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WASHINGTON, DC -- Witnesses told a House subcommittee today that Congress should expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to help military families caring for a loved one wounded during wartime.
Sarah Wade, wife of injured Iraq veteran Ted Wade, testified on the struggle that she and her in-laws faced to balance work and the medical needs of their loved one.
“Due to the nature of his injuries, someone had to be with Ted every step of the way to oversee his medical care,” said Wade. “Needless to say, the long term financial challenges faced by the care providers of our severely injured service members are daunting.”
“These wounded warriors need substantial support and care from their families, often for long periods of time, and some permanently,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chairwoman of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee. “So no matter where we come down on the merits of these conflicts, we must help the families involved – families who include not only spouses but parents, children and others – support their loved ones who are putting their lives on the line for us in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Woolsey and other members of Congress introduced H.R. 3481, the Support for Injured Servicemembers Act, earlier this month. The legislation would expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow family members of wounded veterans to take up to six months of unpaid leave from their jobs. The President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors found that the average length of rehabilitation for a wounded service member is 45 days.
“Often the caregiver must terminate a position in order to care for their wounded loved one during their rehabilitation and recovery phase,” said Jessica Perdew, deputy director of government relations of the National Military Family Association. “Not only are these caregivers losing income, many times they lose their health care coverage, too.”
Perdew said that two-thirds of all military spouses work, including 87 percent of junior enlisted spouses.
Earlier this year, the President’s Commission on America’s Returning Wounded Warriors – lead by former Sen. Robert Dole and cabinet Sec. Donna Shalala – recommended that Congress expand the Family and Medical Leave law for military families to provide greater flexibility.
“The President’s Commission report could not have been more clear – today’s veterans and their families need access to extended FMLA leave,” said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families. “We ask our military families to make great sacrifices. Now we have an opportunity to show them how much we appreciate all that they have done by giving them time off from work to provide care for their loved ones through The Support for Injured Servicemembers Act.”
Senate companion legislation was introduced by Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY).
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