House Extends Benefits For Military Veterans

House Extends Veterans Benefits Just in Time to Say 'Thank You' to Veterans before Memorial Day
by Jim Abrams

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday marked the coming Memorial Day holiday by approving a spate of bills to benefit veterans, including one aimed at improving screening and treatment of veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

The House also agreed to extend health care eligibility for combat veterans, provide more chiropractic care and expand outreach programs to ensure that veterans get the benefits they deserve.

The bills "keep our contract with our nation's veterans and there's no better time than just before Memorial Day to say thank you," said Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, D-Calif…

On Tuesday a House Appropriations subcommittee approved a record budget for Veterans Affairs Administration programs for the fiscal year beginning in October, including the largest single increase in veterans health care funding in history.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a meeting with veterans service organizations Wednesday, said Democrats promised a new direction when they captured the congressional majority and "nowhere is that more important than in our treatment of our troops and our veterans."

Congress is now debating the Iraq war "ferociously," Filner told the veterans, with Democrats taking the lead in calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. But "we are not going to confuse the war and the warrior."

The bills passed Wednesday included:

_H.R. 2199, which sets up care facilities at four geographically placed locations to deal with traumatic brain injury, which sponsor Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, called the "signature wound of this war" in Iraq.

The bill also orders mandatory screening of veterans for traumatic brain injury, or TBI, sets up a registry of those who show symptoms, authorizes $70 million over four years for research into TBI and forms a committee on the care of veterans with brain injuries.

_H.R. 612, which ensures that those who served in combat in the Persian Gulf War or later hostilities are eligible for health care for five years after their service ends, instead of the current two years. Supporters said the legislation was needed because some returning veterans, particularly those with brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder, may not experience problems until years after they are discharged or released. It would cost $115 million through 2012.

_H.R. 1470, which requires that chiropractic care be available at 75 VA medical centers by the end of 2009 and all medical centers by the end of 2011.

_H.R. 67, which sets up a grant program for state and local veterans' outreach programs to ensure that veterans are receiving the benefits they are entitled to. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., said veterans are losing out on $22 billion in benefits a year because they are unaware of benefits or have difficulty filing claims.

_H.R. 2239, which expands eligibility for vocational rehabilitation benefits for severely injured service members and allows the VA to extend vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits to injured service members before they are discharged from active duty.

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