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Click here to view the Congressman's Veteran's Day message. (Windows Media Player, 2.8 MB)

Congressman Meehan on Veterans 

America's Veterans who have served and sacrificed for our country have earned our gratitude and our respect.  Unfortunately, we aren’t honoring our commitment to them as we should. 

 

I’m fighting to improve veterans’ benefits and health care so that our heroes serving us abroad know that their country will support them when they come home.

 

Congressman Meehan presents Paul Whiting of Concord, a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, a flag flown in his honor over the U.S. Capitol.

                                Congressman Meehan presents Paul Whiting of Concord, a veteran   

                                of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, a flag flown 

                                in his honor over the U.S. Capitol.

I support making adequate funding for veterans’ health care mandatory, so it isn’t pitted against other priorities.

I believe that it is wrong to deny our veterans benefits through unfair provisions like the Disabled Veterans Tax, and to allow the widows and widowers of America's Veterans to give up the benefits earned by their spouses.

I will continue to fight in Congress to make sure that we honor our veterans as they have honored us through their service.

Congressman Meehan meets with the American Legion from Quincy. 

Congressman Meehan meets with members of the the American Legion.

If you are a veteran in need of assistance, click here.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Working to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) continues to be one of Congressman Meehan's  top priorities in Congress.  Congressman Meehan has called on his colleagues to  redouble the commitment to soldiers now returning home and those who defended our freedom in past conflicts, ensuring that we provide care not only for the physical wounds, but the emotional scars as well. 

As it stands now, the government maintains an unacceptably flawed system that neither pays adequate attention to veterans suffering from mental health disorders, nor dedicates sufficient resources to diagnosing and assisting them.  This allows too many veterans suffering from mental health disorders to fall through the cracks.   

The wave of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan correlates directly with a steep rise in PTSD sufferers.  A July 2004 New England Journal of Medicine study indicated that as many as 86% of U.S. soldiers and Marines deployed in Iraq, and 30% of those in Afghanistan, have engaged in some form of ground combat.  The same study found that one in five of our troops involved in ground combat in Iraq suffer from major depression, generalized anxiety, or PTSD.

Congressman Meehan wrote legislation-- included in the House version of this year's National Defense Bill-- that would create a Defense Department mass media campaign to raise awareness about mental health and substance disorders among service members and their families.  It would also create peer support programs to support and educate soldiers about PTSD.  This legislation, which was endorsed by Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs at the Department of Defense, will help remove the stigma and encourage people to seek treatment. 

Fighting for the Bedford VA Hospital  

Congressman Marty Meehan worked with other members of the Massachusetts delegation to protect the Bedford VA Hospital so it could continue to provide first-class care.  

Congressman Meehan brought the Secretary of the VA to Bedford to show him what a world-class facility it is – performing research on Alzheimer’s as well as delivering clinical care.  

The Secretary recognized the importance of the Alzheimer’s unit at Bedford, which not only services dozens of Alzheimer’s patients, but also performs research that helps the 4.5 million Americans suffering from the disease.  In May 2004, he announced that the facility would remain open.  

As the VA continues its evaluation of facilities throughout the region, Congressman Meehan continues to work with his colleagues to ensure that veterans in MA have access to the top-quality care that they deserve.

Concurrent Receipt: “the Disabled Veterans Tax”    

Nearly 400,000 military retirees with service-connected disabilities in this country, and about 4,300 in Massachusetts, lose out on military retirement benefits due to the Disabled Veterans Tax.  

As a Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Meehan pushed for a complete end to this unfair provision.   

Congressman Meehan is a sponsor of the Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005 (H.R. 303), which would provide full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay to all individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.

Unfortunately, while this legislation has over 200 bipartisan co-sponsors, the Republican leadership has not brought this legislation up for a vote.

Survivor Benefit Plan

Over one million military retirees pay premiums for years and anticipate that upon their death, their spouse will receive 55 percent of their benefit.   However, when their spouse reaches 62, the benefit drops to a mere 35 percent – forcing the widows of those who sacrificed for our counrty to give up more than one-third of their retirement benefit when they are eligible for Social Security benefits.  “The Survivor Benefit Penalty” affects over 225,000 aging survivors, mostly widows of the veterans of our county.    

Congressman Meehan cosponsored the Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act to increase the benefit paid to retirees’ spouses to 55 percent over five years.  The legislation would also grant a one year open season to retirees currently not enrolled in the SBP.