterans and their families.

Such organizations include The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warrior Project, Vietnam Veterans of America, Blinded Veterans Association, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Six of the organizations sent a joint letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stating that they have “grave concerns” about the bill and that they “would oppose this legislation because it could limit health care choices for veterans, increase the cost of health care for veterans, deny coverage to dependent family members of veterans, and threaten the quality of health care offered to veterans through the VA system.”

The American Legion wrote a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman that it “is deeply concerned with veterans’ related issues” in the proposal.

The veterans’ service organization letters are attached or they can be viewed at the following link:

http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/

Steve Buyer, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, shares the organizations’ concerns that the thousand plus pages of H.R. 3200 hold provisions that could unfairly penalize veterans.

“The Democrats’ national health care reform bill is an affront to our solemn obligation to maintain the integrity and independence of our military and veterans’ health care systems,” Buyer said. “Veterans enrolled in VA health care should never be subjected to punitive taxes for failure to have ‘acceptable’ health insurance.”

“I am pleased that many veterans’ service organizations share my perspective, and that some have pledged to oppose the bill if our mutual concerns are not addressed.”

Buyer is planning on introducing several amendments to address veterans’ service organizations concerns.

For more news from House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, please go to:

http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/

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VA Stumbles in Providing Vocational Rehab to Veterans

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Washington, D.C. -On Thursday, July 30, 2009, Economic Opportunity Subcommittee Chairwoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) conducted a hearing to review the National Acquisition Strategy (NAS) utilized by the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The NAS was implemented on July 21, 2008, to supplement VA services for employment counseling for veterans.  The NAS authorized VR&E to set up a one-year contract with private vendors, with the option to extend the contracts on a yearly basis.  VA recently revealed that it will not exercise its one-year contract renewal option and will unveil an updated strategy in early 2010.
“Today, we were able to obtain valuable feedback from prime contractors and stakeholders regarding areas of concern and their recommendations to improve VA’s National Acquisition Strategy for counseling services,” said Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin. “This Subcommittee will address the number of complaints directed toward the VA from prime contractors tasked with providing counseling services to veterans.  Our goal is to provide timely services for veterans working to achieve their employment goals, and we must address the pitfalls facing this contracting strategy.”
VR&E services include job coaching, computer skill tutorials, self employment business evaluations, and placement services.  The goal of the NAS was to streamline services, standardize the contracting process, increase access, and supplement services in a timely manner.  Vendors reported irregularities in the new process including improper referral of cases, regional inconsistencies, delays in payments, and lack of standardized forms.
“The contracting policies in use for the VR&E program are a cause for alarm,” said Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  “As a country at war, veterans are returning to a troubled job market and a contracted economy.  Our veterans do not have the luxury of time to wait for the VA to get this right.  I would like to thank Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin for her leadership as she works to understand the current concerns to prevent the same pitfalls as the VA works to craft an effective national strategy.”
Witness List
Panel 1
·       Patrick F. Chorpenning,President and Chief Executive Officer, Heritage of America, LLC
·       Anthony Tarkowski, President, Sygnetics, Inc.
Panel 2
·       Richard Daley, Associate Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America
·       Joe Wynn, Treasurer, Executive Committee, Veterans Entrepreneurship Task Force
Panel 3
·       Ruth Fanning,Director, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by
o       C. Ford Heard,Executive Director, Center for Acquisition Innovation, Office of Acquisitions and Logistics, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
·       Philip S. Kauffman, Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Prepared testimony and a link to a recording of the hearing are available on the internet at this link:  http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=455.

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Filner Bill Allows Elderly Veterans to Use Their Earned Medicare Dollars for VA Health Care

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Washington, D.C. –Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Bob Filner introduced H.R. 3365 to allow veterans to use their earned Medicare benefits to receive health care and services from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  Under current law, VA has the authority to bill enrolled veterans and their private health care insurers for the treatment of veterans’ non-service-connected conditions.  Current law, however, prohibits the billing of Medicare, barring elderly veterans from using their earned Medicare benefits at VA health care facilities.  H.R. 3365, the Medicare Reimbursement Act of 2009, would require VA to develop a program that would allow VA to bill Medicare for services rendered to veterans enrolled in Medicare Part A or B.
“There are veterans who have earned VA health care benefits with their service to our country,” stated Chairman Filner.  “They have also earned Medicare benefits by contributing to the Medicare program during their working years.  Because VA cannot bill Medicare, elderly veterans are unable to use their Medicare benefits, even if they may prefer to receive care at a VA facility among their fellow veterans.  So for those veterans, they basically forgo the hard-earned dollars that they contributed towards Medicare benefits during their working years.  H.R. 3365 is an important bill that would allow elderly veterans to access both VA health care and their Medicare benefits.”

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