From the Hill

Government Affairs

NEWS FROM…CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS http://veterans.house.gov House Affirms Commitment to Nation’s Veterans, Men and Women in Uniform Washington, D.C. – On June 8, 2009, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) announced that H.R. 466 passed the House of Representatives. H.R. 466 – The Wounded Veteran Job Security Act (Doggett) H.R. 466 seeks to expand the protections of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act to include veterans with service-connected disabilities who seek an excused leave of absence from work to obtain medical attention. Chairman Filner provided the following statement in support of H.R. 466: “Recognizing the special needs of injured veterans and openness to work with these men and women is a crucial step that allows our veterans the ability to heal and remain gainfully employed. Today we have thousands of business owners who have taken the initiative of providing our injured men and women with workforce protections of seniority, status, retention, and pay as well as other rights and benefits determined by employment. Unfortunately, there is still room for improvement and this bill seeks to bridge that gap. I thank my House colleagues for reaffirming our nation’s commitment to care for our service members, veterans and their dependents by supporting H.R. 466.”
Senators introduce Woman Veterans legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Julia Wanzco (Snowe) March 16, 2009 202-224-1304 Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Bill to Prepare VA for Rapidly Growing Number of Women Veterans WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) in announcing bipartisan legislation to prepare the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the influx of women veterans who will access care there in the coming years. The Women Veterans Health Improvement Act of 2009 will address many of the unique needs of female veterans, particularly those women who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. "With over 10,000 women veterans in Maine, and almost two million across the United States each are patriots that have answered our nation's call, and it is essential the nation be there for them when they return to the home front and their families," Senator Snowe said. "I am honored to join with my colleagues to introduce this bill today that rightfully recognizes and addresses issues with which many of these veterans and their families are managing today." "Women have stepped up to serve at unprecedented levels," said Senator Murray. "Which means the VA is now faced with unprecedented challenges in caring for them as they return home. This bill addresses the unique challenges women face by providing specialized care for the visible and invisible wounds of war. As more women begin to transition home, and step back into lives as mothers, wives, and citizens, the VA must be there for them." "Women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and performing dangerous missions throughout the world make up an important and growing segment of our veteran population. The number of women veterans receiving care through the VA is expected to double in less than five years," said Senator Hutchison. "Our bill will help improve access to quality health care services for women who have bravely served in our armed forces." "Generations of women have served honorably in all of this country's major conflicts. These women have earned the right to expect the same high quality health care services and benefits as their male counterparts," said Dave Gorman, Executive Director of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). "While significant progress has been made in recent years to remove institutional barriers that often discourage women veterans from seeking assistance at VA facilities, more needs to be done. The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act will help ensure these women have equal access to VA benefits and services. DAV is proud to have worked on this legislation with Senator Murray, who has proven herself time and again to be a steadfast and effective champion for all of America's veterans." Among other things, the legislation introduced today will: Require the VA to implement a program to train, educate, and certify VA mental health professionals to care for women with sexual trauma Require the VA Secretary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the barriers women are facing in accessing care at the VA. Authorize a report to Congress on the effects the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had on the physical, mental, and reproductive health of women who have served there. Require the VA to begin a pilot program that provides child care to women veterans that seek mental health care services at the VA. Require the VA to begin a pilot program that provides readjustment counseling to women veterans in group retreat settings. In addition to Senators Murray, Hutchison and Snowe, the legislation was co-sponsored by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Lisa Murkowski (D-AK), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Herseth Sandlin Commends VA’s Progress with Setting and Meeting Key Milestones Necessary for Administering New Educational Benefits

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, February 26, 2009, Chairwoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) held the first Economic Opportunity Subcommittee hearing of the 111th Congress on the progress of implementing the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 G.I. Bill). The hearing provided an opportunity for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to present clear details about the VA’s schedule for designing, developing, and implementing the educational benefits promised to veterans as required by Public Law 110-252.

Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin stated, “The oversight hearings we began last Congress are critical to ensuring the timely implementation of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. This oversight requires our Subcommittee to have close relationship with the VA, and I look forward to our continued cooperation and communication as the VA develops the new Chapter 33 rules and regulations, and finalizes its short and long-term IT plans.”

Keith Wilson, Director of VA’s Office of Education Service, provided an update on a detailed plan to meet the requirements of benefits delivery in the short-term. VA has begun improving the current information technology (IT) program internally in order to meet the August 2009 deadline and expects to keep this system in place until November 2010. The VA’s Office of Education Service established a Program Executive Office to manage the development of the overall process for administering the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The short-term plan relies on increased automation of the current benefits system and a larger workforce. More than 400 of the 500 new positions have been filled, and the remainder of the positions should be filled by early March.

Representatives from the VA were confident that the expanded educational benefits will be available to veterans by August 1, 2009. Wilson reassured the Subcommittee that the implementation of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill is on schedule and detailed VA’s progress on developing computer application systems. He explained that the long-term strategy will rely on support from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic (SPAWAR) to develop an end-to-end solution that utilizes rules-based, industry-standard technologies, for the delivery of benefits.

Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin raised concerns that in the event of a veteran dropping out of school for unforeseen circumstances, the student would be required to pay back the benefit before further accessing the remainder of his or her earned benefits. The Chairwoman noted that institutions have different refund policies for terminating courses mid-semester and requested more detailed information on how the government would work with institutions to refund tuition. She also encouraged veterans service organizations and the VA to publicize this policy before students sign up for school and ensure that students are fully informed before enrolling in coursework.

Chairman Filner remarked, “I am pleased that the VA has been working extremely hard to implement these new education benefits, especially considering that they are faced with such a compressed schedule. By working together, the VA and Committee’s hard work will come to fruition when our veterans start receiving their educational benefits, making it easier for all veterans to achieve the American dream. Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin deserves recognition for her commitment to ensuring that veterans receive these new benefits on time. It is necessary for oversight over the implementation of this benefit to continue, as our veterans deserve accountability and transparency.”

Keith M. Wilson, Director of Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

· Stephen W. Warren, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Information and Technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

· Captain Mark Krause, Chief Staff Officer, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Atlantic, Department of the Navy

New Members Appointed to Committee on Women Veterans

WASHINGTON – Four new members have been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), an expert panel that advises VA on issues and programs affecting women veterans.

“I am pleased to welcome the newest members of this committee to the important job of serving America’s women veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “Members of this committee work tirelessly on behalf of women veterans to improve outreach, ensure access to VA benefits and recommend ways in which VA can better meet their needs.”

Established in 1983, the advisory committee makes recommendations for administrative and legislative changes. The committee members are appointed to one, two, or three-year terms. The new committee members are:

· Davy Coke of Poway, Calif., a retired Navy second class petty officer who served in Vietnam. He currently is a trainer and mentor for new service members in the aerospace field.

· Yanira Gomez of Germantown, Md., a former Army medical specialist who served in Iraq. She is currently serving as national outreach officer for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

· Gloria Maser of Alexandria, Va., a colonel in the Army Reserves. She is a former deputy chief of staff for health affairs with the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq. She currently works for a strategy and technology organization.

· Barbara Ward of Sacramento, Calif., a former staff nurse in the Air Force. She currently serves as the deputy secretary for women and minority veterans affairs in the California Department of Veterans Affairs.

Women veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the veteran population. There are approximately 1.8 million women veterans. They constitute nearly 8 percent of the total veteran population and about 5 percent of all veterans who use VA health care. VA estimates that by 2020 women veterans will make up 10 percent of the veteran population.

VA has women veterans program managers at VA medical centers and women veterans coordinators at VA regional offices to assist women veterans with health and benefits issues.

333 F Street, Suite A. Chula Vista, CA 91910
1101 Airport Road, Suite D. Imperial, CA 92251
2428 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC 20515

Filner Acts to Restore Earned Benefits to All Vietnam Veterans – Including “Blue Water” Vets!

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, July 23, 2008, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) held a press conference to announce the introduction of H.R. 6562, the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008. The bill restores equity to all Vietnam veterans that were exposed to Agent Orange.

“We owe it to our veterans to fulfill the promises made to them as a result of their service,” said Congressman Filner. “If, as a result of service, a veteran was exposed to Agent Orange and that exposure has resulted in failing health, our nation has a moral obligation to care for each veteran the way we promised we would. And as a country at war, we must prove that we will be there for all of our veterans, no matter when they serve. The courts have turned their backs on our veterans, but I believe this Congress will restore their hard earned benefits.”

Ron Abrams, Executive Director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, spoke at the press conference and shared the history of disability benefits for blue water veterans. He said, “From 1991 to 2002, the VA granted hundreds, if not thousands of disability claims filed by Navy blue water veterans suffering from one of the many diseases that VA recognizes as related to Agent Orange exposure. These benefits were awarded based on VA rules providing that service in the waters offshore Vietnam qualified the veteran for the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange. In February 2002, VA did an about face and required veterans to have ‘actually served on land within the Republic of Vietnam… to qualify for the presumption of exposure to’ Agent Orange. As a result, all pending and new disability claims filed by Navy blue water veterans for an Agent Orange-related disease were denied unless there was proof that that the veteran actually set foot on Vietnamese soil. In addition, the VA began to sever benefits that had been granted to Navy blue water veterans prior to the 2002 change in VA rules.”

Rick Weidman serves as the executive director for policy and government affairs of Vietnam Veterans of America. He spoke of the need for proper government funding for research on this issue. “The current administration is not funding any research on the consequence of Agent Orange exposure – not at the VA, not at the Department of Defense, not at the National Institutes of Health, nor at the Environmental Protection Agency. The only unforgivable sin is willful ignorance which results in indifference to suffering. What is happening now is in fact willful ignorance.”

The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 would clarify the laws related to VA benefits provided to Vietnam War veterans suffering from the ravages of Agent Orange exposure. In order to try to gain a better military vantage point, Agent Orange, which we now know is a highly toxic cocktail of herbicide agents, was widely sprayed for defoliation and crop destruction purposes all over the Vietnam War Battlefield, as well as nearby nations. It was also stored on U.S. vessels and used for vegetation clearing purposes around U.S. bases, landing zones and lines of communication.

Currently, VA requires Vietnam veterans to prove “foot on land” in order to qualify for the presumptions of service-connection for herbicide-exposure related illnesses afforded under current law. This issue has been the subject of much litigation and on May 8, 2008, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upheld VA’s overly narrow interpretation. Congress clearly did not intend to exclude these veterans from compensation based on arbitrary geographic line drawing by the VA.

The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 would ensure that every service member awarded the Vietnam Service medal, or who otherwise deployed to land, sea or air, in the Republic of Vietnam is fully covered by the comprehensive Agent Orange laws Congress passed in 1991. If enacted, this bill will make it easier for VA to process Vietnam War veterans’ claims for service-connected conditions that scientists have conclusively linked to toxic exposures during the Vietnam War and that are identified in current law.

“Time is running out for these veterans,” concluded Congressman Filner. “Many are dying from their Agent Orange related diseases, uncompensated for their sacrifice. There is still a chance for America to meet its obligations to these noble veterans. I will work with my Congressional colleagues to provide proper disability benefits and health care to the thousands of Navy blue water veterans and survivors that earned this care in battle.”

This bill needs to be worked on ASAP or it will lose support
H. Res. 111: Establishing a Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs -

February 3, 2009

Mr. KING of New York (for himself, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mrs. BONO MACK, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. COBLE, Mr. COHEN, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. FORBES, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. GOHMERT, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HELLER, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. ISSA, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. LINDER, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. MACK, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. PAUL, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. TERRY, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. WOLF, Mr. WU, and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

Resolved, That there is established in the House of Representatives a select committee to be known as the Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs.

FUNCTIONS

Sec. 2. The select committee shall conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters relating to any United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, World War II, Cold War Missions, Persian Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation Enduring Freedom, including MIA's and POW's missing and captured.

APPOINTMENT AND MEMBERSHIP

Sec. 3. (a) Members- The select committee shall be composed of 10 Members of the House, who shall be appointed by the Speaker. Not more than half of the members of the select committee shall be of the same political party.

(b) Vacancy- Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the select committee shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.

AUTHORITY AND PROCEDURES

Sec. 4. (a) Authority- For purposes of carrying out this resolution, the select committee (or any subcommittee of the select committee authorized to hold hearings) may sit and act during the present Congress at any time or place within the United States (including any Commonwealth or possession of the United States, or elsewhere, whether the House is in session, has recessed, or has adjourned) and to hold such hearings as it considers necessary.

(b) Rules of Procedure- The provisions of clauses 1, 2, and 4 of rule XI of the Rules of the House shall apply to the select committee.

(c) Prohibition Against Meeting at Certain Times- Subsection (a) may not be construed to limit the applicability of clause 2(i) of rule XI of the Rules of the House to the select committee.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

Sec. 5. (a) Expenses- Subject to the adoption of expense resolutions as required by clause 6 of rule X of the Rules of the House, the select committee may incur expenses in connection with its functions under this resolution.

(b) Staff and Travel- In carrying out its functions under this resolution, the select committee may--

(1) appoint, either on a permanent basis or as experts or consultants, any staff that the select committee considers necessary;

(3) fix the compensation of the staff at a single per annum gross rate that does not exceed the highest rate of basic pay, as in effect from time to time, of level V of the Executive Schedule in section 5316 of title 5, United States Code;

(4) terminate the employment of any such staff as the select committee considers appropriate; and

(5) reimburse members of the select committee and of its staff for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of their functions for the select committee, other than expenses in connection with any meeting of the select committee, or a subcommittee thereof, held in the District of Columbia.

(c) Expiration- The select committee and all authority granted in this resolution shall expire 30 days after the filing of the final report of the select committee with the House.

REPORTS AND RECORDS

Sec. 6. (a) Final Report- As soon as practicable during the present Congress, the select committee shall submit to the House a final report setting forth its findings and recommendations as a result of its investigation.

(b) Filing of Reports- Any report made by the select committee when the House is not in session shall be filed with the Clerk of the House.

(c) Referral of Reports- Any report made by the select committee shall be referred to the committee or committees that have jurisdiction over the subject matter of the report.

(d) Records, Files, and Materials- Following the termination of the select committee, the records, files, and materials of the select committee shall be transferred to the Clerk of the House. If the final report of the select committee is referred to only one committee under the provisions of subsection (c), the records, files, and materials of the select committee shall be transferred instead to the committee to which the final report is referred.

DEFINITIONS

(1) The term `Member of the House' means any Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

(2) The term `MIA' means any United States personnel that is unaccounted for and missing in action.

(3) The term `POW' means any United States personnel that is unaccounted for and known to be a prisoner of war.

(4) The term `select committee' means the Select Committee on MIA and POW Affairs established by this resolution.

12/22/09