Archive for the ‘VFW Weekly’ Category

VFW Weekly Jan 27, 2009

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009


1. Senate Confirms Two Key Cabinet Members
2. Committee Assignments Begin
3. VFW Says Closing GITMO Not Prudent

1. Senate Confirms Two Key Cabinet Members: The Senate signed off on many of President Obama’s cabinet members this week.  Among those confirmed were VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Shinseki has promised to begin work on several high priority items during his first days in office. Among them is the implementation of GI Bill benefits, streamlining disability claims, and modernizing the delivery of benefits, to include working with DOD on seamless transition for newly discharged veterans.

2. Committee Assignments Begin: Congress began organizing committees and naming members for its 111th session.  The House VA Committee chairman and ranking member remains the same — Bob Filner (D-CA) and Steve Buyer (R-IN), respectively.  Likewise, the Senate VA Committee retained Daniel Akaka (D-HI) as its chairman and Richard Burr (R-NC) as the ranking member.  The Senate Armed Services Committee leadership stayed the same with Carl Levin (D-MI) as chairman and John McCain (R-AZ) as its ranking member.  The only change was in the House Armed Services Committee.  Ike Skelton (D-MO) is still chairman, but John McHugh (R-NY) takes over as ranking member after the retirement of California’s Duncan Hunter.  Subcommittee chairmanships for all of the committees including the Military/VA Appropriations have yet to be named.

3. VFW Says Closing GITMO Not Prudent: VFW National Commander Glen Gardner said yesterday’s presidential decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is not a prudent course of action during a time of war because the facility is a valuable tool in the fight against terrorism that provides useful intelligence information and keeps our enemies off the battlefield.  President Obama’s executive order will begin an immediate case-by-case review of 245 remaining detainees, and close the detention facility within a year. The decision is being applauded by human rights organizations and criticized by the families of 9/11 victims, who know that admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed is one of the detainees.  Gardner, who traveled to Guantanamo in November 2007 to witness a trial as an objective observer, wants the administration to thoroughly examine its real options, because the executive decision generates more questions than answers.  Some of the questions concern how and where will remaining detainees be kept while awaiting trial, how to make convictions stick, and how to ensure those released do not return to the battlefield.  To read the VFW press release, go to: http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=4896

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VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY Sept. 29, 2008

Monday, September 29th, 2008


In This Issue:
1. VA Funding Increased in CR
2. VFW Testifies on GI Bill Implementation
3. Senate VA Committee Examines VA/DOD IT Progress
4. FY2009 NDAA Update
5. Code Talkers Recognition Act

1. VA Funding Increased in CR: Both the House and Senate have cleared a comprehensive spending measure to fund most government programs at fiscal 2008 levels. The Continuing Resolution includes the FY2009 Military Construction/VA Appropriation (HR 6599) to fund VA at $4.5 billion above last year; the appropriation meets Independent Budget recommendations for healthcare. This is a victory for veterans and for the VFW. The President is expected to sign the bill this week. Some of the highlights include:

• $3.8 billion for mental healthcare and $584 million for substance abuse programs;
• $250 million to improve access for veterans in rural areas;
• $510 million for medical and prosthetic research;
• $130 million for homeless grants and per diem program
For complete coverage of the bill visit the House Appropriations website at:
http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/MCFY09CONFSummary09-22-08.pdf

2. VFW Testifies on GI Bill Implementation: The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held a hearing Wednesday on the VA’s ability to meet the Aug. 1, 2009, implementation deadline of the new GI Bill (P.L. 110-252), and the use of a private contractor to design the IT plan. Because VA lacks an IT department sufficient to design and develop such a system to administer the new benefit, the VFW testified in support of hiring of an outside contractor to develop a web-based computer program that allows veterans and VA employees to access the program online. Our view is VA has not been clear in its message about the contracting goal, which has created confusion and concern. VFW testified that VA needs a fail-safe plan in order for the benefit to be ready for eligible veterans by Aug. 1. 2009. We also testified that it was paramount that VA maintain ownership of the data, as well as the computer applications that the contractor will provide to administer the program. To read our testimony and the full hearing documents, visit the House VA Committee website at http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/

3. SVAC Examines VA/DOD IT Progress: The Senate VA Committee held an oversight hearing on VA and DOD’s Information Technology progress. The FY2007 NDAA mandates that VA and DOD develop interoperable “seamless” health systems by September 2009. The Senate committee has held 10 hearings on the subject and has urged both agencies to continue to make progress to meet the 2009 deadline. Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-HI) applauded the progress made, but made reference to a recent GAO report that outlined many more areas that needed further attention and action. For more on the hearing, visit the Senate VA Committee website at http://veterans.senate.gov/public/.

4. FY2009 NDAA Update: A House and Senate conference committee reached agreement this week on the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act. The House passed the bill by a vote of 392-39. The Senate is expected to also adopt it, and send it to the President for his signature.

NDAA highlights include:
• A military pay raise of 3.9%;
• Prohibits TRICARE premium increases, and co-pays or user fees for the TRICARE retail pharmacy program;
• Requires DOD to recalculate the monthly premiums being charged to TRICARE Reserve Select beneficiaries;
• Provides tuition assistance and training opportunities for military spouses seeking degrees or careers that are portable as they move with their military spouse to other duty locations;
• Authorizes $1.7 billion for new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles for combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan;
• $3.2 billion for quality military housing;
• And prohibits the use of funds to establish permanent bases in Iraq.
More NDAA highlights and bill language can be found on the House Armed Services Committee website at: http://www.house.gov/hasc/.

5. Code Talkers Recognition Act: The House approved a measure this week to award the Congressional Gold Medal to all Native American Code Talkers for their contributions to U.S. victories in World War I and World War II. Previously, only Navajo Nation Code Talkers were awarded this medal. The measure, introduced by Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) and co-sponsored by 300 members of Congress, was passed unanimously by voice vote and will be sent to the Senate for consideration. The bill is supported by a VFW resolution that calls on Congress to identify and award them the Congressional Gold Medal all Native Americans who served as Code Talkers.

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VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY Sept. 12, 2008

Saturday, September 13th, 2008


In This Issue:
1. COLA Passes House
2. House VA Committee Hearings
3. FY2009 NDAA
4. Wounded Warrior Resource Center Established


1. COLA Passes House: The House cleared a cost-of-living bill Wednesday that would provide an increase for veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for families of deceased veterans. The Senate passed the veterans’ COLA measure in July. The COLA bill, S 2617, provides for a Dec. 1 increase in disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions that will match whatever increase is provided in Social Security benefits. The increase, which applies to about 2.8 million veterans and survivors, would first appear in January paychecks. The Social Security increase won’t be known until mid-October, but is expected to be a minimum of 6 percent. The Social Security COLA automatically applies to military and federal civilian retired pay, but veterans’ disability and survivor benefits and pensions increase only through the enactment of new legislation. The COLA bill now awaits the President’s signature.

2. House VA Committee Hearings
On Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Health held a legislative hearing to review three bills. VFW provided testimony for the record and supported HR 3051, The Heroes at Home Act and HR 6153, The Veterans’ Medical Personnel Recruitment and Retention Act.

-HR 3051 would provide much needed relief for those suffering from TBI by creating a family caregiver program to train families or friends of veterans suffering from the effects of severe brain injuries. It also requires VA to conduct outreach to educate veterans and the public about PTSD and TBI, as well as promoting the range of services VA can provide for their treatment.

-HR 6153 would improve VA’s ability to recruit and retain nurses and other health care practitioners by improving pays for various health care specialties. VFW has called on VA to improve and adapt its policy in order keep up with the ever competitive and changing marketplace of high-quality health care providers.

To read our testimony, visit the House VA website at: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=299

On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held an oversight hearing on current GI Bill implementation. VA representatives were the only witnesses called to discuss the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act and how it will be administered. The VFW was one of the leading advocates on the legislation which became public law (PL 110-252) in July 2008.
For information on the new GI bill  benefit visit the VA website at: http://www.va.gov/

3. FY2009 NDAA: The Senate has been working on its version of the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act (S.3001) all week, and many amendments are being offered. A few priority issue amendments the VFW is supporting have been offered by:
-Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), to repeal the SBP-DIC offset for military widows (approved by a vote of 94-2).
-Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), to provide earlier reserve retirement date credit to all Reserve Component members who were activated in support of a contingency operation since 9/11.
-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), to accelerate by five years the phased-in eligibility for concurrent receipt for military retirees with service-connected disabilities, from Dec. 31, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2008.
Once the Senate finishes its work on the bill, a conference committee will convene to iron out the differences between the two bills. The House-passed version does not contain similar provisions.

4. Wounded Warrior Resource Center Established:  The Department of Defense announced that the Military OneSource service has established a Wounded Warrior Resource Center telephone number and e-mail address for service members and their families.Service members and their families can now call toll-free (800) 342-9647 or e-mail wwrc@militaryonesource.com 24/7 to request support.

Assistance provided by the resource center will not replace the specialized wounded warrior programs established by each of the military services, but it will offer another avenue of assistance for military facilities, health care services and/or benefits information. The Wounded Warrior Resource Center meets the requirements of Section 1616 of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act to ensure wounded families and caregivers have a central number to call at any time.

 

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VFW Washington Weekly Aug 5th 2008

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008



In This Issue:
1. VA Funding Passes House
2. New Housing Bill has Vet Provisions
3. House Passes Vet Bills
4. Congress on August Recess


1. VA funding Passes House: By a 409-4 vote, the House passed the 2009 VA and Military Construction funding bill. The bill builds on last year’s historic funding increase, providing $8.8 billion more than last year’s funding level. For VA, it’s a $4.6 billion increase in funding to a total of $47.7 billion. It includes funding to treat the 40,000 new Iraq and Afghanistan veterans that VA expects to treat this year.
It also includes funding for:
* Priority 8 veterans – would allow a small number of new Priority 8 veterans back into the health care system
* Mental health care – nearly $1 billion more than last year’s funding level for PTSD, suicide prevention and other mental illnesses
* Mileage Reimbursement – would increase the rate by $.13 per mile and freeze the deductible
* Rural care – increases funding for rural care options, especially targeted at returning Guard and Reserve members who live far away from VA facilities
* Research and prosthetics – over $170 million more than last year’s amount
* Claims processors – allows the hiring of 2,100 additional processors to help reduce the disability claims backlog
* Construction – begins funding six additional VA facilities and allows smaller projects to be conducted at 145 additional locations

The Military Construction portion of the bill includes $336 million in new funding for quality of life programs for troops and their families, much of which is targeted towards barracks and medical facilities. It also sends $3.2 billion specifically towards military housing.

The bill awaits Senate action. With the Senate on recess until September, we will not see any movement for a while. Once the Senate passes its version of the funding bill, the differences would need to be resolved before being sent to the President.

For a detailed summary of the bill: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/MilConSummaryHP09.pdf
For information about the bill:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.06599:
To see how your Representative voted:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll563.xml

 

2. New Housing Bill has Vet Provisions: The housing and economic recovery legislation that was recently signed into law (PL 110-289) includes several VFW-supported provisions designed to safeguard servicemembers and veterans during the mortgage and foreclosure crisis.
Some of the provisions in the bill will:
**Prohibit foreclosure of servicemembers property for at least nine months following deployment.
**Increase the amount of VA’s Home loan guarantee program.
**Authorize VA to provide assistance for specially adapted housing to active-duty members with certain service-connected disabilities.
**Allows individuals with severe burn injuries to be eligible for specially adapted housing assistance.
**Extend through December 31, 2011, the period of assistance for individuals residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member.
For the entire bill’s provisions click here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.03221:

 

3. House Passes Vet Bills: The House passed eight veteran-related bills covering a wide array of benefits. Several of the bills will provide new protections for servicemembers who have or are in the process of being deployed. One such bill is HR 6225, The Improving SCRA and USERRA Protections Act of 2008. Provisions include requiring judges to give veterans a hearing when they are seeking to regain a job lost during deployment and allowing servicemembers to terminate contracts if they are notified of deployment. It also lets them continue education benefits where they left off prior to active duty.
VFW Resolution 639 supports another bill cleared by the House- HR 6445 ,The Veterans Health Care Policy Enhancement Act, would eliminate co-payments for catastrophically disabled veterans and would direct VA to develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain. It also mandates the VA to centralize third party billing, and allow family members of veterans to be eligible for counseling.
For a complete list of bills passed visit the House VA website at: http://veterans.house.gov/news/

 

4. Congress on August Recess: Congress heads out of town with many items left on the agenda including VA funding and the Defense Authorization bill. Now is the perfect time to visit their local offices and talk about issues important to veterans and the VFW. Remember all of the House members are up for re-election in November so they should be willing and eager to visit with you. When making an appointment make sure you arrive promptly and come prepared to discuss your issues. It is best to stick to one or two specific items and give examples of why you (VFW) support these issues. Always thank them and remind them that you expect them to do the right thing for America’s veterans and servicemembers. For a list of our priority goals visit our website at: http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=caphill.leveld&did=3694

To find contact information for your Representative including district office locations, type your zip code in the box in the following link: http://capwiz.com/vfw/dbq/officials/

 

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