Newark, NJ – Today, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced that he received the highest possible rating for his work on behalf of service members and their families from one of the nation’s leading veterans groups.  The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) gave Lautenberg an “A+” for his work on the new GI Bill, veterans’ health care, mental health and support for homeless veterans.

    “It’s more than our responsibility to fight for the men and women who served our country—it’s our duty.  We must stand up for our service members when they are overseas and when they return home,” Sen. Lautenberg said.  “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, but more work remains – we will continue fighting for better health care and educational benefits for our veterans.”

    Lautenberg is a leader in fighting for the needs of service members and their families.  He was one of the four principal sponsors of the new G.I. bill, along with Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and John Warner (R-VA), extending educational benefits to a new generation of veterans.

    In September, Congress passed a provision, which is now law, championed by Lautenberg and Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH-13) to provide a monthly bonus of up to $500 to troops affected by “stop loss,” a policy that involuntarily extends military service beyond an enlistment contract.  Lautenberg’s and Sutton’s Stop Loss Compensation Act (S. 3060) was the impetus for the new law, which was included in the Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Appropriations Act.  Under this law, the Pentagon will be required to pay the bonus for each month a service member is kept beyond the end of their enlistment period in Fiscal Year 2009.

    Senator Lautenberg has also led efforts in the Senate over the past three years to prevent increases to enrollment fees, premiums and pharmacy co-payments for TRICARE, the military community’s health plan.

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