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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release March 8, 2005 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600 |
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| SEN. SALAZAR
ADDRESSES VFW NATIONAL CONFERENCE, HIGHLIGHTS VETERANS POLICY PRIORITIES
AND ANNOUNCES LEGISLATION TO HONOR MILITARY SURVIVORS Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ken Salazar today announced his March 3 introduction of legislation to honor military survivors by eliminating the term “gratuity” from the assistance made available after a service member dies in the line of duty. The department of Veterans’ Affairs uses the term “Death Gratuity” to describe the assistance that taxpayers make available to military survivors. Senator Salazar’s legislation (S. 523) would replace the term “Death Gratuity” with “Fallen Hero Compensation.” In a speech this morning to 500 veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Conference in Washington, Salazar announced his initiative, saying, “Hearing the term ‘gratuity’ is a bitter pill for survivors who have just received the worst news of their lives. Not one of the widows, widowers, or children left behind think of that money as a gift,” Senator Salazar said. “This is a simple change, but it more properly reflects the sacrifices military survivors have made and more properly expresses the gratitude and dignity we owe these families.” Senator Salazar is cosponsoring additional legislation (S. 11, the Standing With Our Troops Act of 2005 and S. 44, the Military Death Benefit Improvement Act of 2005) to significantly increase Fallen Hero Compensation from $12,420 to $100,000. Created to serve as a bridge between a service member’s death and permanent death benefits kicking in, the assistance was originally intended to cover six months’ salary. According to the Department of Defense, 1,504 American troops have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and an additional 158 died in Operation Enduring Freedom, including 17 Colorado natives. These heroes have left behind thousands of wives, husbands and children with severe financial challenges. In his speech to the VFW, Senator Salazar highlighted his veterans’ priorities, including: • Eliminating the ban on
Priority 8 veterans enrollment Salazar said, “We in the Congress must remember our priorities. Our veterans made defending our country a priority for them, and the least we can do is make them a priority in Washington now.” In a letter on March 3, Senator Salazar also pressured the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to reduce the administrative backlog that has resulted in many Colorado veterans being unable to pay tuition or register for classes in a timely manner. Colorado veterans have to wait an average of six to ten weeks to get their Montgomery GI Bill benefits. There are more than 9,400 Colorado veterans, reservists and survivors who used GI Bill payments for their education last year. These service members have served a minimum of two years active duty and have paid $1,200 out of their own pocket in their first year of duty to qualify for GI Bill benefits. Included below is Senator Salazar’s Speech to the VFW, the Senator’s Floor Statement and letter to VA Secretary James Nicholson.
Thank you so much for that welcome and for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. Thank you to National Commander John Furgess, Adjutant General John Senk, Jr., and Ladies Auxiliary President Mrs. Don McCune. I know that members of the Colorado VFW are here. I’d like to recognize a few, Bob Clements, Charles Watkins, Valerie Fowler, Robin Brown, James Lafferty, Ronald Lattin, James Mauck, James Mitchell, Warren Tellgren, and Ross Watkins. I look forward to sitting down with you tomorrow. Thanks, too, to the members of the Ladies’ Auxiliary who are here today. I would like to thank the VFW and the Ladies Auxiliary for all the work you have been doing since 1899. Last year alone you donated 13 million hours of community service and $63 million toward community service projects. I saw one of those projects earlier this month in northwest Colorado, where veteran volunteers drive fellow veterans nearly 200 miles to the nearest VA clinic, in Grand Junction, Colorado. The VFW also helps veterans manage the VA’s bureaucracy. You fight to improve the lives of our troops with care packages, phone cards and direct financial assistance. You have honored our greatest generation of veterans by raising the money to build the magnificent World War II memorial here in Washington. You also give back to the community by offering services to families, promoting education and good citizenship. And at your Posts throughout this great country, like my dad's old VFW Post #4849, you are a symbol of the best America has to offer ... selfless heroes drawn from our towns, villages and cities to fight tyranny around the world. One of the most important things the VFW and its members do is legislative work. Believe me, when the VFW talks, Congress listens. The VFW and 27 other Veterans Service Organizations have developed the Independent Budget. It is a blueprint for reform and extremely useful on a day-to-day basis. Thank you for this resource. I understand that you originally had the Majority Leader scheduled on the program. I am honored to be here in his place. It is quite a challenge being new to Washington. So far, the Washington Post and CNN have mistaken me for my brother, John, the new congressman from Colorado. And just last Thursday evening, I was rushing to the Senate floor to vote, when the Capitol Police stopped me. "Is this guy with you?" the officer asked my staffer. "Well, no, I am actually with him," my staffer said to the disbelieving officer, "and he's a senator. Really." Today I have the honor of serving as your United States Senator because of the sacrifice and struggle of the twelve generations of Salazars who came before me. They founded the city of Santa Fe in 1598, have farmed the same place in what is now Southern Colorado for nearly a century and a half. My father and mother raised eight children in poor and humble circumstances without a telephone or electricity. Yet the promise of America created the opportunity for all of their eight children to become first generation college graduates. As part of America’s greatest generation, my father was a soldier in World War II. During that same time, my mother worked here in Washington DC in the War Department. During that time, my uncle Leandro, my mother’s brother, was killed in Europe. My parents knew firsthand about the ultimate sacrifice to protect our America. They taught us the fundamental values I hold dear – love of family, community, country and God. My dad taught me something else. Almost four years ago now, my father died at the age of 85. Forever a proud veteran and lifetime member of the VFW, my father had instructed us to bury him in his World War II uniform. My dad knew -- as all of you know -- that there is no greater honor than to wear the uniform of this great country. That's why, when I got to the Senate, I asked to serve on the Committee on Veterans Affairs. I want to fight for heroes like my father, uncle and brother. Like millions of other veterans, who lived up to their word, it’s time the nation lived up to its word. I am a freshman senator, and I come to the Veterans Committee with fresh eyes. I can see what is going well at the VA, and what challenges remain. The quality of health care at the VA is the best in the nation. Independent studies say the system is better than Medicare and even the private sector. However, because of budget shortfalls, that care is being rationed to fewer and fewer veterans. I am angry that thousands of veterans are being turned away from the VA. This represents a fundamental breach of trust with our fighting men and women. Since January 2003 when the VA announced suspension of enrollment of new Priority 8 veterans, 192,000 veterans across the country and 2,000 Colorado veterans have sought VA care and been turned away. The administration’s new budget hopes to kick 1.1 million more so-called “low-priority” veterans out of the system next year with draconian cuts in service and increased fees. The VA defends these cuts saying that it needs to focus on its “core” veterans ... and to let lower priority veterans fend for themselves. I want to take a minute and talk about this idea of lower-priority veterans. My dad told me a lot of stories about World War II, but I can’t remember one where his fellow soldiers were divided up into high and low priorities. All of you have served overseas. Did you ever think of yourselves as being high or low priority? One thing I can guarantee you is that the members of Third Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Carson, which just re-deployed for a second tour in Iraq, don’t worry about whether they are Priority 7s or Priority 8s. And the reason why is that a soldier is a soldier. It’s always been that way. Whether you are on the front lines or in support, whether you are a general or a private. Everyone is valuable. The government made a promise to all soldiers, not only the ones with service connected disabilities who make less than $25,000 a year. Now, the administration wants to establish a new $250 annual fee and $15 drug copayment for Priority 7s and 8s. These fees would affect 2.4 million vets across the country including 27,000 in Colorado. Congress has defeated these proposals twice in the last two years, but some leaders are considering them this year. My priorities are clear. My priorities are your priorities. I want to eliminate the ban on Priority 8 veterans. I want to stop the new enrollment fees and doubled copayments. And I want to make funding for the VA mandatory, so that veterans never have to worry about losing their health coverage, and the VA never has to ration care. The administration’s budget also would kick thousands of veterans out of nursing homes. It would limit the VA’s per diem reimbursement to state VA nursing homes to priority ones, twos and threes. These heartless cuts could kick 80 percent of state nursing home residents out onto the street. Last week, I met with the administrator of a state nursing home in Walsenburg, Colorado. She told me that these cuts would force her to kick out 93 of her 100 residents. State administrators tell me that these cuts could force the entire system to go under. These are our most vulnerable veterans, who often have no place else to go. Another problem is waiting periods. Administrative backlogs at the VA have been reduced, but there are still 321,000 veterans waiting for disability and pension claims to be processed. At the VA clinic in Grand Junction, there is a 400 person waiting list. That’s a four to five month wait. Just last week I asked Secretary Nicholson to explain to me why numerous Coloradans are waiting months to get their GI Bill benefits, forcing them to miss tuition deadlines. Another problem we need to fix immediately is ending the disability tax. If you have earned a military retirement pension – it is yours, just like in the private sector. If you get disability payments, it is because you have suffered. You should not have to subtract what you’ve suffered from what you earned. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of legislation by Senator Harry Reid that will be introduced this month to allow immediate and total concurrent receipt of pensions and disability benefits. Each of these problems can be resolved by making sure that we in the Congress remember our priorities. I am proud to serve with Larry Craig and Danny Akaka, the leaders of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Working together, Republicans and Democrats, I am confident we can find the resources necessary to make you all proud. I am also very proud that last week I introduced my first three bills in Congress. One of those bills was a bill to honor military survivors. The bill eliminates the term “gratuity” from the assistance made available after a service member dies in the line of duty. The VA uses the term “Death Gratuity” to describe the assistance that taxpayers make available to military survivors. My legislation would replace the term “Death Gratuity” with the more appropriate term “Fallen Hero Compensation.” The idea underlying this bill is simple: words matter. Hearing the term ‘gratuity’ is a bitter pill for survivors who have just received the worst news of their lives. Not one of the widows, widowers, or children left behind think of that money as a gift. This is a simple change, but it better reflects the sacrifices military survivors have made and the gratitude and dignity we owe these families. The challenge for anyone in the Senate is to never forget that gratitude. That fact dawned on me as I was sworn in earlier this year. Amidst all the pomp and circumstance of the Senate during swearing-in week, I went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to say thank you to the courageous men and women there who have given parts of themselves so that our country can remain strong. And I would be remiss if I left today without saying the same to each of you: Thank you. When duty called, and the world needed brave Americans to stop the spread of tyranny and oppression, you answered the call. From the shores of Normandy to the islands of the Pacific to the jungles of Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf, you put your lives on the line for our safety and for our freedom. For that we owe you our gratitude and our lifelong support. I pledge that to you today. Thank you.
MILITARY SURVIVOR BENEFITS MR. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a simple piece of legislation. The idea underlying this bill is simple: words matter. How we characterize what we do sends a message, and nowhere is that more clear than in the question of survivor benefits for survivors of military fatalities. The Senate this year is considering major increases in survivor benefits for military families. That is as it should be, and I am proud to support two specific proposals to increase that assistance. We have an historic opportunity to raise both the direct DoD assistance and the life insurance payouts to families from $12,420 to $100,000 and to provide an extra $150,000 in life insurance payouts. We also have an opportunity to allow full concurrent receipt of the DoD’s Survivor Benefit Plan and the VA’s Dependency & Indemnity Compensation. We also have the opportunity to improve the help that military survivors get in navigating the bureaucracies of the VA and the DoD to get the benefits they deserve. And finally we have the opportunity to protect military families from predatory life insurance companies. All of these reforms are needed, and all are within our reach this year. As I studied this issue, I was struck by the term “Death Gratuity.” That is the name for the assistance that taxpayers make available to military survivors. The term gratuity means gift. I cannot think of a more insulting name for this assistance. I cannot accept it. I believe that not one of the widows, widowers, or children left behind think of that money as a gift. These families and these heroes are the ones who have given the gift to us. They are the ones who have given the ultimate sacrifice. I know that the name of the assistance is not as important as the assistance itself, but I am sure that hearing the term ‘gratuity’ is a bitter pill for survivors who have just received the worst news of their lives. I for one refuse the term “Death Gratuity,” and I am introducing legislation today to change it to “Fallen Hero Compensation.” This is a simple change, but it more properly reflects the sacrifices military survivors have made and more properly expresses the gratitude and dignity we owe these families. I thank the chair and yield the floor.
The Honorable R. James Nicholson Dear Mr. Secretary: It recently has come to my attention that many Colorado veterans applying for Montgomery GI Bill benefits are facing a significant processing backlog. This has resulted in many veterans being unable to pay tuition or register for classes in a timely manner. In the St. Louis Regional Processing Office, which is responsible for 15 states including Colorado, veterans have to wait an average of eight to ten weeks for new GI Bill claims and six to eight weeks for adjustments and supplemental claims. I know you will agree with me that such a wait is unacceptable. There are more than 9,400 Colorado veterans, reservists and survivors who used GI Bill payments for their education last year. These service members have served a minimum of two years active duty and have paid $1,200 out of their own pocket in their first year of duty to qualify for GI Bill benefits. These young men and women are anxious to continue their education. They depend on the timeliness of these payments for their education and for a portion of their living expenses. We cannot let administrative red tape delay their academic futures or endanger their fragile financial condition. In an effort to ascertain whether administrative or legislative steps are necessary to ensure that such backlogs do not continue, I respectfully request that you seek an accounting of how widespread this problem is and the steps VA is taking to address it. I thank you in advance for your consideration of my request.
Ken Salazar
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