From the Halls ….

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/

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.

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.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Legion to House: Protect the troops! Stop the photos
INDIANAPOLIS  (Aug. 10, 2009) – The leader of the nation’s largest veterans service organization called on the House of Representatives to protect the lives of American troops by immediately passing the Detainee Photographic Records Protection Act.
At issue is the release of images depicting the treatment of battlefield detainees. After a judge ordered that the photographs be released in response to a request by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Obama administration sided with The American Legion in blocking the dissemination of the images which could inflame tensions and incite violence against U.S. troops.
“In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal this spring, I wrote ‘A picture may be worth a thousand words, but is it worth the death of a single American soldier?’ It is clear that the Obama administration, the U.S. Senate and the leadership of the U.S. military agree that it is not. Now it’s time for the House of Representatives to answer the question,” said American Legion National Commander David K. Rehbein.
Language prohibiting the release of the photographs has passed the Senate three times since May, but some House Democrats are blocking the current bill, in spite of its support by President Obama. Rep. Michael K. Conway, R-Texas, and Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., are threatening to use a discharge petition, which requires signatures from 218 members, to force the legislation to the floor.
“Americans who truly support the troops can demonstrate that support by flooding the House of Representatives with phone calls, emails, faxes and letters demanding that members vote and pass this legislation which we know would protect the troops,” Rehbein said. “Let your representative know where you stand. If it’s a choice between the ACLU and the safety of our troops, I am convinced that the American people would choose the troops every time.”
In 2005, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers said, “It is probable that al Qaeda and other groups will seize upon these images… as grist for their propaganda mills, which will result in, besides violent attacks, increased terrorist recruitment, continued financial support and exacerbation of tensions between Iraqi and Afghani populaces and U.S. and coalition forces…Riots, violence and attacks by insurgents will result.” Current JCS Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and the rest of the military leadership share Myers concern.
“We do not know if the photos document real abuse or allegations that can be taken out of context,” Rehbein said. “ But glimpses into mistakes of the past, could very well have adverse impact on peace in the future.  Nothing productive can come from release of these photos.”
With a current membership of 2.5-million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.