Veterans |
Honoring our Commitments to our Veterans
“…to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” All of us owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans and their families, whenever they served, for they have borne the true cost of service. As a former military spouse who is now proud to call my husband “veteran,” I know the personal cost is high for all, but incredibly high for some. Veterans need more than words of thanks. They have spent time away from their friends and families, away from their communities and jobs. They’ve had to miss births and weddings and funerals, and they have missed the comforts of home and the support of loved ones. They’ve battled loneliness and many have also been in combat and may now battle Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and other physical and mental challenges. Many veterans return to civilian life with missing limbs or with health conditions or injuries that need treatment, sometimes chronically. We owe them more than a thank you. We owe them their benefits. We owe them care for their medical problems, and we owe them financial and emotional support. We owe veterans a friendly, welcoming hand when they apply for veterans’ benefits. New Hampshire’s veterans live in the only state without a full-service hospital or access to similar services on a military facility. This is why I introduced legislation, H.R. 190, the Veterans Health Equity Act of 2009, to require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to restore the VA Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire to a full-service VA hospital or provide our veterans with comparable in-state care through local health care providers. In July of 2009, after three years of pressure from my office, the VA announced that it would expand its community partnership with Concord Hospital, meaning that New Hampshire veterans have in-state access to acute inpatient hospital care from the VA. The VA has since then implemented this partnership. I am determined to continue working to correct this inequity for our veterans and to fight for equal care for New Hampshire’s veterans. The past few years have seen Congress enact a number of important benefits for veterans. I worked to pass and expand a new GI Bill that restores the promise of a full, four-year college education for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2007, funding for the VA has increased by a remarkable 60%. Additionally, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, has provided, for the first time, advance appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011. These advance appropriations will allow the VA to plan ahead and will also ensure that there will be no problems if there is a delay in the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2011. Advance funding for the VA has been a major priority for veterans’ service organizations, and I was proud to support it.
I was also proud to support the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (now Public Law 111-163), which provides assistance to caregivers of veterans, improves the provision of health care to veterans, including studies of barriers to health care for women veterans, and special pilot programs to assess the services they need. This bill creates a caregiver support program where caregivers of veterans of all eras receive supportive services such as caregiver training and education, counseling and mental health services, and respite care (including 24-hour, in-home respite care). Those caring for certain eligible OEF/OIF veterans will receive additional support benefits including lodging and subsistence payments when accompanying the veteran on medical care visits, health care coverage, and a monthly financial stipend. It also authorizes an increase in the travel reimbursement for veterans receiving care at VA facilities to 41.5 cents per mile and allows reimbursements for airfare when that is the only practical way to reach a VA facility. More details can be found at: http://veterans.house.gov/legislation/111th/S1963summaryforfloor.pdf In addition, I am working to correct problems involving the concurrent receipt of veterans’ benefits. I am a proud original cosponsor of the Disabled Veterans Tax Elimination Act (H.R. 333). This legislation would allow retired Armed Services members with disability benefits of less than 50% to receive concurrent payments of veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay. In addition, it would eliminate the phase-in period for concurrent receipt and extend eligibility for concurrent receipt to chapter 61 disability retirees with less than 20 years of service.
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