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Veterans' Affairs

Spanning many generations, America’s armed forces have time and again fought to protect our homeland and bring freedom and prosperity to the world. Those sacrifices must never be forgotten and every effort must be made to ensure that our veterans and their families receive the benefits and opportunities they so rightfully deserve.

As a proud citizen of this great country, I have the utmost respect for the veterans who have fought to preserve our way of life, during past, present and future generations. As a Member of Congress, I fight hard to make sure our veterans not only hear the accolades, but get the benefits, rewards, and funding they deserve.

The House, along with my strong support, passed H.R. 2528, the Military Quality of Life Appropriations Act. This bill will provide $1.64 billion more in veterans’ healthcare than fiscal year 2005, a nine percent increase. Veterans’ healthcare and medical services will receive a total of $21 billion in fiscal year 2006.
 
The mental health of our returning soldiers is also a top priority and for fiscal year 2006, veterans’ mental health programs will receive $2.2 billion. Also for the first time funds will be specifically allocated to help soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In our continuing effort to combat waste and fraud, the House has provided an additional $1 billion to the Office of the Inspector General. The funding increase will assist OIG in overseeing the quality of health care services, identifying internal control vulnerabilities in benefits payment processes, and detecting waste, fraud and abuse through extensive review and analysis of VA databases and matching initiatives. When we eliminated wasted funding, those who deserve it will see more of it.

In an effort to show gratitude to our nation’s veterans, these are some of the pieces of legislation I am proud to support:

  • H.R. 303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill would permit retired members of the Armed Forces who have a service-connected disability to receive both military retired pay by reason of their years of military service and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability. Furthermore, it will repeal provisions providing for special compensation for certain severely disabled military retirees and certain combat-related disabled uniformed services retirees.
  • H.R. 602, the Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act This bill would restore health care coverage to retired members of the uniformed services. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member.
  • H.R. 994, TRICARE Reform This bill would amend the tax code to allow Federal civilian and military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pretax basis and to allow a deduction for TRICARE supplemental premiums.
  • H.R. 97 Servicemembers Anti-Predatory Lending Protection Act  This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to set forth terms for consumer credit extended to a servicemember or servicemember's dependent, including terms of interest with respect to the extension of such credit.  Prohibits a creditor from imposing an annual percentage rate greater than 36 percent with respect to the consumer credit extended.
  • H.R. 3478 This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit military death gratuities to be contributed to certain tax-favored accounts. Current tax law limits the amount that recipients of the death gratuity can place in tax-preferred accounts such as Roth IRA, Health Savings, Archer Medical Savings or Coverdell Education Savings Account.
  • H.R. 4205 Disabled Veterans Fairness Act The legislation would increase the travel reimbursement for disabled veterans who must travel long distances to receive medical care. The reimbursement would be increased to the same level as federal employees and the deductible would be repealed.
  • H.R. 968  Amends provisions of the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to change from October 1, 2008, to October 1, 2005, the effective date on or after which no reduction may be made in the retired pay of an SBP participant for any month after the later of: (1) the 360th month for which such pay was so reduced; and (2) the month during which the participant attains 70 years of age.

Related Documents:

Press Release - Paramus Vets Home 10.4.2006

Press Release - Filipino WW2 9.20.2006

Press Release - Korea Medals 8.9.2006

Press Release - VA Sec Visit 5.31.2006

Press Release - Fallen Heroes Act 5.9.2006


More Documents...

Related Files:

Paramus Vets Home Actuality

     
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