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Representatives from the New Hampshire Department of the American Legion met with John on Capitol Hill in February 2006. From L to R: Joyce Flanders, of New Ipswich; Karyl Horn, of Newmarket; Sandy Neylon, of Twin Mountain; Roland Patnode, Jr., of Somersworth; Senator Sununu; Bob Blais, of Goffstown; Mariann Perreault, of Somersworth; John Neylon, of Twin Mountain.

 

Veterans

John’s detailed and lengthy record of service on behalf of veterans covers a wide area including health care, housing, and benefits. A top issue with New Hampshire veterans remains expanded access to the health care benefits. In June 2008, during a personal meeting with Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, John informed him of the need for a veterans’ center in Keene and firmly underscored that our state’s veterans deserve a full service veterans’ hospital or a system that provides full, in-state services. When Granite State veterans are forced to travel out of the State to receive medical care, it can be a hardship for them and their families. 

Success has been achieved over the past eight years, but more work remains. The VA has renovated and opened an audiology clinic, added an eye clinic, and established a state-of-the-art same-day surgical suite and ophthalmology surgery program.  A new women’s clinic opened in 2003; a primary mental health clinic was created in 2006; outpatient clinics have opened in Conway and Somersworth; and Senator Gregg and John helped secure funding for a center in Berlin to provide all veterans with counseling and outreach services. John will continue to push for expanded services and the ability of all New Hampshire veterans to receive treatment from local providers when not available in Manchester. 

Not all wounds are visible, and there exists a significant need for improvement in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and related mental health issues. With a comprehensive out reach and counseling program, the New Hampshire National Guard has taken the lead in the area by instituting a reunion and reentry program to assist returning soldiers and their families. Based on the success of the Guard’s program, John has co-sponsored legislation to create and fund similar programs for Guard members and their families across the country. As a cosponsor of the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Act (S. 1233), John also strongly supports efforts to allow those who suffer from TBI to receive care closer to home. This legislation would allow these injured veterans to seek rehabilitative treatment through non-VA providers if they live an extended distance from a VA hospital or if they VA is unable to provide the necessary level of care.

On behalf of our disabled veterans, John worked to upgrade eligibility criteria for housing assistance grants to help them move home from medical facilities as quickly as possible, and to modify their residences to better accommodate their disabilities. This dedication resulted in the passage of the “Veterans’ Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006” – legislation that included John’s initiative to update eligibility criteria for housing assistance grants to modify the homes of younger disabled veterans. The President signed the bill into law on June 15, 2006, and John recently co-sponsored an amendment to increase housing grants.

John is a longtime supporter of concurrent receipt legislation to permanently end the 1890’s law requiring the dollar-for-dollar reduction of retirement pay by disability benefit payments received by military retirees. Each year, he has supported an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Act to require full concurrent receipt for all military retirees with a service-connected disability, regardless of their disability rating.  While progress has been made on this issue over the past few years, John will continue to fight for passage of full concurrent receipt for disabled military retirees.


Further information regarding United States Department of Veterans Affairs can be obtained at: www.va.gov


 

 

BERLIN
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